Enochs Hall Renovation

Enochs Hall was built in 1920 as a dormitory and cafeteria for the former Whitworth College. The former college campus was transformed into the Mississippi School for the Arts, the statewide school for the arts for the State of Mississippi, beginning in 1999. Enochs Hall has been restored in phases, the first of which was stabilization and partial exterior restoration. The recent project included the remainder of the exterior restoration (brick masonry restoration, porch restoration and miscellaneous repairs) and the rehabilitation of the interior to house portions of the School’s theater department.

Enochs Hall is a beautiful historic three story building on the campus of the Mississippi School for the Arts in Brookhaven, MS, containing approximately 15,000 square feet. The recent project included the transformation of the original entry lobby and adjacent space into an elegant reception/gathering/exhibit space for the department, the incorporation of a new black box theater (carved out of two floors of the building), and the incorporation of classrooms, practice space, a workshop, restrooms, an elevator and upgraded exit stairs. This was done while also maintaining the buildings’ historic character.

Enochs Hall is constructed of solid masonry load bearing walls topped with a wood roof structure supporting clay tile roofing. The concrete floor and open column/beam layout on the first level is unique to the building, as the second and third floor finishes are tongue and groove wood floors and ceilings and plaster walls with a wood lath substructure on interior partitions. The building retains many of the original woodworking, details, doors and windows.

The mission from the School of the Arts was to sensitively update and modernize the current building to accommodate the needs of the Theatrical Department understanding the need for sustainability, flexibility, economy and shared spaces.