Preservation in Mississippi
Thomas Rosell
MissPres Architectural Word of the Week: Bracket
This is our second MissPres Architectural Word of the Week. If you missed out on our first post, this series was spawned by Malvaney’s post about architectural dictionaries. I thought it would be fun to have a bi-weekly post that features a different architectural word that relates to a building here in Mississippi. I hope … Continue reading
First Ever MissPres Architectural Word of the Week: Abacus
How many times have you looked at a building and said “What is that thing called? The one thingy above the dew-dad, next to the whats it.” Well if you’re me the answer is a lot! So after reading Malvaney’s post on architectural dictionaries, I thought it would be fun to have a bi-weekly post … Continue reading
Tanks for the Memories -or- Travelling by Tank in Mississippi
Last month we finished Frank Brooks’ book Travelling by Trolley in Mississippi, our chapter-a-week Thursday feature for most of the late summer and fall. Recently in response to those posts, reader Leroy W. Demery Jr. has been sharing some of his good research on Mississippi’s trolly system, including this link to a blog published by … Continue reading
New Year’s Resolutions for Preservation: 2012
Now that every other visual, print, and digital media outlet in the universe has bombarded us with New Years Resolution lists for 2012, I thought it might be prime time to share mine. I swear I came up with this idea before I saw the National Trust’s blog post regarding preservation resolutions for the new … Continue reading
Merry Christmas 2011
The current Biloxi City Hall was built as the U.S. Federal Building in 1905-08. The city acquired the building from the federal government in 1960 after the New Federal Building in Biloxi was completed. In my opinion it is the best edifice constructed of marble in the State, and also one of the State’s best … Continue reading
A Few of Thomas Rosell’s Favorite Things
This Christmas week, the MissPres authors are pulling out some of their favorite posts and re-packaging them with our comments about why they’re our favorites. One of my all time favorite posts is the series regarding the book How Buildings Learn by Stewart Brand. The series has a lot to like, both good subject matter … Continue reading
Fun Film For Friday
A short fun video for Friday afternoon. Click here to watch! This clip pokes fun at the ridiculous claims the vinyl window industry is known to make. For more info visit vinyl-windows.org
Free Webinar on Classical Architecture
Restore Media is offering a free webinar on Classical Architecture! It focuses on the differences between Georgian and Federal style interiors and uses examples from rooms in the Winterthur Museum collection. The webinar lasts one hour and is available on demand, so you can pause it and take notes or fix another glass of tea. … Continue reading
The Montross Metal Shingle Co. asks “Are you interested in Roofing?”
“Are you interested in Roofing?” Apparently at the turn of the 20th century an unknown Biloxi builder was, as Montross Metal Shingles are featured prominently on several Biloxi structures. While many companies produced a pressed metal shingle the Montross Metal Shingle Co. held many of the patents on the patterns and production methods of some … Continue reading
Congratulations Miss Pres Universe on 200,000 Views
Congratulations Miss Pres Universe on 200,000 page views! Here is to the next 200,000 page views!
A Rosetta Stone and Truth about the Dome?
I hope y’all all enjoyed a relaxing Labor Day weekend with the welcome deluge of rain from Tropical Storm Lee after a long hot summer. While MissPres universe was on vacation, I was thinking about the series of posts by Blake Wintory recently about the similarities between the Arkansas and Mississippi Capitol domes. This series … Continue reading
Saving 33rd Avenue High School
The Sun Herald has a positive report on the efforts of the 33rd Avenue High School Alumni Association and MDAH to restore the once segregated Gulfport high school.
The Hostess House and the Female Architect (…and Mississippi)
During the time of war many organizations provide relief services to troops and their families. World War One was no exception, and while most of these programs were strictly social aid there were a few brick and mortar projects. The most successful of these was the Y.W.C.A’s Hostess House. The idea came about with the … Continue reading
Old Windows Find Following
An article in the New York Times discussing the growing movement to retain old windows.
Cumbest Bluff Water Tank
About 15 miles north of Pascagoula on Highway 63, sits the town of Cumbest Bluff. Simon Cumbest(1755-1820) who first settled on the Pascagoula River in 1799 was the progenitor of the Mississippi Cumbest clan. Cumbest Bluff gained its name in 1832 when John Cumbest (1792-1833), son of Simon Cumbest, purchased land with a bluff that is on … Continue reading
Destroying Modern Architecture?!
The Blog of the Preservation Research Office has an interesting post entitled “Destroying Modern Architecture in St. Louis” regarding the St. Louis Pruitt Igoe Housing Project among other St. Louis modern architecture icons. The post discusses some of the issues that we touched on in the comments section of our MissPres post “Oxford Film Festival … Continue reading
Positive Poll for Preservation
The results of a readers poll run by The Journal of South Mississippi Business have been published in the current June 2011 issue. “Last month we asked our readers how Mississippi should observe the Civil War Sesquicentennial. Almost 77 percent of respondents said it is a major historical event and should be treated as such, … Continue reading
Bay St. Louis has a new Blues Trail Marker
In Bay St. Louis there is a new Blues Trail Marker! It’s so new no info about the marker is up on the Mississippi Blues Trail website as of this post. But not to fear Preservation in Mississippi’s got ya covered. The marker was dedicated on June 17th, so it still has that fresh marker … Continue reading
Caillavet Street Bridge 1926-2011
It happened with so little fanfare that hardly anyone seemed to notice the demolition of the Caillavet Street bridge. This bridge once carried Caillavet Street to the north shore of back bay where Biloxi’s Caillavet Street became Central Avenue in D’Iberville. The first bridge crossing back bay was built in 1901 and was the longest … Continue reading
Old Glory
The Peoples Bank of Biloxi, Biloxi Miss. Built 1913-1914
Name This Place 7: Results!
In the final day of last week’s Name This Place contest, martin seigrist was able to correctly identify the Administration Building on the campus of the University of South Mississippi. W. White shared a plethora of information including the building’s architect Vinson B. Smith Jr. JRGordon shared information regarding the building’s listing as part of … Continue reading
Name This Place 7.5.1
We’ve made it all the way to Friday but the fun isn’t over yet. W. White took a strong lead the first day and has continued to battle it out with JRGordon and martin seigrist for first. But don’t let this stop you from posting any knowledge you may have about the building featured here … Continue reading
Name This Place 7.4.1
Well we are past the half way point this week but with plenty more posts to come it’s any reader’s game! martin seigrist was able to identify the columns of the Lyceum designed by William Nichols on the Ole Miss campus in Oxford. crpiii shared information about when the north and south additions were built. … Continue reading
Name This Place 7.3.1
In yesterday’s posts, martin seigrist took the first points by correctly identifying the First Baptist Church in Canton. JRGordon identified the building’s architect as R.H. Hunt, while W. White picked up a point for calling out other Mississippi buildings designed by R.H. Hunt. In the second post martin seigrist also got two more points by identifying … Continue reading
Name This Place 7.2.1
In yesterday’s first post, W. White became our first leader with two points by correctly identifying the capitals of the Old Capitol in Jackson and its architect William Nichols. JRGordon followed up with information regarding the construction and subsequent restorations for one point. W. White then grabbed two more points by identifying the capitals of … Continue reading
Name This Place 7.1.1
If you’re just joining us, you’ve picked a great time. We’re at the very start of our Name This Place: Capitol Edition contest, wherein MissPres readers battle for the much-coveted title of Mississippi Preservationist Extraordinaire. At the end of the week, maybe it will be you standing on that podium while the National Anthem plays … Continue reading
Name This Place 7.1: It’s all in the details.
Mississippi is known for its buildings with big white columns. Houses, Churches, Banks, and Courthouses, can be found all across the state employing every order imaginable. But just how recognizable are these buildings when only looking at the columns? Well we’ve got a contest for that. Since it’s been a couple of months since our … Continue reading
Photographer Joseph Molitor’s 1952 Trip to Mississippi
To follow up on yesterday’s post regarding Architectural Photographer Joseph W. Molitor, this week is the 59th anniversary of Joseph Molitor’s first trip to Mississippi and what better way to celebrate than to share the buildings he photographed? According to the Avery Architectural & Fine Arts Library at Columbia University, which has an extensive collection … Continue reading
Architectural Photographer Joseph W. Molitor 1907-1996
While reading Malvaney’s post regarding the Lyle Cashion Company building, one of the names mentioned in the article rang a bell: “Photos by Joseph W. Moliter.” Even though misspelled “Moliter” in the original article (it was in the original article so its totally not Malvaney’s fault), Molitor is a name that is highly recognizable in … Continue reading
Oxford Film Festival & Pruitt Igoe
The Oxford Film Festival is this weekend! A lot of the films look great though one that stands out is The Pruitt-Igoe Myth: An Urban History. Pruitt-Igoe Housing Project was a St. Louis high-rise urban housing complex completed in the mid-1950′s. It was named for St. Louisans Wendell O. Pruitt, a Tuskegee Airman, and William … Continue reading
Biloxi Trolley Line Routes
Just by luck, only a few weeks after the Jackson Streetcar map appeared on MissPres, the City of Biloxi Public Works Department has created a map that shows the route of old trolley lines. The idea of the map is to help them determine the possibility that they might run into old trolley tracks when … Continue reading
General Services Administration Historic Building Program
The General Services Administration (or GSA) is the agency tasked with being the landlord for the Federal Government. Established in 1949 they are responsible for construction of new Federal buildings, as well as maintaining many historic Federally owned structures. The GSA’s website states that: “As part of its commitment to historic preservation, GSA is working … Continue reading
Preservapedia
No it’s not a website dedicated to the preservation of Encyclopedias or even to the preservation of various wiki web pages. Preservapedia is “your open encyclopedia for heritage conservation.” The point being that although the internet is an amazing tool, all too often information can get lost among the hoi polloi of web pages. Preservapedia … Continue reading
Keesler Field Barracks
Malvaney’s posts showing Camp Shelby back in World War II reminded me of a recent trip to Keesler Field in Biloxi. When I was on base back in September I was surprised to find that there was a World War II-era wooden barracks still standing on Meadow Drive. Originally numbering in the dozens if not hundreds, … Continue reading
Concrete Block Structures of Biloxi (Part II)
Last time all the buildings featured one type of block face. Today the two buildings we will look at feature two or more types of block. By the turn of the 20th century a block machine that could make a different block face simply by changing the faceplate is common place. “The faceplates may be made of any design … Continue reading
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