Preservation in Mississippi
Tom Barnes
The Possibilities Abound…The Robert E. Lee Hotel in Jackson
With all of the hype and hoopla over the summertime smash hit the Help, the many references to the old Robert E. Lee Hotel might set people to wondering about the place. Visitors to downtown Jackson might be forgiven for the assumption that the Robert E. Lee State Office Building had been built as such. It … Continue reading
Turning On the Lights…Woodville’s Town Square Comes To Life With the Woodville Lofts
When New Orleans attorney James G. Derbes and his wife Jan Katz first saw the listing for the building in the newspaper they knew that they had to have the property. A short while later in April 2006, Ernesto Caldeira handed them the deed to the old building. The task wouldn’t be easy, but Derbes … Continue reading
Lost Mississippi: Jacksonian Highway Hotel/Lefleurs Restaurant
The Jacksonian Highway Hotel was built at 4800 Highway 51 North (later Interstate 55 North), in an area only just beginning to blossom with commercial development. Construction was begun in April 1955. George Wilkinson and his partners at Crestline Development (later known as the Athens Investment Company) set out to build something more than just another motel. Continue reading
Blink Twice and Arlington Might Vanish…
A disastrous fire swept through the attic story of Arlington on September 17th, 2002. The roof was repaired the following year and it was thought that the eventual restoration of the house would follow, if not immediately, then within a reasonable period of time. Instead, the house continued to sit and decay before the eyes … Continue reading
MiMo No Mo? The Sun-n-Sand in Downtown Jackson Needs Our Help
When R.E. “Dumas” Milner opened the Sun-n-Sand in downtown Jackson in October 1960 the age of the shiny new “motor hotel” was in full swing. In spite of major renovations at Milner’s King Edward on West Capitol Street, Milner sensed the transition in the popular mind from the formality of grand hotels like the King … Continue reading
The White House Waits to Bloom Again in Biloxi
It may not be a surprise to anyone in a town so battered by hurricanes that only one grand hotel would remain after a litany of horrific storms and the vicissitudes of rampant development. In spite of Camille and even Katrina, the White House has stubbornly refused to give way for anything new and shiny … Continue reading
Unsheathing the Past…The Checkered History of the Walthall Hotel
Jackson’s Walthall Hotel opened its doors in the spring of 1928. Named for Confederate General Edward Cary Walthall, the hotel opened as an eight story building on Jackson’s bustling Capitol Street, just a few steps away from the Governor’s Mansion. Jackson architect N.W. Overstreet was assigned the daunting task of building a modern hotel above … Continue reading
Pleasure Domes Past…Biloxi’s Broadwater Beach
Only the tattered remains of an elaborate marina today mark the site of one of Biloxi’s largest and most famous resort complexes. The Broadwater Beach holds a firm place in the memory of many a resident of the area, but the site holds only the promise of future development today. Its history is one which … Continue reading
Paved, Not Saved…Biloxi’s Buena Vista Hotel
The Buena Vista threw open its doors on July 4th, 1924 to an admiring crowd of eager spectators. Built on a larger scale than the Tivoli, yet not matching the sweeping grandeur of the Edgewater Gulf, the Buena Vista would generally occupy a middle ground among hotels on Mississippi’s Gulf Coast. Chicago-born architect turned local … Continue reading
Gulfport’s Markham Hotel, Threatened Pillar of Main Street
The recent discussion in the Sun Herald about the Markham Hotel warrants a rejoinder. That a Main Street program which receives federal and state funds for preservation would even be considering demolition for an important downtown landmark is unthinkable. Alas, after Katrina, it seems that anything is possible. First, a bit of history on one … Continue reading
Reflections On A Success Story
As I swung open the doors at 235 West Capitol Street on the 4th of January, 2010, I could barely contain myself. The once rotten shell of the King Edward had become a shining beacon of light and warmth. As I hurried to register, I couldn’t help but admire the whole scene. Marble floors gleamed … Continue reading
Pigeons to Pearls…The King Edward Flies Again
Thursday, the 17th of December, 2009, was an important day for downtown Jackson. Developer David Watkins snipped a scarlet ribbon and the King Edward was back in business after forty-three years of solitude. Arduous as the task was, Watkins and his partners Deuce McAllister and Historic Restoration Inc. of New Orleans had the nerve and … Continue reading
The Edgewater Gulf Hotel, Queen of the Coast
If one hotel alone were to capture the spirit and grandeur of the faded elegance of the Mississippi Gulf Coast, the Edgewater Gulf would likely be the candidate for the honor. On February 26, 1926, ground was broken for the 400 bedroom hotel, quite the largest on the Coast. Designed by the Chicago architectural firm … Continue reading
Rosemont Plantation
According to the National Register nomination, prepared in 1974, Rosemont Plantation was built ca. 1810 by Samuel and Jane Davis when they moved from Fairview, Kentucky to Wilkinson County, Mississippi with a two year old Jefferson Davis. The house is a vernacular Mississippi planter’s cottage with a rather unusual central gable and its finely detailed Palladian window. … Continue reading
Woodville…A Stroll Around Town
Woodville’s considerable charms extend well beyond the square. Walk one block east on Bank Street to Church Street to find the essence of Southern-ness. Having lived in the rectory of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church for many years myself, I can vouch for the authenticity of the street. Time does appear to have stopped, but in … Continue reading
Woodville…A Town Out of Time
Tucked away in the southwestern corner of Mississippi below Natchez lies Woodville, a relatively undiscovered town of considerable charm. Woodville is the county seat and traditional market town of Wilkinson County. While the county was founded in 1802, the town wasn’t incorporated until 1811. The town’s historic district (est. 1982) has about 140 contributing buildings- most … Continue reading
The Tivoli Hotel in Biloxi….The One That Got Away….
Of all the jarring and tragic images which poured forth in a torrent in the aftermath of Katrina, among the most poignant were those of the ruins of the Tivoli Hotel. The gaping holes in the building immediately told a tale of loss without redemption. By May, 2006, the tattered remnants met their date with … Continue reading
The Gavel Pounds for the Eola
The Eola Hotel in downtown Natchez is heading for the auction block in November (“Eola Hotel on Auction Block,” Natchez Democrat, Sept. 25, 2009). While this may appear to be cause for alarm, it may well be cause for celebration instead. The Eola Hotel, one of the cornerstones of downtown Natchez, will probably have a … Continue reading
Remembering the Heidelberg
Mississippi State University Digital Archive CHARM Collection. Rand Clayton Papers. Photographer unknown. Taken 1963- date of subject is likely earlier. The image has been colorized. B/W original The Hotel Heidelberg was a fixture on Capitol Street for fifty five years. The hotel was opened by Roy and Cecil Heidelberg in 1922 , a modest building … Continue reading
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