JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — A public library that fell into disrepair will be torn down to make way for a new green space near two history museums that have become one of the top tourist attractions in Mississippi’s capital city.

The board of the state Department of Archives and History on Friday approved a demolition permit for the Eudora Welty Library, which is named after the acclaimed author but did not house important documents from her.

The library is near the Museum of Mississippi History and the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum, which opened under the same roof in 2017. The museums are a short distance from the Capitol building.

Part of the Welty library flooded after a storm damaged the roof in 2013. The building faced expensive problems with its air conditioning system in 2022 and 2023, and city officials decided not to spend money on repairs. The Department of Archives and History acquired the structure early this year.