Two weeks ago we quietly celebrated the fourth birthday of MissPres.com with a great article about the early conversations regarding the first restoration the Old Capitol. Discussing the Old Capitol has become an anniversary tradition. Another anniversary tradition has been the introduction of a new header for the website’s front page. Previously headers have been two schools (Bailey Jr. High 2009 & Durant School 2010), a cotton gin (Thornton Gin and Grain Elevator, 2011) and a detail of the Medgar Evers House (2012).
With the past four headers all being in either Hinds or Holmes counties I thought it would be a change of pace to have a building featured from the southern part of our state that would reflect the sea-faring heritage of the coast. It also reflects the recovery and resiliency from the destruction of Hurricane Katrina and the preservation of a modern landmark.
MissPreservation.com Header for 2012
MissPreservation.com Header for 2013
The roof line of St. Michael’s Catholic Church of Biloxi is the building seen in the new header. St. Michael’s has been featured several times on Preservation in Mississippi (both here and here). It was designed by Jackson architect James T. Canizaro and built in 1964 by McClendon Building Service. “Jack” Canizaro had a colossal career and the MDAH HRI database doesn’t cover the total of his work, which was spread across the state. I bet you probably have a building by Mr. Jack in your neck of the woods. So get out there and look at a Canizaro building and upload a photo to the MissPres Flickr page.
Categories: Biloxi, Cool Old Places, Industrial, Jackson, Mississippi Landmarks, Modernism, Schools
Preservation in Mississippi 
Mr. Canizaro did indeed leave an awesome legacy, and was smiling, courtly presence in his firm’s office until quite late in life. I inhabited, for a year, one of five? two bedroom, one bath townhouses tucked away in Belhaven. It was the coolest place I had or have ever lived.
The tiny cabin-like kitchen was totally intact. So were the stair rail, steel casement windows and pink bathroom fixtures. Best of all, the larger of the two upstairs bedroom featured a full wall of wood-framed glass doors that bifolded back, opening the entire width of the room to an equally-full width screened porch, which felt like a treehouse among enormous magnolias. The whole thing seemed such a simple and obvious response to an equally simple program. But such an effortless-seeming work can only come to life from much, much effort.
I was an honor living in this little townhouse. Mr. Canizaro was a great teacher.
LikeLike
Wow what luck. Both that you had the opportunity to live there and that the design was unmolested. I’ve heard about several buildings in Jackson like you have described but have never seen them in person. Thank you for your detailed description.
LikeLike
I posted a few pics on the Flikr page of a ranch style 1949 home he designed for my grandparents. It is still in pretty good condition.
LikeLike
What great images. Thank you for sharing those with us! Did your grandparents ever talk about what the building process was like for them?
LikeLike
I can’t see this church without fond memories of my childhood. When we moved to Biloxi in 1979, we had to wait for base housing to open up. In the meantime, we lived in our camper in Ocean Springs. This meant my mom and I had to drive my siblings to school in Biloxi every day. I saw this building two times a day, every day. I begged my parents to go to church there. At six, the fact that we were Baptists didn’t matter to me. I just LOVED this church. Still one of the coolest places I’ve ever seen. I honestly had no idea who designed it until now. I should have payed closer attention.
LikeLike
I hope you got to visit it at some point as it is just as amazing inside as it is out. The building is so playful no matter what it was purposed as I can imagine folks being drawn to it. Thanks for sharing your memories of this place.
LikeLike