Preservation in Mississippi
Architectural Research
The Cornerstones of Port Gibson
Y’all know how I love to find a cornerstone on a building–even new buildings. They are gifts that hand down essential knowledge to passersby about when a building came to be and who had a hand in bringing it from dream to reality. So if one cornerstone can make me so happy, imagine what two, … Continue reading
Port Gibson Holiday Home Tour
Last Saturday I got out of Jackson, avoiding the maddening Christmas shopping traffic, and headed down southwest to Port Gibson. I usually take Highway 18 through Raymond, Utica, and Carpenter and through the steel truss bridge that spans Bayou Pierre. But Saturday I took a different route, possibly for the first time, heading west on … Continue reading
“The view from the roof of the building is magnificent in every direction”
Vicksburgers were especially proud of their 8-story skyscraper–the tallest building in the state when it was finished in 1907–and these images prove that they wanted to share their urbanity and modernity with the outside world. Continue reading
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
Travelling by Trolley in Mississippi: Vicksburg
My mother was from a large Vicksburg family, and for that reason, relatives’ tales of the trolleys were standard and frequent. As a child, my mother rode the streetcar to school and back each day, and my uncle soaped the tracks on the hill passing the Bijou Theater many a summer night! 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
Travelling by Trolley in Mississippi: Summit-McComb
Mississippi’s streetcar lines included a small operation in the McComb area. A letter from Mr. C.H. Douglas, mayor of McComb, November 25, 1960, states that streetcars operated between McComb and Godbold’s Wells, located east of Summit. Continue reading
Mississippi Architect, April 1964: Howard Memorial Hospital
Sometimes I sit down to write a post thinking I know what I’m talking about and then as I write and check the facts I thought I knew, I realize that I was completely on the wrong track. For instance, when I started putting together today’s article, reprinted from the Mississippi Architect April 1964 issue, I … Continue reading
Mississippi Architect, April 1964: Say No To Historicism!
A few years back it was not uncommon to find streets in American towns which displayed an amazing array of architectural types. One might see a motel reflective of the architecture associated with Pueblo cliff dwellings next to a bank inspired by the Temple of Apollo. Continue reading
Travelling by Trolley in Mississippi: Pascagoula
Some contemporary residents of Pascagoula and Moss Point may be surprised to learn that streetcars formerly provided their area with a very fine system of public transportation! Continue reading
Travelling by Trolley in Mississippi: Natchez
Today’s post is Chapter 8 in our series re-printing Frank Brooks’ “Travelling by Trolley in Mississippi: Stories about Streetcars,” originally published in 1983. View other posts in the series at the “Streetcars” tab. ——————————————————————– The quaint old city of Natchez is another Mississippi city which enjoyed electric trolleys clanging up and down its hills and … Continue reading
Going Inside: An Original “Southern Colonial”
While in Charleston with the Southeastern Society of Architectural Historians (SESAH) a couple weeks ago, I got in on a special tour of Drayton Hall, just across the Ashley River from Charleston. Owned by the National Trust for Historic Preservation since 1974, Drayton Hall is one of the oldest plantation houses in the country and the … Continue reading
From Charleston to Vicksburg, With Love
A couple of weeks ago, I was in Charleston, South Carolina, to attend the annual meeting of the Southern Society of Architectural Historians (which group, as you recall, met here in Jackson in 2009). I admit I skipped out on a few of the sessions, the weather being perfect for wandering and taking pictures. I … Continue reading
Travelling by Trolley in Mississippi: Meridian
Today’s post is Chapter 7 in our series re-printing Frank Brooks’ “Travelling by Trolley in Mississippi: Stories about Streetcars,” originally published in 1983. View other posts in the series at the “Streetcars” tab. In place of the 1920 streetcar map in the book, drawn by Gordon Powers, I have inserted two original streetcar maps from … Continue reading
Mississippi Builders: Francis Blair Hull (1846-1922)
At the center of an architectural dynasty that included two architects and one construction company, Francis Blair Hull’s contributions to the architecture of Mississippi and the entire South have been unfortunately almost forgotten in the 90 years since his death. F.B. Hull was the older brother of William S. Hull, possibly the first Mississippian member … Continue reading
MDAH Introduces New Database of Historic Resources in State
Every now and then, MissPres will come across a news story that needs its own post instead of getting folded into the regular roundup. While working on yesterday’s, I came across such an announcement on the MDAH Website. Below is the text of the press release about the website (I added images from screen shots … Continue reading
Old Capitol Follies: Almost a Panic in the Senate!
In the last Old Capitol Follies, the American Architect and Building News gave us a serious look at Jackson in 1890, including the sad shape of the Old Capitol. By 1896, the building had declined even further as legislators debated whether to spend the money to fix it up or build a completely new building. … Continue reading
Travelling by Trolley in Mississippi: Memphis and Lakeview Railway
Today’s post is Chapter 6 in our series re-printing Frank Brooks’ “Travelling by Trolley in Mississippi: Stories about Streetcars.” View other posts in the series at the “Streetcars” tab. ——————————– Lakeview, in DeSoto County, was the terminus of the Memphis and Lakeview Railway, a 10.8 mile interurban operation controlled by the Memphis Street Railway that … Continue reading
Mississippi Architect, March 1964: South Hills Branch Library
Jackson’s South Hills Branch Library was the Mississippi subject of the March 1964 issue of Mississippi Architect. Now known as Richard Wright Library, the building is still in use as a library, although the original front entrance is now sadly neglected in favor of a side entrance off of the parking lot. Next time you’re … Continue reading
Mississippi Architect, March 1964: Cost and Light
It’s been a while since our last post re-printing the Mississippi Architect, a monthly magazine published by the Mississippi chapter of the American Institute of Architects. So let’s jump back in with the March 1964 issue. As you may recall, the February 1964 issue contained an article documenting the “updating” of an Art Moderne commercial … Continue reading
Going Inside: St. Michael’s Church, Biloxi
I recently bought a couple of postcards showing the interior of St. Michael’s Church in Biloxi, and it reminded me that I had taken a few pictures inside myself a while back when I was down on the Coast. If you’ve ever driven down Highway 90 (Beach Boulevard) in Biloxi, you’ve seen St. Michaels, its … Continue reading
Travelling by Trolley in Mississippi: Laurel
Today’s post is Chapter 5 in our series re-printing Frank Brooks’ “Travelling by Trolley in Mississippi: Stories about Streetcars.” View other posts in the series at the “Streetcars” tab. ———————————————– Mississippi was not one of the states which boasted an honest to goodness system of interurban railways, simply because Mississippi has never had a dense … Continue reading
Travelling by Trolley in Mississippi: Jackson
Today’s post is Chapter 5 in our series re-printing Frank Brooks’ “Travelling by Trolley in Mississippi: Stories about Streetcars.” View other posts in the series at the “Streetcars” tab. ———————————— It has been a good many years since I have been in downtown Jackson but I remember how old streetcar tracks used to be visible … Continue reading
A Laurel Church by Clair M. Jones
A few weeks ago, as you may recall, guest author Mark Davis introduced us to Memphis architect Clair Maurice Jones. Jones not only designed a number of large and regionally famous Modernist works in both Atlanta and Memphis, but also many smaller works such as Weems Chapel United Methodist Church in Picayune, Mississippi. In a … Continue reading
Old Capitol Follies
Over MissPres’ lifetime, we’ve spent quite a bit of time examining how our New Capitol got built. But come to think about it, we’ve spent not much time at all on why our New Capitol got built. There’s a whole backstory about the Old Capitol’s decline that resulted in several efforts to get a new … Continue reading
Architecture on PBS
PBS has two interesting shows playing on architectural themes, one about Gothic cathedrals–which showed earlier this week but is available for online viewing anytime–and another tonight about architect Robert A.M. Stern.
Two New Books For Your Architectural Library
Now that the weather had turned fine, you might feel the urge to curl up with a book, and two new biographies of architects whose work touched Mississippi have just come out to add to your list. In case you hadn’t noticed, our own JRGordon’s name is derived from Texas architect James Riely Gordon (see … Continue reading
Architects of Mississippi: Clair Maurice Jones
You may recall Mark Davis’ guest posts last month about Meridian architect P.J. Krouse, re-printed from the original publication in the Pearl River County Historical Society newsletter, The Historical Reporter. This month, Mark has outdone himself, introducing us to Clair Maurice Jones, who was based in Memphis but designed a number of churches in Mississippi, among other buildings both … Continue reading
At least in a pinch you could eat the cheese
Well it’s been over a year since my last rant about Dryvit and why I think it should be banned as an exterior building material. But seriously folks, why do we even need to have this discussion? It would be like having to specify that cheese should not be used as a building material, or toothpaste, or … Continue reading
Going Inside: St. Dominic’s Chapel
A while back, reader Gary E. Magee commented on an old post about Jackson architect Tom Biggs that one of Bigg’s designs, the chapel at St. Dominic hospital, is slated for demolition in a planned expansion of the adjacent emergency area. This reminded me that I had taken some pictures of the building earlier this year … Continue reading
Old Capitol’s Mystery Architect Revealed! (somewhat)
Our friend Blake Wintory, he of the popular Tale of Two Domes series a few weeks ago, sent me an intriguing advertisement he came across while looking through The Chicot Press, the Lake Village, Arkansas newspaper. In the January 17, 1861 issue, he found this: In case that’s hard to read, here’s the text: A. J. Herod … Continue reading
Going Inside: War Memorial Building
Perhaps the only good thing that might come out of the Feds recent abandonment of the amazing and sophisticated Eastland Federal Building (1933) in downtown Jackson for their clumsy and overbearing new courthouse is that in the future the public might once again get to spend time inside Eastland’s Art Deco lobby. For too many … Continue reading
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
A Tale of Two Domes, Finale
Today, guest author Blake Wintory concludes his fascinating examination of the two similar domes atop the Mississippi and Arkansas capitol buildings. If you are just joining us, jump back to the beginning and read from the beginning because it’s a good ol’ convoluted Southern story and well worth your time! Part I Part 2 Part … Continue reading
A Tale of Two Domes, Part III
Today marks the third in this week’s four-part examination by guest author Blake Wintory of the strange and twisted tale of how the Mississippi and Arkansas Capitol domes came to look so similar. If you missed the last two days, check out Part 1 and Part 2 before diving into today’s post. ————————————————– The dome … Continue reading
A Tale of Two Domes, Part II
We’re on the 2nd day of a 4-part adventure into the ins-and-outs of the Arkansas Capitol project, courtesy of guest author Blake Wintory, in order to gauge the veracity of the claim that the dome on Arkansas’ Capitol is in fact a twin of the Mississippi dome. This series is shaping up as a blockbuster … Continue reading
A Tale of Two Domes: Mississippi and Arkansas
A few months ago, Blake Wintory, director of Lakeport Plantation Museum–which because it’s just across the river from Greenville makes him an honorary Mississippian–e-mailed me with a question that kind of blew my mind. He asked if I knew that the Arkansas Capitol dome was designed by the same architect that designed the Mississippi Capitol … Continue reading
When Concrete Blocks Were the Latest Fad, Part 2
In yesterday’s post, we learned about Vicksburg’s first concrete block building, the Bonelli Building on Washington Street. Mr. Bonelli’s idea apparently caught on quickly because within a few months, a Vicksburg contractor, J.W. Mann, had set up a plant to produce the blocks on an industrial scale. Mann used the blocks on his own projects, … Continue reading
When Concrete Blocks Were the Latest Fad, Part I
Recently during my microfilm tour of the 1905/1906 issues of the Vicksburg Post in search of something completely different, I stumbled on two articles that detailed the establishment of Vicksburg’s concrete block industry, and remembering our own Thomas Rosell’s posts on the concrete blocks of Biloxi, I copied them off. I noticed the variety of … Continue reading
Time to Go to Meeting
Back in the day when school didn’t start at the beginning of August, late July and August meant camp meeting time. The Vicksburg Post took note of this over a hundred years ago. CAMP MEETINGS IN FULL BLAST The camp meeting season is now in full blast throughout the state, and evangelists who can stir … Continue reading
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