A Vicksburg business owner is hoping to turn a derelict building on Washington Street into a museum that celebrates African- American history.

“This building has so much potential,” said Malcolm Carson, the new owner of 913 Washington St. “But for right now I want to get it up to city code.”

Carson has high expectations for the almost century old building that sits at Washington and Jackson, across the street from the future Lower Mississippi River Museum and Riverfront Interpretive Center.

“I would really like to put another museum in this area that would be another draw for tourists,” Carson said, referring to the future River Museum and Vicksburg Transportation Museum, which is set to be housed in the former Yazoo & Mississippi Valley Railroad Station on Levee Street. “I think if they went there, they would also stop in here.”

The building, much like the area that surrounds it, is steeped in history. It has served as housing for several different industries, including car sales, soda bottling and most recently nightclubs.

It was built in 1911 as Christian and Brough Co. The business originally manufactured wagons and carriages but was used later for Packard, Hudson and Essex car sales and repairs. The dealership remained in the building until the late 1920s.

For decades after, the building was used as a bottling plant for 7-Up.

Jesse “7-Up” Smith, who began working at the bottling plant in 1955 for $17 a week, has seen the building go through huge changes in the last 55 years. Smith acquired his nickname because the uniform he used to wear had the soda’s logo emblazoned on the back.

“Everyone started to call me ‘7-Up,’ and so I just started answering to it,” the 75-year-old said with a laugh.

The 7-Up plant closed in the mid-1960s and, for a time, was a barber shop before joining the nightclub scene.

Smith partnered with the building’s longtime owner, Joe Farris, who now lives in California, and ran the building as a nightclub called the Monte Carlo.

The club gained notoriety as a dance hall, booking all kinds of regionally and nationally known rhythm and blues acts through the 1970s and early ’80s.

“Oh, I booked some big dances,” Smith said. “Little Milton, Z.Z. Hills, McKenna Mitchell all came through there.”

The Monte Carlo was divided into two sections, Smith said. Half was used as a bar, and half was where bands set up near a dance floor.

“We always did pretty well on that side,” Smith said. “There were never too many misunderstandings; fights did not happen too often when people were dancing.”

Smith sold his stake in the Monte Carlo in 1984 and managed some other clubs around Vicksburg before leaving the nightclub business.

Today, if Carson can successfully turn the building into a museum, “he should,” Smith said.

During the past 20 years, the building has fallen into disrepair, with broken windows and pieces falling from the roof. It got so bad that in 2007 the city tore down the part of the building that had housed the dance hall.

Despite the severe deterioration, Carson has been able to salvage some of the original parts of the building.

“We have replaced all the windows, and we were able to keep some of the wood beams,” he said.

While working on the building, Carson is looking for help from the community.

“I am really looking for some input,” Carson said. “I need someone who can tell me what is the best thing to do, the best place to get this or that and go from there.”

Anyone who would like to contribute ideas to Carson may contact him at 601-301-0841.