The Fondren, a 100-room boutique hotel on the corner of Hartfield and State Streets that developers Duvall Decker Architects, CDA Hospitality and Eldon Development first unveiled in 2014, is on track to officially begin construction in fall 2017.
The nine-story hotel, which uses the former Kolb's Cleaners building as its lobby and entryway, will feature a fitness center, an outdoor amphitheater, a rooftop bar and more.

Lucky Town Brewing Company, which recently began selling beer on site in its new Tap Room after a new state law allowing the practice went into effect July 1, has been doing other renovations to go along with its new capability.
Among the renovations are the construction of 18 new beer taps, bringing the number at the brewery up to 30, along with a 20-foot-long on-site bar built out of reclaimed wood from a bar in French Camp, Miss.
The bar features two digital television screens that display what Lucky Town currently has on tap to sell at the brewery. "We're expecting to see a lot more local faces, repeat business and foot traffic with the Tap Room and new bar," Lucky Town brewmaster Lucas Simmons told the Jackson Free Press. "We're also going to be hosting new events at the brewery like Bike Night with Slop Shop, a motorcycle repair shop downtown."
Lucky Town sells beer on-site on Thursdays from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., Fridays from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. and Saturdays from 1 p.m. to
8 p.m.
Renovating Grove Park Municipal Golf Course
In September 2016, the Jackson City Council voted to cut $150,000 from the Department of Parks and Recreation's budget, which would have led to the closure of the historic Grove Park Municipal Golf Course near Lake Hico. The announcement of the golf course's closure generated a local uproar because Grove Park was the first golf course in the state that allowed African Americans to play on it. Others were segregated,
Later that same year the Jackson City Council voted to fund the golf course and turned over responsibility to former Mayor Tony Yarber's administration to find a group to help fund and manage the course, because the City couldn't pay for it.
On June 27, 2017, the Department of Parks and Recreation presented the council a memorandum of understanding that named Mississippi Road Map to Health Equity and Urban League Inc., a nonprofit organization that promotes good health in the Jackson metro area, as the new manager of the golf course. The council has presented Mississippi Road Map with the lease for the course.
Beneta Burt, executive director of Mississippi Road Map, plans to renovate the golf course to generate funds and offer a training program for high-school graduates that trains them in landscaping and small-engine repairing. Mississippi Road Map will pay the students stipends for their work.
Belhaven University Opening New Madison Campus
Belhaven University is getting a new Madison campus in time for the fall 2017 semester. The new campus is offering Master of Business Administration, Master of Science in leadership, Bachelor of Arts in applied psychology, Bachelor of Arts in Biblical studies, Bachelor of Arts in interdisciplinary studies, Bachelor of Health Administration and more.
The new campus will be on second floor of Baptist in Madison (401 Baptist Drive). The 3,500-square-foot space features three classrooms, a computer lab, two offices and a reception area.
District at Eastover Explodes into Activity
The District at Eastover (1250 Eastover Drive), a multi-use development in northeast Jackson, has brought a slew of new business to downtown Jackson, from restaurants and fitness centers to banks and jewelry stores.
The District's most recently announced tenants include Beckham Custom Jewelry Co., which opened in July, and Fine & Dandy restaurant, which is expected open in the fall (see pages 20-21).
Fine & Dandy is in the center of The District and will feature outdoor patio seating next to The District Green, the development's outdoor common space. Chef Jesse Houston's menu will include burgers, snacks, cocktails and more.
Beckham Custom Jewelry Co. offers in-store repairs and custom jewelry services and features a showroom, work studio and two consultation rooms.
Additionally, one of The District's anchor tenants, BankPlus, moved into a new 67,000-square-foot office complex called the BankPlus Building that now serves as the headquarters of the business' Jackson banking center.
The BankPlus Building offers commercial lending, commercial real estate, private banking and business-development services, among others. The building also offers drive-through banking Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., as well as interactive teller machines that customers can use for deposits, transfers, loan payments, check cashing and withdrawals.
Other tenants at The District include Origin Bank, Results Physiotherapy and Mexican restaurant Cantina Laredo. New locations for Orange Theory Fitness and Freshii restaurant are also under construction at The District.
Soul Spa at the Westin Hotel
In addition to a new restaurant called Estelle Wine Bar, the Westin Hotel in Jackson also brought Soul Spa to Jackson when it opened in August 2017.
Soul Spa offers massages, facials, body treatments, nail services such as manicures and pedicures, a sauna, showers and an outdoor courtyard with a whirlpool.
Other amenities include a 110-minute stress-relief body treatment that features a full-body exfoliation, facial cleanse and individually tailored aromatherapy massage and a couples room featuring body brushing and exfoliation, a massage with essential oils and warmed volcanic stones, a scalp massage and gentle stretching.
Soul Spa will also offer fresh and healthy light food, a daily selection of fruit smoothies, Champagne and wine, and more. Customers who are not Westin guests can enjoy complimentary valet parking and access to the Westin workout facility and indoor pool.
Capitol Art Lofts Opening in September
At press time, Capitol Art Lofts (218 W. Capital St.), a set of 31 apartments, community areas and art gallery and studio spaces that New Orleans-based HRI Properties is developing began construction on in Spring 2013, was on track to finish the first stage of construction by Sept. 1, 2017, and open for its first tenants.
The Art Lofts consists of one- and two-bedroom apartments with leasing preferences for artists, medical-industry workers, veterans and disabled people. In addition to community art gallery space, the Art Lofts also feature a resident business center, a fitness center with cardio and strength training equipment, and on-site parking, and the apartments are pet friendly.
The development is located across the street from the King Edward Hotel and Standard Life Building, which HRI Properties also renovated. HRI renovated the Art Lofts from a set of commercial buildings constructed along West Capitol Street between 1885 and 1929.
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