Call For Nominations 2025
Do you know a person or group whose passion, talent and volunteer time has made a difference in the beautification of Downtown Natchez? Tell us! Each year, DNA recognizes these outstanding contributions with the “Keep Natchez Blooming Sallie Junkin Ballard” award!
Award Presentation on June 28, 2025
Join us for our “Celebrate The Blooms Bash” as we announce this year’s honorees on Saturday, June 28th. Our plant sale will be 8:30am – Noon at the Downtown Natchez Farmers Market on Broadway. The awards presentation at Smoot’s Grocery will be at 10:00am.
Introducing the Downtown Doorway Real Estate Portal
Be among the first to preview the Downtown Doorway, our new digital portal designed to simplify the search for downtown properties. This beta version offers an integrated platform to find and explore available downtown listings — commercial, residential, and multi-use — for sale or lease, all in an intuitive platform that makes it easy to explore opportunities and envision your future in the heart of Natchez.
Meet Our Executive Director
Leah Gibson Hunter is director of the Downtown Natchez Alliance (DNA). She leads the organization’s administrative, programmatic, and downtown revitalization efforts in collaboration with the city and other downtown-centric organizations.
“These are exciting times in Natchez! A thriving downtown is at the heart of my vision for the Natchez Renewal, and it’s happening. You can literally feel the energy as you walk our beautiful downtown streets and enjoy our shops, restaurants, galleries, and music venues. I am committed to our city’s award-winning Downtown Master Plan and our partnership with Mississippi Main Street and the Downtown Natchez Alliance. This means continued growth and rejuvenation of our historic downtown!”
Hiram Revels Plaza at MLK Triangle
One of the most important ideas for this sub-area plans listed in the Downtown Master Plan is the transformation of the triangular space that gives the area its name into a great civic space. The site is owned by the Zion Chapel AME Church and features a historic two-story brick building anchoring the site’s west end with concrete paving on the balance to accommodate parking. Below are primary objectives for the site, subject to the church’s agreement:
• Retain and rehabilitate the existing historic structure
• Retain the business occupying the historic structure
• Eliminate the parking on the triangle, but insure nearby alternative parking
• Redesign and redevelop the triangle into a great civic space
Signing Ceremony Paves Way For Anchor Of MLK Triangle
On January 25, 2024, Zion Chapel A.M.E. Church and The City of Natchez held a signing ceremony for the official donation of a portion of the church-owned M.L.K. Triangle property to the City for the future development of Hiram Rhodes Revels Plaza.
The City of Natchez, Zion Chapel A.M.E. and the Downtown Natchez Alliance jointly spearhead the creation of Revels Plaza Project, which is one of the 3 key anchors of the City’s Downtown Master Plan that was approved by the Board of Aldermen in May 2018.
Honored by American Planning Association as Mississippi’s 2018 Most Outstanding Project
The city’s Downtown Master Plan is a comprehensive program to boost downtown retail, art, and entertainment, consistent with the city’s historic preservation goals, from the River and the Bluff to our traditional 19th century African-American business district. Go to the Executive Summary page or download the full plan proposal to learn more.
Our Mission
The Downtown Natchez Alliance (DNA) is a non-profit entity organized to advance Downtown Natchez as a vibrant commercial and cultural district consistent with the city’s award-winning Downtown Master Plan and the national Main Street Approach, a time-tested framework for community-driven, comprehensive revitalization of historic downtowns.
