Page 19 - South Mississippi Living - July, 2025

The vintage facility was built between 1916 and 1917 with a
$10,000 grant from the Andrew Carnegie Foundation and was the first
public library on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. The land was donated by the county,
and the building was designed by the New Orleans firm Noland and Torre, constructed
in the Neoclassical style with brick and cast stone details.
According to Kelso, the building served as Gulfport’s main library until 1966. After that, it housed the Board
of Education offices and later the Harrison County Sheriff’s Office. In 1990, it was designated a Mississippi Landmark.
The Carnegie Building was the only building left standing on that block when Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005, but it was
badly damaged. After repairs, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2011 as part of the Gulfport Harbor Square
Commercial Historic District. In 2015, the city invited the Gulfport Arts Center to operate in the Carnegie Building. The City owns the building
via an agreement with the Mississippi Department of Archives & History. “The City of Gulfport considers the Gulfport Arts Center a valuable
and important part of our community,” says Public Information Officer Ravin Nettles. “It serves as a hub for creativity, education, and cultural expression—enhancing quality of life and contributing to the city’s vibrant and diverse identity. We are proud to support the arts and the role they play in enriching our community”
Potter Gerrol Benigno is a founding member of the Arts Center's Board of Directors and has served as president for six years. He also teaches pottery classes there.
“Aside from the obvious of saving a historical building, we have new dehumidifiers, new ultraviolet film for all windows for art protection, a superb lighting system, and a new professional wall hanging system. With all these additions, we can now solicit museum-type shows from across the country,” Benigno says.
“Anyone can submit an application to be considered for membership. Their artwork will be viewed by a vetting committee for consideration to join the GAC co-op. We have a signed contract with each artist. All artists enjoy having their work on display for either sale or viewing. To be able to pass on my knowledge to the next art generation is beyond measure.”
Acyclic painter Daniel Smith is president of the Center's Artists Council.
Other board members include Benigno; Ellen Lee, vice-president; Debra Baldinger, treasurer; Bob Short; Lois Hawthorne; Caroline Crocker; Jeri Pilgrim; Kelly Devine; and Kelso.
Kelso says that General repairs have been done by the City’s Maintenance Department, including re-grouting the exterior walls, refinishing the interior ones, repairing the front door, and replacing
two windows. Downstairs doors were elevated to provide protection from water during storms. Handicapped ramps were installed. Lighting has been rewired and modernized. To provide humidity control, the A/C system was replaced. The windows were treated with a special film to protect artwork from U/V sun radiation. A security system and an art-hanging system were installed.
Amazingly, the Arts Center remained open throughout the renovations. “It involved a good bit of moving operations about, but the Gulfport Arts Center was able to stay open for business for the entirety of the renovation,” Kelso said. “The Center is a cooperative of thirty local area artists, so all art exhibited is locally produced. The work is in all sorts of formats: oil and acrylic painting, watercolors, drawings, prints and etchings, pottery, woodworking, and jewelry.
SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living | www.smliving.net
July 2025 | 19