Jackson Free Press

The Mississippi Center for Justice has made clear its desire to occupy the old library on 301 N. State Street. The group is offering to pay more than the appraised market value for the building, which has been heavily vandalized in the last few years, and the non-profit said in a press statement that it will not seek its exemption from property taxes if it comes to own the property.

The building used to serve as a "whites-only" library for the city. Civil rights advocates targeted the building during the Civil Rights Movement, with nine Tougaloo College students staging a historic "read-in."

MCJ Chairman Fred L. Banks Jr. said MCJ is looking to revitalize the downtown area. "If the city accepts our offer, we will restore this historic building to provide prime office space for organizations whose mission is to provide access to justice for all Mississippians. We cannot think of a more suitable use for this important monument of the Civil Rights Movement."

Developer Ted Duckworth has had his eye on the same property for years, however, and he isn't letting it go without a fight. Duckworth wants to turn the library into high-end condominiums, but he complained in March that the city has been holding up paperwork he needs to advantage of the building's historical designation to defray nearly $2 million in renovation costs. Duckworth has asked the council for an extension.

City Council voted Tuesday to extend Duckworth's deadline until July 13, and they reduced the asking price from $383,000 to $255,000. Last week, Council President Ben Allen said that if the council voted for an extension, the building would likely go to Duckworth.

"If we vote to extend, it's over," Allen said. "It's going to boil down to four votes on the council on who goes in there."