A comment on last week’s post about the fast-food chain Burger Chef, along with the company’s news in August 2019 that they would be closing five hundred of their dine-in restaurants got me thinking about Pizza Hut. The brand’s iconic… Read More ›
Recent Past
Six properties added to National Register
Two apartment complexes, a bowling alley, an ice factory, a community house, and a historic residence have been added to the National Register of Historic Places on the recommendation of the Mississippi National Register Review Board.
Friends of Kebyar Journal Issue about Bruce Goff’s Gutman House is Available Now
Many Mississippians like golf, but here at Preservation in Mississippi, we like Goff. That is Bruce Goff for the uninitiated. On the site, we have written about Goff’s Mississippi houses, Goff’s colleagues, Goff’s disciples, and Goff’s critics. The fact that… Read More ›
Exhibit on builder Carroll Ishee on display
I recently learned that there is an exhibit about Gulf Coast builder Carroll Ishee going on now in the Ocean Springs Museum of History at the Mary C. O’keefe Cultural Center down in Ocean Springs. Current Exhibit Ocean Springs History… Read More ›
Vintage Aerial Adds Mississippi Photos
VintageAerial.com has published over 62,000 historic aerial photos in Mississippi. coverage in Mississippi covers portions of the state with photos dating back to the early-1980s in most counties.
Mid-Century Mississippi: Hutto’s Home and Garden Center
Y’all know that I’m a sucker for folded-plate roofs, so you may not be surprised that I found my favorite lawn and garden center, Hutto’s on Ellis Avenue in Jackson, when I was out taking pictures of interesting buildings on… Read More ›
Beat The Heat: Patio Roofs
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 &… Read More ›
A. Hays Town Architectural Exhibit
A friend sent me this article in the new-to-me Acadiana Advocate newspaper announcing an architectural exhibit focusing on the work of A. Hays Town, specifically his later “Louisiana Style” period after he moved back home from practicing in Jackson, Mississippi… Read More ›
Mississippi’s Best Buildings of 1975
This post is a follow up to a series begun a few weeks back that stimulated quite a bit of conversation about the appreciation of buildings from the late 1960s and early 1970s that are now reaching the golden fifty-year mark… Read More ›
From Bauhaus to Our House: Tom Wolfe 1930-2018
You might have heard the news that author Tom Wolfe passed away on May 14. Among the many tributes, Wolfe’s assessment of Modern architecture in From Bauhaus to Our House receives at least a brief mention. Personally, this book gave me… Read More ›
MHT Historic Preservation Conference set for June 6-8
From our friends at Mississippi Heritage Trust. More information about this year’s statewide historic preservation conference can be found on their website. https://www.mississippiheritage.com/listen-up/ On June 6-8, the Mississippi Heritage Trust will host the Listen Up! Historic Preservation Conference at the… Read More ›
Mid 20th-Century Eclectic Historicism in Laurel
We’ve had several posts on what later mid-century modern buildings (defined here on MissPres by W. White as c.1965-c.1978) were considered in their time as the best Mississippi had to offer. Let’s not forget that there were plenty of buildings… Read More ›
Mississippi’s Best Buildings of 1972
This post is a follow up to a post from a few weeks back that stimulated quite a bit of conversation about appreciation of architecture from the late 1960s and early 1970s that are now reaching the golden fifty-year mark that buildings can be considered for listing on the National Register. The buildings in today’s post are less than five years from reaching their fiftieth birthday.
1970s Architecture and the Future of Historic Preservation in Mississippi
Three weeks ago, Thomas Rosell’s post “Mississippi’s Best Buildings of 1974” stirred up a substantial amount of conversation on local Mississippi examples of 1970s era architecture. It is eye-opening to many historic preservationists that buildings from this decade will be… Read More ›
Mississippi’s Best Buildings of 1974
In 1974, the Mississippi Chapter of the American Institute of Architects held its fourth annual convention, according to a Delta Democrat Times blurb, and presented six honor awards. The awards were dominated by a Greenville firm that picked up four awards. Below the… Read More ›
Mid-Week Mid-Century: Mississippi’s Outstanding Post-War Schools
It’s totally normal (I’m sure you would agree) to collect books like American School and University, and as I was flipping through the 1950-51 (22nd annual) edition, I came across a chapter called “America’s Outstanding School Buildings (built since 1945).”… Read More ›
Hill-Behan: A New Concept In Building Materials Merchandising
Today’s featured newspaper clipping notes the introduction a convenience we take for granted today. If you’ve ever been hot and sweaty working on a project and had the frustration of needing one more widget or sprocket to finish said project… Read More ›
Mid-Week Mid-Century: Mississippi Architect Fellow Tom Biggs
This last installment from the May 1963 issue of Mississippi Architect is an unusual one for the magazine, as it focuses on one particular Mississippi architect who was being honored by the A.I.A. We’ve looked at a few of Tom… Read More ›
Mid-Week Mid-Century: Three Round Banks
When I was in Meridian looking at the old Sears building last week, I discovered for the first time (although I’ve driven past them numerous times) two mid-century banks in the same area. They reminded me of a former bank… Read More ›
Mid-Week Mid-Century: In Praise of Masonry Screens
I’ve pretty much fallen in love with masonry screens since I first started noticing them a few years ago. Most popular in the 1950s through 1970s, these decorative concrete block are a low-cost way to create a wall, provide privacy… Read More ›
Friday is a Gas: Booth Form Gas Station c.1960s-c.1980
This week’s Friday is a Gas post is not about a specific brand of station, but rather a specific type of station form. This week’s stations represent the antithesis of the full-service station: the booth form gas station Aberdeen, Mississippi… Read More ›
MissPres News Roundup 8-22-2017
Busy week in the world of Mississippi Preservation. Let’s jump right into this week’s roundup. Last Tuesday a public meeting in Hattiesburg was held to determine a course of action for the former Mount Carmel Baptist Church on Main Street. According to… Read More ›
Friday is a Gas: Phillips 66 Stations c.1950-c.1970s
During the c.1950-1970s, Phillips had two station types: an oblong box, and the batwing or gullwing design. The latter of these was my holy grail of gas stations. I honestly thought I would never find one in Mississippi, let alone… Read More ›
20th Anniversary of Paul Rudolph’s Passing
Tomorrow marks the 20th anniversary of Paul Rudolph’s passing. Were he still living, he would be 99 years old. Born in Kentucky, Rudolph graduated from Auburn University and Harvard Graduate School of Design. After successfully practicing architecture in Florida as part… Read More ›
Those Disappearing Telephone Booths
As one of the few people on earth who hasn’t yet embraced the smart phone fad, I have had cause to miss the conveniently located but humble telephone booths that used to dot our towns, shopping centers, gas stations, and… Read More ›
Roadside Mississippi: Fountain Grill
We’re taking a break this week from the “Friday is a Gas” series since we had a gas station related post on Wednesday, but today’s post is still about a roadside-tastic building constructed c.1965. I’ll wager a guess this was the… Read More ›
Mid-Week Mid-Century: 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 had been forgotten by time–was how much the region had changed over the latter half of… Read More ›