Preservation in Mississippi
Ocean Springs
MissPres Architectural Word of the Week: Hyperbolic Paraboloid Shell
With this week’s word we will be launching from Hancock County’s Stennis Space Center to some out of this world shapes! While our word is really a three-word phrase, it is the best way to describe some of our State’s funky and wacky roof shapes from the 1960′s. Our examples are located on the Gulf … Continue reading
What is Rock Lath?
Have you ever seen a material attached to a wall that looked like drywall but maybe had some holes in it and possibly some plaster stuck to one side? It’s possible you never have. The material is called Rock Lath and much like our past MissPres Architectural Word of the Week “Grounds,” if it does it … Continue reading
Molitor’s Mississippi: February 3, 1954
You may remember about this time last year, how we followed the 1952 footsteps of architectural photographer Joseph Molitor on the 59th anniversary of his first professional trip through Mississippi. As a reminder, here’s a little background about Molitor from the first MissPres post about him: Originally trained as an architect, Molitor’s career as a photographer … Continue reading
MissPres News Roundup 7-11-2011
I know our fearless leader is going on vacation, so there will be some guest posts this week and everyone should get ready for the next Name This Place Contest to start next week. With that, here’s the news: First, we’ll start on the Coast where the Biloxi Sun Herald reports that two state historic … Continue reading
MissPres News Roundup 5-3-2011
The news was not fun to read this week. Reports from the damage of the tornadoes in Mississippi (and Alabama of course) are still coming in, with new information added each day. We’ll keep on it and report what we know as we know it. Before we get into state specific news, remember that May … Continue reading
MissPres News Roundup 2-8-2011
I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’m hoping the groundhog was right about an “early spring” – I’m not a fan of the ice and cold. Plus, as it warms up, we’ll all have more chances to get out and visit the nominees for the 101 Places List we’re creating. Friday was … Continue reading
MissPres News Roundup 1-18-2011
Although this roundup isn’t on our typical day, there’s been enough news this week to go ahead and post one this week. We’ll start with a story that most of you probably already know about – especially if you watched Gov. Barber’s State of the State address (or any of the press following it) – … Continue reading
MissPres News Roundup 10-18-2010
I got back from my trip to Chattanooga yesterday (my “vacation” last week was a working one, just in case you think I’ve gotten too soft with two vacations in three months) and have to admit I wasn’t really looking forward to writing the news roundup in addition to catching up on all sorts of … Continue reading
MissPres News Roundup 9-20-2010
Could the horrible summer weather we’ve been having be a punishment of some kind, maybe for the demolition of the Central Delta Academy, or since it started before that, the project at the Naval Reserve Center? Or am I reading too much into it? At any rate, W. White has convinced me that Monday works … Continue reading
Claude H. Lindsley alive and well… in 1968
In a previous post there had been some discussion of what happened to Claude Lindsley, Jackson architect of the Art Deco Standard Life Building (among many other landmarks), later on in his life. He moved from Houston, Texas some time in the 1950′s to Ocean Springs, Mississippi where he potentially might have planned to eventually retire. By then most … Continue reading
Checking in on Ocean Springs
This post is a bit of catch-up from a quick trip I took to Ocean Springs right before my trip to France–I forgot that I hadn’t posted the pictures I took that day of three important repair and rehab projects funded through the Hurricane Relief Grant administered by MDAH’s Gulf Coast Office in Biloxi. These … Continue reading
Lustron House in Jackson
Just around the corner from the classically proportioned J.R. Flint house designed by A. Hays Town in south Jackson is a house that makes no bones about its modernity. It’s a Lustron House, one of only two or three that I know of still in the state. For those unfamiliar with Lustron houses, they are … Continue reading
Does this mean you hate it, Miss Ada Louise?
I took the opportunity over the holidays to get back into my reading schedule and finish books that I had started during the dog days of summer. One of those was Ada Louise Huxtable’s recent compilation of her decades of essays as architectural critic with the New York Times and more recently with the Wall … Continue reading
Pics of Goff’s Gryder House in Ocean Springs
Last week when looking around for a picture of the Gryder House in Ocean Springs to put in “Notes on SESAH Keynote” I realized I didn’t have any myself, and I just didn’t feel that those on the internet showed the true amazingness of the house. So, courtesy of MDAH, I have acquired a few … Continue reading
Crusin’ Downtown Ocean Springs
OK, so it’s not historic preservation, but anyone who likes old houses would have to enjoy the thrill of being surrounded by antique autos. I think some of the same things that attract us to historic buildings-craftsmanship, quality materials, attention to detail-are part of the allure of old cars. These beautiful works of art are evocative … Continue reading
Katrina Survivors: Charnley House(s), Ocean Springs
Those of us who had the opportunity to see the Charnley house and its small guest house next door with the Southeastern Society of Architectural Historians (SESAH) tour in 2003 were fortunate to walk through this amazing “beach house” and meet the owners, the Ruddimans. The Ruddimans had lovingly stewarded the house for most of … Continue reading
Lost to Katrina: Louis Sullivan House (1890-2005)
From The Architectural Record, June 1905, “The Home of an Artist-Architect–The Place of Louis Sullivan“: Down in the sunny South, between New Orleans and Mobile, where the sparkling waters of the Gulf of Mexico makes one of its beautiful indentations, Biloxi Bay girt by beach of golden sand and dark green pine trees, there lies … Continue reading
MissPres News Roundup 7-31-2009
Can you believe it’s almost August? After our horrible hot dry June, July has flown by with beautiful rain, coolish nights, and not-very-hot days. This is my kind of summer! This week has been very eventful, and in a good way. You may need to sit down for this, but I think we are demolition-free … Continue reading
MDAH CLG Grants, 2009
While looking at the History Newsletter on the MDAH website, I noticed (albeit very belatedly) that MDAH has also announced their Certified Local Government grants for this year. Just in case you missed it, here’s the most relevant part of the blurb–you can see the whole thing at http://mdah.state.ms.us/admin/news/clg-grants_09.html presuming MDAH archives its website (that should … Continue reading
Save America’s Treasures Grants
Save America’s Treasures grant program’s deadline for grant applications for this year is coming up in a few weeks, May 22, 2009. For those of you not familiar with SAT (as those in the biz call it, not to be confused with that nasty little test you have to take to get into college), it began … Continue reading
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