Meridian Museum of Art
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| Established | 1970 |
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| Location | 628 25th Avenue Meridian, Mississippi |
| Coordinates | 32°21′50.1″N 88°42′11.2″W / 32.363917°N 88.703111°WCoordinates: 32°21′50.1″N 88°42′11.2″W / 32.363917°N 88.703111°W |
| Type | Art museum |
| Website | www.meridianmuseum.org |
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Meridian Museum of Art
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 Location of Museum of Art in Mississippi
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| Location | Meridian, Mississippi |
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| Built | February 1884 |
| Architectural style | Italianate |
| MPS | Meridian MRA |
| NRHP Reference # | 79003397 |
| USMS # | 075-MER-0151-NR-ML |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | December 18, 1979 |
| Designated USMS | January 8, 1985 |
Meridian Museum of Art is an art museum located at 628 25th Avenue, Meridian, Mississippi. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979 and declared a Mississippi Landmark in 1985. The building originally served as the home of the First Presbyterian Church of Meridian until the city of Meridian bought the building in 1911 and turned it into a Carnegie Library in 1913. The city originally constructed two Carnegie libraries — one for whites and one for African-Americans; the building currently housing the Meridian Museum of Art served as the white library. In 1970, after the libraries integrated and moved to a new location, the vacant building at 628 25th Avenue was transformed into the Meridian Museum of Art and still operates today.
The lot on which the building resides was originally owned by Richard McLemore, the first settler in the Meridian area in 1831. When construction of the Mobile and Ohio Railroad began in the area, most of McLemore's land was bought by Lewis A. Ragsdale, including the lot at 25th Ave and 7th St on which the museum now stands. In 1867 Ragsdale donated the lot to members of the First Presbyterian Church of Meridian, and they built a small wooden structure in which to hold worship services. A fire on January 24, 1883, burned the building to the ground, but it was later rebuilt in the same location with brick by members of the church. On September 25, 1911, the church sold the building to the city of Meridian.
Israel Marks, who helped operate the Marks-Rothenberg Department Store next door to the Grand Opera House, was an acquaintance of philanthropist Andrew Carnegie from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In 1904, after being asked by citizens of Meridian, Marks approached Carnegie about funding for a library in the city. Marks convinced Carnegie to issue a $38,000 grant to the city's government to build two Carnegie libraries — one for whites and one for African-Americans. The city used the money both to renovate the vacant building (formerly owned by First Presbyterian Church of Meridian) at 25th Ave and 7th St and transform it into a library, and to build another library for African-Americans at 13th St and 28th Ave on land donated by a local Methodist church. The two libraries served the city until 1967, when the institutions became integrated, combined their collections, and moved all materials to the new Meridian Public Library at 2517 7th St. The 13th street library is also listed on the National Register as Carnegie Branch Library.
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