Tuesday, a dedication was held for the renovation of the historic Miller-Roy Building.
The building, which was once the centerpiece of the African-American business community, was opened in August of 1929 by two local doctors: Dr. J. T. Miller and Dr. J. C. Roy.
The building’s renovation is part of the revitalization of the old Negro Business district by Rep. Micheal Echols and a group of investors.
The building will be converted into affordable housing units, with adjacent expansions. Echols has also purchased other properties along the old Negro Business strip and has upgraded them. The expansions also include acquisitions of shotgun housing units on Adams Street near the old Rose of Sharon Baptist Church.
The Miller-Roy Building once housed many prominent African-American businesses, civil rights groups, and legal offices.
The late great Ivory Joe Hunter recorded many of his 800 songs in the Miller-Roy building; he was an in-law of the Roy Family.
The only business in Monroe still operating that was once housed in the Miller-Roy Building is the Monroe Free Press.
