Columbus’ old Studdard Law Firm building is finally getting a new lease on downtown life — and it will involve hair, not legal briefs. The 1910 structure is being renovated into Rhett Haus Salon after sitting vacant for about five years, with an opening planned for September 2026.
McKenzie Rhett is leading the renovation, with help from Robert Rhett, and the family has invested hundreds of thousands of dollars into the project, according to The Commercial Dispatch. The work includes addressing leak damage, a ruined roof and deteriorated interior materials — the sort of glamorous behind-the-scenes work that makes a salon opening possible.
A Long-Empty Corner Gets A New Use
The building sits at the corner of Fourth Street South and College Street inside Columbus’ downtown historic district. The City of Columbus lists a standing Historic Preservation Commission that meets monthly at City Hall, making exterior changes to prominent downtown buildings a public matter rather than a purely private renovation decision.
The Rhetts presented the project in May and received approval from the Historic Preservation Commission on a split vote, the Dispatch reported. Much of the debate centered on the building’s new color, which the Rhetts said was chosen to match the Varsity building on Main Street, while preservation concerns focused on the treatment of the historic brick.
The Signs And Stories Are Staying
The renovation is not intended to erase the building’s older identities. The Rhetts plan to restore the Morris and Pennington grocery sign at the top of the building and the Happy Feeds mural on the side, while the Dispatch noted that the property once housed a grocery store in the 1940s and a pool hall in the 1970s.
McKenzie Rhett has argued that keeping downtown buildings updated and fresh is part of keeping Columbus from becoming a dying town. That is the central tension here: historic preservation works best when old buildings remain useful, but new uses can bring modern materials, branding and expectations that do not always play nicely with old brick.
Mississippi’s Department of Archives and History operates a preservation division that provides technical assistance and manages programs tied to historic buildings, according to MDAH. Its Columbus Historic District materials also make clear that the city’s older structures are being evaluated within a formal preservation framework, not simply judged by whether a fresh paint color looks good from across the street.
Rhett Haus Opening Planned For September
If the remaining renovation work stays on schedule, Rhett Haus Salon will open in September and give one of downtown Columbus’ most recognizable vacant buildings a daily purpose again. The salon will arrive with a restored mural, a revived commercial sign and a fresh coat of controversy — but also with the chance to prove that preservation and new business do not always have to be enemies.
