Upon establishing the Mississippi School of the Arts High School, the State of Mississippi decided that the new school’s facilities would be located on the Historic Landmark site of the Whitworth College in Brookhaven, Mississippi. An emergency stabilization project was immediately launched to save several buildings, including the the 1883 Johnson Institute, which was on the verge of collapse. The exterior was repaired, a new roof constructed and new windows installed. Two code compliant stairs and an elevator were placed in the most irreparable areas. The sixteen-foot-tall classrooms and hallways were restored using to their original finishes: hardwood floors, plaster walls and board ceilings. In 2003, the renovations were complete and they were opened to house educational and administrative spaces for the new campus.