Historic Structure Report: Medgar Evers Home Renovation

WFT Architects, P.A.

The home of Medgar Evers was donated to Tougaloo College by Evers's widow, Myrlie Evers Williams. This historic site was not only the home of the civil rights leader and his family, but was also the site of his assassination. This historic structure report was undertaken to document the house in its existing condition, determine the condition of the house at the time of the assassination, and recommend a plan for the home's renovation and restoration. A variety of research methods were used to determine the condition of the home and the surrounding neighborhood in 1963, the year Evers was assassinated. Neighbors of the Evers family and one of the two subdivision developers were interviewed. Descriptions written by Myrlie Evers-Williams were informative, and photographic evidence of the home's 1963 condition was also found in publications, newsreel footage, and the evidence files from the trial of Evers's assassin, Byron De La Beckwith. The current conditions and the 1963 conditions were compared, and the proposed use of the home as a museum was considered. Out of this research, a plan for restoration was developed, and subsequently recommended to the owner. The report was prepared before the site became part of the National Park System. The renovated structure, as a house museum in the historic district and the home of a significant civil rights leader, will provide the opportunity for a concrete experience that may bridge the gap between reading about history and understanding it.

Historic Structure Report: Medgar Evers Home Renovation

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