That’s the word.

The building at 421 Market Street is owned by the Downtown Shreveport Development Corporartion (DSDC). This building was the former site of Dee's Photo Shop.

The building was donated to the DSDC, which spent over $150,000 to renovate the building before it was leased to Dripp Donuts.

DSCD is a private non-profit corporation formed to promote business growth in the Downtown Development District. As such, it is not subject to the Louisiana Public Records Act and thus, information is not available by a public records request.

Early last month, the building suffered major structural problems due to the sinking of part of the structure.

Currently, the eastern wall is being held up by structural lift equipment. Engineers have determined the cost of stabilization of the building is prohibitive.

Sources have confirmed that the DSDC has agreed to donate the building, "as is", to Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson. Jackson will receive the building free, but with the stipulation that he will be solely responsible for the demolition of the structure.

The timeline to complete the donation and the demolition is not known at this time. Additionally, it is not known if there will be any other stipulations placed on Jackson for use of the property--either for resale or development.

Jackson has signed a lease with the City of Shreveport for Millennium Studios. Jackson has a deadline for the start of production at this facility as a term in the lease. It is unknown if Jackson has commenced construction of the improvements needed for film production.

Some have questioned if DSDC should complete this donation until Jackson has actually started film production at Millennium. The last thing downtown needs is another empty building, or an empty lot owned by an out of town owner who has no business presence in the community.