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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King Edward Hotel Open Again
Forty-four years after closing its doors, after suffering decades of neglect, vacancy, vandalism, and deterioration, Jackson’s landmark King Edward Hotel, the standard for glamorous 1920s hotels, re-opened for business yesterday after a ribbon-cutting ceremony. As every speaker said, this was… Read More ›
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Overstreet Interview, Part 3
Here we are at the final segment of N.W. Overstreet’s 1940 interview at the Portland Cement Association’s Spring meeting published as “An Architect Reviews Five Years with Architectural Concrete.” If you missed the previous two segments, make sure to read… Read More ›
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Overstreet Interview, Part 2
We’re in the middle of a three-part transcription of a conversation between our own N.W. Overstreet, perhaps Mississippi’s most prominent 20th-century architect, and A.J. Boase, the manager of the Structural Bureau of the Portland Cement Association. The interview took place… Read More ›
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From the Archives: 1940 Overstreet Interview
This week’s series will introduce you to an interview with our own N.W. Overstreet back in 1940. The interview was hosted by the Portland Cement Association at its Spring meeting at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York and was published in the PCA’s magazine Architectural Concrete. This particular interview gives us insight not only into the technical aspects of Overstreet’s 1930s concrete buildings, but also (since we’ll never have the chance to interview him ourselves) shows us a little bit of his background, personality, and spirit.
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Get Ready for King Ed!
I hope y’all can make it to the ribbon cutting for the new King Edward Hotel on Thursday morning at 10 AM. I’ve only been waiting for this for 13 years, but I know many of you out there have… Read More ›
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For Your Saturday Reading
An article in the Wall Street Journal about the 150-story Chicago Spire, unfortunately shaped like a screw: “Push to Finish Tallest Tower” And a strong opinion in the City Journal about Modernist guru Le Corbusier that begins “Le Corbusier was… Read More ›
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Deck the Historic Halls
In lieu of a News Roundup on this slow news week, and to help all you preservation-types get into the Christmas spirit, our friend J.R. Gordon gives us a report on last week’s “Old Jackson by Candlelight Tour,” an annual… Read More ›
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Bailey Jr. High and the Mystery of Life
I recently noticed that Google has now archived the images from the Life magazine photo collection and also made all of the magazines in their full cover-to-cover glory available through a normal Google search. This has given me the opportunity… Read More ›
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CHPG Project Pictures
Ok, I’ve finally scrounged up photos of all the projects given grants in MDAH’s latest round of the Community Heritage Preservation Grant program. I always find it helpful to put a picture with the dollar amount so that I can… Read More ›
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Even more archt/builders pics: Brune, et al.
I’m still working on getting pictures of the MDAH CHPG projects, so in the meantime, I thought I would add another picture or two to our collection of architect and builder photos. These come from a source that Carunzel brought to my… Read More ›
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MDAH Announces CHP Grants
Besides our blizzard, the other exciting thing that happened Friday was the Mississippi Department of Archives and History announced the recipients of the latest round of Community Heritage Preservation Grants after a special meeting of the MDAH Board of Trustees…. Read More ›
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I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas
Dreams can come true . . .
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MissPres News Roundup 12-4-2009
As of this morning, the forecast is for snow, snow! in Jackson tonight. The best snow is the kind that comes and puts a nice quiet blanket on everything, and then goes away after enough time for everyone to get out… Read More ›
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Downtown Jackson in Detail
While ya’ll have been pondering the deep thoughts from yesterday’s post, I’ve been wandering downtown Jackson again taking pictures of interesting details. Can you figure out where I’ve been?
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Why Preserve?
An article titled “Why should ‘heritage’ be preserved?” popped up on my screen a couple of weeks ago, just before I went on my little Thanksgiving vacation, but I haven’t known quite what to say about it, so I’ve been trying to… Read More ›
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More Architect/Builder Pics: Link and Barnes
I’m always on the hunt for pictures of the architects and builders who designed and built all these lovely buildings in our Magnolia State. Recently I came across not one but two in the same source, the Mississippi State House Commission… Read More ›
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Overly Loved Historic Buildings
I had a chance to go through lots of photos I’ve taken on my recent jaunts around the state, and I thought now might be a good time to bring up the topic of good intentions and how they pave the road to . . . well, to be blunt, Hades. I refer particularly to the state of being “loved to death” and how this sometimes happens to our beloved historic buildings around the state.
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Happy Thanksgiving (2009)
It’s Thanksgiving time again–time to enumerate just a few of things that make us thankful. So without further ado . . . I’m thankful for the Delta, the Piney Woods, the Hills, and yes, even those crazy Natchezians who add… Read More ›
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MissPres News Roundup 11-20-2009
Well, here we are at Friday again–thank goodness! And next week is Thanksgiving, so it’s a short week for some, a long week for those with visitors staying in their homes. But I digress. Let’s look around for some news…. Read More ›
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Checking in on New Orleans
The Atlantic Monthly has an interesting article about the architectural developments in the rebuilding of New Orleans, “Houses of the Future” by Wayne Curtis. Given the virtual absence of concentrated federal, state, or city re-development (except for wholesale demolition), a variety… Read More ›
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What Jackson’s Trustmark Bldg Might Have Looked Like
I love alternate history, where an author changes a small event in history and takes what follows to a different conclusion than what actually happened. Preliminary renderings of buildings are a real-live version of alternate history, and it’s fun, in… Read More ›
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Architecture and Music
Friday evening I attended a chamber concert by the Mississippi Symphony Orchestra at St. Andrews Episcopal Cathedral in downtown Jackson. I especially love the MSO’s chamber series, because each of the four concerts is held in a church, not only… Read More ›
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MissPres News Roundup 11-13-2009
Ok, the pressure’s on. Must compete with MHT’s Facebook page. Must compete with MHT’s Facebook page. Must be witty and not grumpy, a beam of sunshine in an otherwise dark and cruel world. And I can do it! Because I’m… Read More ›
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MHT Joins Facebook
As of two weeks ago, the Mississippi Heritage Trust has a page on Facebook and already has 62 fans. The page is viewable by both Facebookers and non-Facebookers alike, so you have no reason not to check it out. It… Read More ›
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Honoring Veterans
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Hinds County Armory Shamefully Neglected
Those of you who have visited the Mississippi State Fair might have noticed an exotic brick building with gothic arches off to the side near High Street in Jackson. This is the old Hinds County Armory, built in 1927 and… Read More ›
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Pics of Goff’s Gryder House in Ocean Springs
Last week when looking around for a picture of the Gryder House in Ocean Springs to put in “Notes on SESAH Keynote” I realized I didn’t have any myself, and I just didn’t feel that those on the internet showed… Read More ›
Preservation in Mississippi 