Even with Elba’s past and future challenges, the downtown is on the cusp of a renaissance. Recent improvements include a community garden, mural project, community-built playground, levee walkway, dog park, and new splash pad. While these various projects are an improvement to Elba’s quality of life, additional assistance and planning is needed to preserve the downtown’s history. The city of Elba has been a driving force in the downtown revitalization, and they have established a Historic Preservation Commission to assist with preservation activities.
Preserving Bonneau-Jeter Hardware will increase awareness about the past floods and the resilience of Elba’s people and will return this structure to a safe and sanitary condition while preserving the qualities that contribute to this building’s historic significance.