Renovations underway to old Rex Theatre in Starkville

STARKVILLE, Miss. (WCBI) – Renovations will soon be underway at the old Rex Theatre in Starkville.

It’ll feature an up and coming local business.

GLO, a company that started in 2015 by two Mississippi State University students, will occupy the first floor of the building. Abert Masonic Lodge, who occupies the second floor, will remain as the building owner.

It all started as a class project for Hagan Walker and Anna Barker in 2015.

Fast forward to today.

That project has turned into a company that continues to expand, so moving into the old Rex Theatre, allows them to have more workspace.

It also keeps the company in the city where it all began.

Mark Castleberry, the developer for this project, said this location is the perfect fit for GLO for many reasons.

“They can utilize the space,” said Castleberry. “They can also use the size. Approximately 7,000 feet is what will be occupied. They had a strong desire to be downtown.”

The building itself is owned by Abert Masonic Lodge 89.

The lodge, built in 1931, has since rented out space to numerous businesses including the Rex Theatre since it’s inception.

So this opportunity for the owners of GLO, is something that means a lot to them.

“It’s not every day that you know young company like us gets the opportunity to move into a building like this,” said Hagan Walker, CEO, co-founder of GLO. “I think it’s a little surreal.”

“The picture that it presents is so amazing right,” said Anna Barker, VP, Business Development of GLO. “Because The redevelopment of the Rex Theatre is a great way to honor the history of Starkville. But also, is going in their as a young start up at the university is also kind of looking forward to the economic development that Starkville worked really hard for.”

Castleberry said this $1.2 million project is scheduled to be completed by the end of this year.

Categories: Local News

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