Restoration work on the roof of Merrehope is well underway as crews race against the clock to finish repairs at one of Meridian’s most popular attractions before the start of the Christmas holiday season.
Its biggest fundraiser of the year, Merrehope draws thousands of visitors during its annual Trees of Christmas tour, where more than 60 uniquely decorated Christmas trees and exhibits are showcased throughout the house and on the veranda and grounds.
Meridian Restorations Foundation Inc., which owns Merrehope, was able to start on much-needed repairs back in late September after years spent raising funds for the project, which is being undertaken by Daniels Roofing.
“Our deadline to them is before Trees of Christmas, but the work got started a lot later than what we anticipated,” said Karen Justice, secretary of the foundation. “And with anything, especially an old building like this, there are discoveries as you go.”
But, she said, the work is progressing and everyone is hopeful it will be completed in time for the holiday season to kick off at Merrehope with the opening gala of the 56th Annual Trees of Christmas tours on Nov. 24. A Jackson-based architect who specializes in historical buildings is working with Meridian Restorations on the project.
The current project is the first of a two-phase effort to address what was Merrehope’s deteriorating roof. The home has been closed this week due to the location of where the roofing work has been taking place and will reopen on Tuesday.
Justice said addressing Merrehope’s roof is important to preserving the house.
“It’s key and affects the whole integrity of the building,” she said.
Over the years, emergency repairs have been made to stabilize the roof and stop leaks, which have caused some damage to the interior, Justice said. Roof leaks also have been addressed at the nextdoor Frank W. Williams home.
“We’ve been putting bandaids on it for too long, and we’re trying to address the root of the problem rather than keep wasting money,” said Kim Waters, president of Meridian Restorations Foundation.
The foundation applied and received a $306,385 Community Heritage Preservation Grant from the Mississippi Department of Archives and History in 2022 to help fund the new roof, Justice said. But in order to receive the grant, the foundation had to first raise matching funds of $127,300.
Those matching funds came from contributions made by individuals and businesses, as well as through fundraisers, including a benefit concert by musician Steve Forbert at the Temple Theatre in 2022. Justice also said Atlas Roofing generously donated shingles for the roofing project.
Now, the foundation is looking toward phase two of the project, which will cost about $220,000, she said. Some of the contributions for phase two have already been received, but Meridian Restorations is continuing with its Raise the Roof campaign.
“The roof above the kitchen has been badly damaged and has caused some serious damage in the wall all the way down and even into the kitchen cabinets and the floor,” Justice said.
Phase two will address the roof repair above the kitchen and damage to the walls and floor, as well as allow them to redo the kitchen.
“As we know with our own homes, if you have roof leaks, it causes damage to the interior so if you are not fixing the upper part of that infrastructure, then you might as well kiss the rest of it goodbye,” Justice said.
Anyone interested in donating to Merrehope’s Raise the Roof campaign for phase two can visit the historic home’s website at merrehope.com and click on the Donate to Raise the Roof button, which will take them to a tax-deductible contribution sheet they can print out and mail in with their donation. Or, they can click on the Donations tab found on the Donations to Merrehope page and fill out the form, being sure to note the donation is for the Raise the Roof campaign.
“Merrehope is such an important part of Meridian’s history, and we all feel very strongly about keeping her standing straight,” Justice said. “It is definitely a labor of love for this board.”