Jacksonians: Where is this Apartment building?
From the 1937 Guide to Better Homes, prepared by American Builder and Building Age.
J. Peyton McKay Apartments. From Guide to Better Homes. Published 1937. American Builder and Building Age.
INCOME PRODUCER
J. Peyton McKay Apartments
Jackson, Miss.
FOUR 3-room apartment of modern layout and high efficiency are built into this home-like structure. Brick veneer for first story and siding above cover a stud frame. There is no basement. Winter heat is provided by gas burning floor furnaces in each apartment. Summer cooling is effected by means of Emerson Exhaust wall units and a Reed attic ventilator. Laundry facilities are in a garage at rear. First floor closets provide for extra bed storage.
page 168. Chapter VII — More Than One Family, from the Guide To Better Homes
Floor plans, J. Peyton McKay Apartments. From Guide to Better Homes. Published 1937. American Builder and Building Age.
Architect-White’s Lumber Yard
Design Dept., Russell E. Hobgood, Mgr
Contractor-L.T. Nicholas
Materials furnished by
White’s Lumber Yard, L.C. Gilbert, Mgr.
Cost Complete-$10,500.
The structure might still have a tile roof, which could help identify it. I would suspect that it is also in a neighborhood that is mostly single family residences. Be wary, the floor plan does not accurately reflect the fenestration.
Cover, Guide To Better Homes. American Builder and Building Age. 1937
Okay… truth-telling time; I know where this apartment building is. Curiosity got the best of me while writing this post. If you want your own scavenger hunt stop reading now and take to the streets.
Using the MDAH HRI I cross referenced Jackson in the “City” category with apartment in the “Name” category. Seeing several apartment buildings on Madison the street, I thought that would be a good place to start and work my way down from. Jumping to Google Street View I traveled down Madison Street until it dead ended into East Fortification Street. As I turned right back towards State Street I saw it…
As described in the Belhaven Historic District National Register Nomination:
267. (C) 968 Fortification Street, East 1938 Two story brick veneer and wood sided house topped with a cross gable interlocking clay tile roof. First floor is four asymmetrical bays. The outer bays are triple 6/6 double hung wood sash windows with soldier course brick lintels. The center entry has a 18-pane wood fixed window to the left and a six panel board and batten wood door to the right, sheltered under a metal awning. The second floor has two bays of paired 6/6 double hung wood windows.
So MissPresers what are the changes you see that have occurred over the 75+ years of this structure’s existence?
Categories: Architectural Research, Books, Building Types, Contest, Historic Preservation, Jackson, National Register
Preservation in Mississippi 
From Fortification Street to Peach Tree and all in between, Belhaven is a lovely place to ride through and look at all the beautiful homes. Belhaven Heights is full of gems too. Go see while Spring blossoms are popping open. It’s an architecture and garden fest :)
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I’ve never been down Fortification. It sounds like now is the time of year to make the trip. Thanks for the tip.
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Poor architectual design there on the front with the rain water diversion “attachments”.
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Belhaven is still a lovely neighborhood- trees, homes, landscaping– except for the streets!
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Fortification street has actually finally been completely redone, and still in progress in some areas.
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The building originally had a darker paint on the screens for the windows, which seemed to make them more pleasing, and give some emphasis to the windows. The current all-white treatment (and no screens) allows it to fade into the walls. And as noted, the addition of a porch awning is not only unattractive, it is historically inaccurate. Sort of feels like you are about to enter the funeral home in a small town. The small windows in the gables and by the entrance have been painted white–yuck!
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I agree about the all white paint job. I am curious as to why the plan shows only two windows paired on the first floor, but three windows ended up being ganged on the first floor?
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