Gerard Brandon V House 703 N. Union Street Natchez, Adams County. Photo by T. Brown, Historic Natchez Foundation. Nov. 2012
In my post “Happy Hanukkah Y’all” one of the buildings featured was the Gerard Brandon V house designed by the firm Weiss, Dreyfous, & Seiferth. It’s a handsome house that I had seen before but never really studied before writing the previous post. The Upriver Residential National Register Historic District Nomination describes the house as being:
One-story stuccoed-brick residence with gabled and hipped red-tile roof, semi -circular windows above glazed doors, ‘and parapet walls. Spanish Colonial Revival. Architects: Weis, Dreyfus, and Seiferth of New Orleans. 1926.
Well apparently someone had studied this house in great detail when it was new because just four blocks south of the Gerard Brandon V House sits this building…
311 N. Union Street Natchez, Adams County. Photo by T. Brown, Historic Natchez Foundation. Nov. 2012
While the Gerard Brandon V House was built in 1926, the MDAH HRI database estimates that the house at 311 N. Union was built around 1935. The Natchez On-Top-Of-The-Hill National Register Historic District Nomination describes the house as being:
One- story brick residence with gabled tile roof with parapet gable ends. Spanish Colonial Revival.
The major (and most obvious) difference between the two buildings is the exterior cladding. 703 Union appears to be solid masonry construction with a coat of stucco. According to the Sanborn maps the house at 311 Union is a brick veneer, meaning that the house is wood framed with a layer of brick on the outside. It’s tough for me to pick which cladding I like the best. But other than the cladding and a few differences in the fenestration they appear to be almost the same, right down to the flat roofed sun porch on the south side of the structure and a detached garage in the back.
While I have no primary sources to back up the following, the scuttlebutt is that the design for 311 N. Union was lifted from the plans of 703 N. Union. To add insult to injury Union is a one-way street so one passes the “Homage” house first and might be more likely to think the 703 N. Union House was the copy. I don’t know the whole story but it sure sounds like an interesting one that produced two beautiful twins.
Categories: Cool Old Places, Historic Preservation, Natchez
Preservation in Mississippi 
I definitely like 703 the best–the stucco finish just seems more aesthetic, as well as suit the style. The lack of space above the windows and the roofline on 311 makes it seem squished to me also.
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I like the stucco also but with two votes for stucco and no votes for brick, Ill stick up for brick. Com’ on polychromatic brick, diamond shapes? Whats not to like :-)
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I’m a fan of the brick too, more cheerful to me.
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Alright its two to two now! Its too close to call. Who will cast the next vote?
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Ive created a poll in the post above so you can cast a ballot for your favorite house.
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I’ll go with 703 as well. The stucco seems appropriate for the house. I’m trying to remember these houses from the time I lived in Natchez. Fascinating twins!
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I had admired the houses separately on previous trips to Natchez but I never put the photos side by side until recently. If in was never pointed out to me I might never have noticed.
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The MDAH HRI database is off by at least five years in its estimation of the building date of the house at 311 N. Union: the family that built it was residing there on 4 April 1930 when the U.S. census enumerator dropped by.
Although the exterior lacks stucco, the interior walls are beautifully stuccoed and the interior trim, crafted from “red gum,” retains its original finish.
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I should have been more clear and cited the whole MDAH HRI database as it says “circa 1935”. The census record does lend a bit of credibility to the story of the houses being built about the same time.
Thank you for the insight on the interior! That makes me wonder what the original interior trim of 703 N. Union is crafted out of.
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I’m still scouring my dictionary for the meaning of “legimate” (or did we neglect to cross a “ti”?).
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Legimate is the American cousin of Vegemite.:) No you are correct legimate is not a word and legitimate was the word to be used. Unfortunately WordPress does not run spell check on a post title so that’s how that snuck on through.
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You should do a fake Word of the Week on “Ligimate” and astonish all your critics :-)
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Ah if I give that name to an unnamed architectural element and it gains ground swell Merriam-Webster could make it become a word.
Legimate (adj.) when two Spanish revival buildings are almost identical in every way except for the exterior cladding.
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According to the family who built the stuccoed version, which was built first, the contractor who built their house used their plans and adapted them for the later brick version. The family for whom the brick version was built told me in 1987 that the house was built in 1928 and first occupied in 1929. They recalled the contractor’s last name as Roberts. The 1928 Natchez City Directory lists Quitman Roberts as a building contractor and Herbert K. Roberts as a building contractor. I am inclined to think that Quitman Roberts is the most likely suspect. He lived on North Union Street and died in 1929 in his early 70s. Herbert K. Roberts appears in the 1930 census as “officer/police force.”
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Herbert was my great grandfather. He did serve on the Police force as did his son Joe Roberts. Herbert K Roberts was also a home builder and built every house on Maple street.
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