The Gwin House in Lexington is no longer standing and is somewhat of a mystery to me. The MDAH Historic Resources Database doesn’t have much to say about the two-story I-house with its one-story pedimented portico, but it does give us a rough address, “300 blk, Boulevard Street.” The HABS data sheet is not very helpful either.
FRONT (NORTHEAST VIEW) Gwin House, Lexington, Holmes County, MS. James Butters, HABS Photographer, June 25, 1935
The MDAH address led me to the 1925 Sanborn map, which shows the house loud and clear, but still leaves its story to our imaginations.
Sanborn map for Lexington, 1925
Mapping out that parcel onto Google aerial images, I think this is the house that is now on this lot, and it appears to date to the 1960s or so. I wonder what happened to the antebellum Gwin House? Does anyone from Lexington know?
HABS online record: http://www.loc.gov/pictures/collection/hh/item/ms0122/
MDAH Historic Resources Database: http://www.apps.mdah.ms.gov/Public/prop.aspx?id=14373&view=facts&y=728
More Historic American Buildings Survey. . .
Categories: Antebellum, Architectural Research, Lexington, Lost Mississippi
Preservation in Mississippi 
the lexington house format, in my experience, can be, or was, seen from va into texas==can’t think of that form around here in upstate ny. economical to build, functional, and, could attain various degrees of ‘country grandeur’ depending on the ‘;style’ of the portico–this one looks pleasant but not fancy. the plan looks to be one room on either side of a center hall–parlor and master bedroom? with dining wing from the back left side(according to the sanborn map plan) and another entry from the parlor, it would seem. inside details could vary from very simple to some i have seen with plaster moldings. and, stairs could be grand of simple–usually dogleg types. high-ish ceilings and multiple exterior exposure(s) for cross ventilation. and, course, the form was expanded to 1 1/2 and 2 rooms to either side of the hall—chimneys could be inside or outside the exterior walls. not impossible to adapt to modern life, but, perhaps not as functional as its replacement–but, i’d rather live in the older one!
LikeLiked by 1 person
and, yes, i know this form has been/is often called an I-house===i just don’t like that term and wish there were something better—
LikeLiked by 1 person
From my knowledge the location of the Gwin House was farther down Boulevard. My grandparents owned the lot up until their passing. A small guest house or something along those lines was still on the property around 2009. From the looks of Google maps, a new home has been built on the property.
LikeLike