In my searches for the history of beating the heat, I came across something I had not put much thought into the history of; covered patios and carports. Today’s examples come from 1960s ads of the Hattiesburg company Davis & Parker. While the concept of carports and covered patios was not new at this time, the use of aluminum and fiberglass for their construction appears to be.
Hattiesburg American 07-12-1963
Throughout the 1960s, Davis & Parker advertised for the fabrication and installation of Patio Covers, Carports and Aluminum Window Awnings.
Hattiesburg American 04-15-1966
Hattiesburg American 04-21-1967
Hattiesburg American 06-02-1967
As I previously mentioned, I had no photographs of such elements because I had never really gone looking for them. Thankfully, the MDAH HRI database exists, and lo and behold I came across a Patio Cover / Carport similar to the ones seen in the Davis & Parker adverts in a 1920s Craftsman Bungalow that was “updated” circa 1960. I don’t think anyone today would recommend making these types of changes to a bungalow, but as this work was done more than 50 years ago, serious consideration should be given to acknowledging these changes; is there more historic integrity in the remodeling, than there would be if the building was returned to what might have been its 1920s appearance? What are your thoughts on this “Scrape” vs. “Anti Scrape” preservation approach?
Interestingly enough, Davis & Parker also touted the benefits of a patio cover / carport in the winter time, stating in an early March, 1967 advertisement “No more scraping frost and ice from windshield” and “No more trying to wash frost off with frozen hose.” I could go for a cool frosty morning here in August, how ’bout y’all?
Hattiesburg American 03-03-1967
More ways to beat the heat . . .
Categories: Architectural Research, Historic Preservation, Quitman, Recent Past, Renovation Projects
Preservation in Mississippi 
thanks for this ‘trip down memory lane,’ mr roselle!
my parents designed our home in hattiesburg in the early 1950s; they had a draftsman from a local architect’s office create the working drawings, and my parents subcontracted it themselves. i suppose one might call the structure a modified ranch, but since it was on a small-ish in-town lot(in the neighborhood now known as ‘the oaks’) , it was much more compact. in the 1960s, they created a patio–with green cement–tricky!–which had a large outdoor fireplace; it was covered by one of the roofs seen in the davis & parker ads, although i don’t know if davis & parker was the supplier. the last time i saw this house, 2009, the roof and patio were intact.
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