The City of Jackson’s decision to close Thalia Mara Hall came days after the Jackson City Council discussed concerns over suspected mold at the event venue.
On July 30, Ward 6 City Councilman Aaron Banks fielded a series of questions at City of Jackson Deputy Director of Human and Cultural Services Mike Williams over the condition of the building.
“Is there mold in Thalia Mara Hall?” Banks asked.
“Although we’ll never get rid of the name of Jackson, Mississippi, it’s named after him and that’s fine. However, his statue means so much more than just history, it’s a history that the majority of the people in this city look at and we don’t appreciate,” Ward 6 City Councilman Aaron Banks told WJTV in 2020. File photo by Imani Khayyam / Courtesy Jackson Free Press ” data-medium-file=”https://i0.wp.com/www.mississippifreepress.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Aaron-Banks_File-Photo-by-Imani-Khayyam-JFP.jpg?fit=300%2C200&ssl=1″ data-large-file=”https://i0.wp.com/www.mississippifreepress.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Aaron-Banks_File-Photo-by-Imani-Khayyam-JFP.jpg?fit=780%2C520&ssl=1″ tabindex=”0″ role=”button” src=”https://i0.wp.com/www.mississippifreepress.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Aaron-Banks_File-Photo-by-Imani-Khayyam-JFP.jpg?resize=780%2C520&ssl=1″ alt=”A man in a dark suit with periwinkle tie talking at a mic and pointing to the left” class=”wp-image-21273″ srcset=”https://i0.wp.com/www.mississippifreepress.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Aaron-Banks_File-Photo-by-Imani-Khayyam-JFP.jpg?resize=1024%2C683&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/www.mississippifreepress.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Aaron-Banks_File-Photo-by-Imani-Khayyam-JFP.jpg?resize=300%2C200&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/www.mississippifreepress.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Aaron-Banks_File-Photo-by-Imani-Khayyam-JFP.jpg?resize=768%2C512&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/www.mississippifreepress.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Aaron-Banks_File-Photo-by-Imani-Khayyam-JFP.jpg?resize=24%2C16&ssl=1 24w, https://i0.wp.com/www.mississippifreepress.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Aaron-Banks_File-Photo-by-Imani-Khayyam-JFP.jpg?resize=36%2C24&ssl=1 36w, https://i0.wp.com/www.mississippifreepress.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Aaron-Banks_File-Photo-by-Imani-Khayyam-JFP.jpg?resize=48%2C32&ssl=1 48w, https://i0.wp.com/www.mississippifreepress.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Aaron-Banks_File-Photo-by-Imani-Khayyam-JFP.jpg?w=1200&ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/www.mississippifreepress.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Aaron-Banks_File-Photo-by-Imani-Khayyam-JFP-1024×683.jpg?w=370&ssl=1 370w, https://i0.wp.com/www.mississippifreepress.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Aaron-Banks_File-Photo-by-Imani-Khayyam-JFP-1024×683.jpg?w=400&ssl=1 400w” sizes=”(max-width: 780px) 100vw, 780px” data-recalc-dims=”1″>Jackson, Miss., Ward 6 City Councilman Aaron Banks inquired about the condition of Thalia Mara Hall during the Jackson City Council’s regular meeting on July 30, 2024. File photo by Imani Khayyam / Jackson Free Press
Williams responded, saying, “There is growth in Thalia Mara Hall; (that) is what I was told by the remedial specialist this morning. There is not mold. They cannot certify it as mold.”
When Banks asked Willaims how long issues at the theater had existed, the deputy director said some of the problems “go back 12, 15, maybe 20 years.”
‘There’s a Lot of Work to Do’
Thalia Mara Hall was built in 1968 and renamed in 1994 after Chicago native and ballet dancer Thalia Mara. She toured the world as a dancer and founded the National Academy of Ballet in New York City in 1963 before moving to Jackson at 65 years old and founding the USA International Ballet Competition in 1978.
The theater is home to