On my recent trip to Greenville, I swung through the Lake Washington community to check on Mt. Holly, the Italianate antebellum mansion that I had heard was falling into disrepair. As you may recall, Mt. Holly was one of the… Read More ›
Cool Old Places
Still No Roof on Eaton School
Note: This post has been heavily modified to remove strong language. Driving past Hattiesburg yesterday under a brooding sky, I decided to swing by Eaton School, which I supposed must have a new roof by now, given that the Hattiesburg… Read More ›
Reflections On A Success Story
As I swung open the doors at 235 West Capitol Street on the 4th of January, 2010, I could barely contain myself. The once rotten shell of the King Edward had become a shining beacon of light and warmth. As… Read More ›
Pigeons to Pearls…The King Edward Flies Again
Thursday, the 17th of December, 2009, was an important day for downtown Jackson. Developer David Watkins snipped a scarlet ribbon and the King Edward was back in business after forty-three years of solitude. Arduous as the task was, Watkins and… Read More ›
MissPres News Roundup 2-12-2010
Can we hope for a snowy Friday? Or better yet, a snowed-in Friday when I can rise from my bed, take a peek out the window to assess the state of the streets, and decide that the wisest course of… Read More ›
A Trip To Greenville
On one of these dreary winter days we’ve been having this year, I took a drive with an old friend up to Greenville. We went the back way, which I loved–through the deep woods of Yazoo County, over the Yazoo… Read More ›
Before and After: Mississippi River Basin Model
There’s a new blog on the block, and I think a good number of you might want to add it to your blog reader. Created by “Kodachromeguy” and based in Vicksburg (I think this is the third photo/history blog from… Read More ›
The Story of Mississippi’s New Capitol: Barnes and Link report in
Well, here we are at the end of this four-part series looking back to when the New Capitol was taking shape there on its double block on the north side of town. Today, the two reports mentioned in yesterday’s post,… Read More ›
The Story of Mississippi’s New Capitol: Git-R-Done
Here’s the third part of the always-exciting “Report of the State House Commission to the Legislature of Mississippi, 1902.” If you’re coming in late, pick up Part 1, in which the commission hires an architect, and Part 2, where the… Read More ›
The Story of Mississippi’s New Capitol: Hiring the contractor
Continuing our reading in the “Report of the State House Commission to the Legislature of Mississippi, 1902” . . . In yesterday’s post, we saw the formation of the State House Commission and their almost superhuman speed in hiring an… Read More ›
The Story of Mississippi’s New Capitol: Hiring an architect
Back in December, I mentioned in “More Architect/Builder Pics: Link and Barnes” that I wanted to post more about the New Capitol and how it came to be. That will be our project for this week. Tucked at the back… Read More ›
What I really meant was Mendenhall Elementary
In case you missed my correction to last Friday’s News Roundup, I mistakenly stated that Magee Elementary School was threatened with demolition, when in fact the caption in the Magee Courier’s article clearly stated it was Mendenhall Elementary. Because I… Read More ›
MissPres News Roundup 1-15-2010
As much as it seems hard to believe while watching the human and structural devastation in Haiti, other events that affect our own little postage stamp have been going on this week. —————————————————- In Hattiesburg, the old high school is… Read More ›
Architectural Twins
I’ve been out and about the Magnolia State braving wind, snow, sleet, and broken water mains to scout out cool old buildings and bring you, my loyal MissPres readers, a report of what’s out there. As you remember, I drove… Read More ›
Before and After: Mississippi Coliseum
I know you’re all pondering yesterday’s ponderous post, so today I thought I’d go easy on you with just a couple of pictures. Besides that, my snug little historic house in Fondren is currently suffering a drought of sorts, due… Read More ›
Does this mean you hate it, Miss Ada Louise?
I took the opportunity over the holidays to get back into my reading schedule and finish books that I had started during the dog days of summer. One of those was Ada Louise Huxtable’s recent compilation of her decades of… Read More ›
MissPres News Roundup 1-8-2010
What? Unheard of to have two news roundups in one week! But this is a new year, so openness to change is a good thing, right? I promise we’ll get back on our once-a-week-on-Friday schedule next week, but I realized… Read More ›
Stumped?
As of today, I’m unilaterally and without UN sanction declaring myself the winner of the Jackson Details mini-contest, which has been out on the World Wide Web for over two weeks now. Out of the five detail photos from downtown… Read More ›
National Register 2009 (Part 2)
The second of a two-part retrospective on the National Register of Historic Places listings for Mississippi this year. As with the first part from yesterday, all of the below including photos has been provided by our kind-hearted preservationist friends at the… Read More ›
National Register 2009 (Part 1)
Well, we come to the granddaddy of them all, the National Register of Historic Places. What places have been listed this year and why are they important? Ask and you shall receive, the Bible says, so I came hat in… Read More ›
Should auld acquaintance be forgot
Well, we’ve gotten to that season when we make lists of things that have happened over the past year in preparation for the new year. To start off the week, we’ll take one last look at old friends we have… Read More ›
A Christmas Eve Tradition
Check out yesterday’s Clarion Ledger for a sweet commentary by Sid Salter about a family tradition he still carries on, visiting the old Williams Brothers General Store, outside of Philadelphia. The story reinforces the argument that preserving places–not just documents… Read More ›
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 ›
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 ›
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.
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.
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 ›
Preservation in Mississippi 