Author Archives
In addition to ruling over the MissPres universe with an iron fist, Malvaney enjoys reading, wandering around old buildings, stopping to smell the magnolias, fiddling with databases, and sitting on the porch with a good book and a big ol' dog. Non-interests include but are not limited to tweeting, texting, Instagramming, planking, Candy Crush, Donald Trump, and unecessarily destructive home renovation shows.
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Round the Blogosphere 12-13-2010
Blogs traditionally quiet down a bit between Thanksgiving and Christmas, but there’s been enough activity out there to warrant a look-see. Of course, MissPres has been where the action is, with suggestions flying in for our growing Must-See Mississippi Places…. Read More ›
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Mississippi Architect, August 1963: West End School, Meridian
The featured building in the August 1963 issue of Mississippi Architect is by R.B. Clopton, one of the Meridian Modernists who sometimes gets forgotten in the shadow of Chris Risher. I confess I don’t know much about Clopton except that… Read More ›
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Mississippi Architect, August 1963
Today’s reprint of the editorial from Mississippi Architect’s August 1963 edition is especially interesting to me given some of the recent debates here on MissPres pitting Classicism against Modernism. As the tides of architectural styles rise and fall, many today… Read More ›
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Architect Pics: Harry N. Austin
One architect who’s always been a bit of a mystery to me is Harry N. Austin. I should know more about him because he designed some great Classical landmarks around the state, including the Natchez City Hall, Bryant Hall at… Read More ›
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Help build a list of required Mississippi places
After a recent post about the book 1001 Buildings You Must See Before You Die, W. White suggested that we answer the snub of having no Mississippi buildings included in the book by creating our own list, eliminating one zero… Read More ›
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Celebration at Mt. Moriah
Today’s guest post is brought to you by Jennifer Baughn, Chief Architectural Historian with the Mississippi Department of Archives and History. I hope her report on the recent successful project at Mt. Moriah School will provide a brighter vision for… Read More ›
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Abandoned Mississippi: Southern Christian Institute
Exit off I-20 at Edwards, wind around through town and out Highway 80 to the west, and soon enough you’ll come to the campus of the old Southern Christian Institute, more lately known as Bonner Campbell Institute. The college is… Read More ›
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Thanksgiving 2010
It would be inappropriate to complain about an 80 degrees Thanksgiving, so I’ll just roll that into all the other things I’m thankful for this year: For the Craftsman style and the Art Deco style and for the Federal and… Read More ›
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Vacation Postcards: Woodland Court, Newton
MissPres has gone over the river and through the woods for Thanksgiving, but we’re sending postcards back from Mississippi’s past.
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Early 20th Century Wins It!
Our first official MissPres poll asking readers to vote for their three favorite architectural styles ended yesterday in a dead heat between Craftsman/Bungalow and that three-headed beast, Art Deco/Art Moderne/Stripped Classic. Out of a total of 151 votes cast, 32… Read More ›
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Miles to go before I sleep
I try to avoid going to Lemuria Books, our independent bookstore here in Jackson, because I always end up spending large sums of money. But I never succeed in staying away for too long. Recently, I grabbed a huge book… Read More ›
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Round the Blogosphere 11-15-2010
I gave jrgordon the day off on the weekly news roundup because I realized it’s been two months since our last blogosphere roundup. I’ve been starring posts like mad in my Google Reader, and if I don’t post them for… Read More ›
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Camp Shelby in WWII, Part 3
Today we’ll finish out our three-day Veterans Day with the remaining postcards from the c.1941 set showing the huge training facility at our own Camp Shelby. As bluerim noted in a comment, Camp Shelby boasts a fine military museum, one… Read More ›
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Veterans Day 2010
In honor of Veterans Day, MissPres is taking a three-day trip back to Camp Shelby in World War II, via a set of prosy postcards meant for soldiers to send to family and friends. From the text itself, these seem… Read More ›
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Honoring Veterans: Camp Shelby in WWII
Maybe you’ve seen the commercial from a chain steakhouse saying how proud they are of our veterans and to show how proud, they’re offering vets a free fried onion and beverage. Well, some might question whether a free full meal… Read More ›
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History of Art in Mississippi: Ole Miss
As you may recall, a couple of weeks ago, we started an occasional Book Quotes series from the 1929 book The History of Art in Mississippi. Today we return to the chapter on Public Buildings with the entry on the… Read More ›
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Funky Light Fixtures
I suspect I’m not the only MissPreser who enjoys the occasional Rejuvenation catalog that comes in the mail. Imagine my surprise when I spotted a Mid-Century Modern light fixture in a round student union building in the Mississippi Delta.
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Another Vanishing Civil Rights Landmark
On my recent trip to the Delta, I decided to take the county road north of Greenwood, instead of Highway 49. I wanted to check on the old Bryant Grocery Store in the Money community to see if it was… Read More ›
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Modernism in the Mississippi Delta
One thing that surprised me when I moved to Mississippi and ventured into the Delta–a place that I had understood from various news stories was a place that time forgot–was how much the region had changed over the latter half… Read More ›
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The Mysterious Case of the Missing Streetcar Lines
I’ve finally gotten around to reading a book that’s been on my shelf waiting for a while, Crabgrass Frontier by Kenneth T. Jackson. Not a traditional architectural history, the book does explain alot about how American cities and suburbs came… Read More ›
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History of Art in Mississippi: County Court Houses
Let’s finish off this week with a shorter excerpt from The History of Art in Mississippi, still from the chapter on “Architecture in Public Buildings.” The authors examine three courthouses in particular, all from the 19th century. What do you… Read More ›
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History of Art in Mississippi: Seats of Government
Today we continue with our trek through the chapter on “Architecture in Public Buildings” from the 1929 book History of Art in Mississippi. As we’ve noted before, this book was the result of a highly collaborative effort, mostly by women… Read More ›
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History of Art in Mississippi: Modern Office Structures
Today, we continue our Book Quotes series on the 1929 book, History of Art in Mississippi, which devotes a surprising amount of space to architecture. Like the author of the WPA Guide’s chapter on architecture, the ladies who compiled HoAiM… Read More ›
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Book Quotes: History of Art in Mississippi
It’s been a while since our last Book Quotes series, way back in May, when summer had only just begun. Now, here we are in October when summer has yet to end, giving new meaning to that formerly romantic phrase… Read More ›
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MissPres News Roundup 10-25-2010
Well, it’s been a while since I actually had to compose a news roundup. I hope I can still remember how. ———————————– A sad event in the life of Crystal Springs happened this week, when a fire destroyed four buildings… Read More ›
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Get Out the Vote!
I think MissPres has reached a level of readership at which polls might provide interesting insights about various topics. Our first poll is an easy one, asking what architectural style or era is your favorite. You don’t even have to… Read More ›
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More About R.H. Hunt, and an Art Deco Delight
Yesterday, I showed just a few of the Mississippi gems designed by Chattanooga architect R.H. Hunt during his 40-year career beginning in the 1890s. To end the week on a high note, here are a few of the Hunt buildings… Read More ›
Preservation in Mississippi 