2024 Heritage Award Winners
Fyke House, Oxford
When Nancy and Earl Fyke purchased 1526 Jefferson Avenue, they jumped into a restoration adventure that included removing a brick veneer, replacing lost doors, spindles, windows and shutters and returning the interior to its original character with 11 and ½ foot ceilings and restored pine floors. As Earl put it, many minds and hands came together to remake this house into a home, including Randy Johnson, Brian Franklin and the team at Grantham Construction, carpenter Danny Williams, interior designer Julie Montgomery, kitchen designer Cathy Moore, decorator and friend Aleene Walters, painter Odis Terrell, Mark Levy with Herron Landscape and draftsperson Macel Juergens.
Latoka, Holly Springs
Creeping rot, burst water pipes and a large hole from a wayward car made once proud Latoka the talk of the town. Neighbors Pam and Dave Zelman knew they could put their years of rehabilitation knowledge to work saving this treasure and purchased it in 2021. After mold remediation, new HVAC and plumbing, brick repointing, painting and a kitchen overhaul, this 1873 Greek Revival beauty made its debut for the 2022 Holiday Tour of Homes and is once more the talk of the town.
Oakland, Natchez
Home to the Adams family for many years, the great Greek Revival suburban villa Oakland was looking for a new family and found it in Dorie and Brad LeMay. The couple completely refurbished the c. 1844 house and the quarters building behind it, including thoughtful conservation of original finishes to interior woodwork. The house is now full of beautiful antiques and ready for its next 180 years. This rehabilitation project was nominated by the Historic Natchez Foundation.
Twin Oaks, Natchez
Damaged during an ice storm, c. 1852 Twin Oaks was left vacant and deteriorating. Cathy and Monte Steward took up the challenge of saving this historic treasure and embarked on reopening windows that had long been closed off, replastering walls and putting the dining room back in its original location. They also rehabilitated an apartment building on the property that is now ready to receive guests. The restoration of Twin Oaks was nominated by the Historic Natchez Foundation.
Holly Hedges, Natchez
After purchasing Holly Hedges in 2021, Tammy and Wes Pack undertook a major restoration that involved, as Carter Burns with Historic Natchez Foundation put it, every surface and system in the house. Tammy and Wes documented their adventure on social media every step of the way, inviting us all to learn about the history of the house and what it takes to tackle a restoration project in a thoughtful and curious manner. This c. 1805 Federal-style house is now a beautiful second home for the Pack family. Holly Hedges was nominated by the Historic Natchez Foundation.
Castle Headquarters, Meridian
Constructed in 1907, the Melton Hardware Company building is a landmark in downtown Meridian. In 2019, Castle engaged WBA Architecture to help them reimagine this historic building as their headquarters. The building has been transformed into 25,000 square feet of office and tenant space, connected by the original staircase which now features communal gathering spaces on all three floors. Project partners include Edmonds Engineering, McQueen Structural Engineering and the Mississippi Department of Archives and History.
Mississippi College Gore Arts Complex, Clinton
The former Clinton Junior High School, which had been sitting vacant and deteriorating for years, now has new purpose as the home for Mississippi College’s Department of Art, MC Band and the Institute for Southern Storytelling. Constructed in the 1940s, the former school building, band hall and library have been beautifully restored under the watchful eye of CDFL and project partners Alliant Construction, Davaine Lighting and A+ Signs and Creative. Named for the late Samuel M. Gore, the founder of MC’s art department and a celebrated sculptor, the new complex includes classrooms, gallery space, a pottery studio and an auditorium that will be enjoyed by the students as well as residents of Clinton for years to come.
The Ellis Theater, Philadelphia
Mississippi music legend Marty Stuart is a man on a mission-to create the Congress of County Music in his hometown of Philadelphia. Working in partnership with the Philadelphia Neshoba County Arts Council, the Mississippi Department of Archives and History, Yates Engineering Corporation, ICT Engineers and Jesco, Inc., Dryden Studio led the restoration of the 1926 Ellis Theater as the first phase of this ambitious project which will one day include a community hall and museum. The extensive restoration included the repurposing of salvaged seating and the relighting of the iconic marquee.
The Pearl, Jackson
Not everyone would have seen the potential in the old Holiday Inn Southwest. Enter the Pearl Street Community Development Corporation and Gulf Coast Housing Partners. What was once a sadly dilapidated motel is now 76 affordable apartments for seniors and an on-site heath care clinic operated by Jackson-Hinds Comprehensive Health Centers. Utilizing state and federal historic and low-income housing tax credits to undertake the $28.9 million dollar development, the hotel’s signature architectural features such as the floating staircase and sculptural folded concrete roof were restored or reconstructed by a crackerjack team that included McCarty Architects and Fountain Construction.
The Shop by BSA, Eupora
The community-loving folks at Belinda Stewart Architects saw an opportunity to put their considerable talents to bear on a project in their own town of Eupora by reimaging the old Nu Way Hardware Store as a retail shop featuring local antiques, author book signings and works by local artists. The restoration included repairing the original transom windows and masonry façade. The Christmas Open House saw residents gathered in the new old shop sharing memories and making new ones.
Holmes County Administration Building, Lexington
Imaginative thinking went into joining the dilapidated Lexington Crown Service Station and the old Holmes County Administrative office with two historically minded additions to create the new Holmes County Administrative Building. Belinda Stewart Architects put their minds to this preservation puzzle, resulting in a complex that honors the community’s past and creates a space that will serve as a hub for civic engagement and governance well into the future.
North Natchez Youth Center
Originally constructed around 1915 by Melchoir Beltzhoover for Anchorage Dairy, this farmhouse had been abandoned for many years before the City of Natchez, working in partnership with Johnny Waycaster Architects and contractor Chris Smith, invested nearly $1,000,000 dollars to restore the building to become a place of learning and community for the young residents of North Natchez. This project was nominated by the Historic Natchez Foundation.
Community Grocery, Woodville
When you ask Whitney and Wil Seale and Katie and Clint McCurley why they took on this project, the answer is, because we are clearly crazy! Dig a little deeper and you find a love of community, which makes the name of their restaurant, lounge and bed and breakfast especially fitting. The four friends who are more like family juggled their real jobs while doing nearly all the restoration work on the three historic buildings themselves. After six months of hard rehab labor, what started out to be a lunch counter has ended up as a full-scale restaurant run by the girls, while their husbands flip steaks and clear tables. Friend Randy Wilson tells them that they are sitting on the edge of something magical and they take this to heart on hard days. This project was nominated by Woodville Main Street Association.
MCITy, Vicksburg
Constructed in 1936, the Mississippi Hardware Company Building has undergone a $19 million dollar rehabilitation to meet the needs of the 21st century. The project team, including VanMeter, Williams, Pollack Architects, Shane Ormond Construction, Newbreak Management, Vicksburg Foundation for Historic Preservation, Vicksburg-Warren Economic Development Partnership, ERDCWERX, Hinds Community College, Mississippi State University, Institutes for Higher Learning, Alcorn State University, City of Vicksburg, Broadway Ventures and 2R3E Properties, conceived the Mississippi Center for Innovation and Technology, now fondly known as MCITy, to become home to a cadre of high-tech entrepreneurs and educators working together to maximize synergism of thought and action.
WJDX Transmitter Building, Jackson
It was Mississippi’s second and Jackson’s first radio station. Hidden behind a 1970s building and years of overgrowth, the Art Deco jewel of a building that was once the WJDX Transmitter Building was largely forgotten until Scott Allen and the folks with A+ Signs and Creative took on the challenge to restore this Mississippi treasure. Today, the charm of N.W. Overstreet’s design, with its decorative lead-glass windows and bas-relief sculpture that evokes a vintage radio can once again be appreciated.
Quarles House, Long Beach
When Hurricane Katrina ripped through the coast, it took the roof of the Quarles House with it. The Mississippi Heritage Trust stepped forward to install a roof to buy time for Carol Paola and her team of Discovery students to build community support to repurpose Long Beach’s first school and general store. In 2020, the City of Long Beach and Representative Richard Bennet worked hand in hand with Carol to secure a $2 million dollar grant to restore the house through the Gulf Coast Restoration Fund. Jim Alexander and Janet Alexander Griffin then donated the house and land that includes the Quarles family cemetery to the city. Architects Albert and Robinson and J.O. Collins Contractors oversaw the meticulous restoration of this special place to become a visitor’s center.
Joyce Clingan, Vicksburg
If only every town had a Joyce. Since 1995, Joyce has been welcoming guests to her historic restaurant Walnut Hills, which serves as the epicenter for community revitalization efforts in Vicksburg. Instrumental in the founding of the Vicksburg Warren County Heritage Guild, Joyce has also served on the board of the Vicksburg Main Street Association. Joyce is that person who brings people together through humor backed with facts to help her beloved town shine.
Daryl Hollingsworth, Vicksburg
Preservation powerhouse doesn’t begin to describe Darryl Hollingsworth. After purchasing his first building in downtown Vicksburg in 1999, Darryl has gone on to restore and repurpose 25 buildings in the historic district, 17 of which are on Washington Street. These once empty historic buildings now bustle with activity, including event venues and ax throwing.
Coast Transit Authority Gulfport Transit Center
Looking at the restored Gulfport Library, it is hard to imagine this 1966 New Formalist building, with its elegant lines and rich materials, in a landfill. Yet that is exactly where it was headed after being severely damaged in Hurricane Katrina. So many Mississippi preservationists fought to save this modernist building from demolition until a champion named David Hardy stepped forward. Sharing David’s passion to repurpose this once grand civic place was Keven Coggin. This preservation-minded pair left no stone tile unturned to find the funding, including grants and historic tax credits, to reimagine the old Gulfport Library as a transit center that once again acts as a center for community.
Isaac Chapel Rosenwald School, Marshall County
In 1922, the Julius Rosenwald Fund donated $1,000, the white community donated $200 and the African American community donated $2,600 to build the Isaac Chapel Rosenwald School. The school operated as a place of learning for African American children for over forty years, later serving as a Head Start Center from 1965 to 1972. After being used for storage by Marshall County for fifty years, the community rallied to repurpose the school. Thanks to a partnership that included Marshall County Board of Supervisors, the communities of Chulahoma, Matthew’s Corner, Watson, Holly Springs and Byhalia, the family of William Sydney Payne, Woods Farm Supply, Northcentral Electric Power Association and the Community Foundation of Northwest Mississippi, the lovingly restored Isaac Chapel Rosenwald School reopened its doors in 2022 to once again become a place of learning.
Vicksburg National Military Park
The Vicksburg National Military Park celebrated its 125 Anniversary by addressing urgent stabilization needs at the park as well as examining new, inclusive methods of interpretation. In 2020, heavy rains triggered extreme erosion, road loss and severe landslides with put 100s of burial sites at risk. In partnership with Advisory Council for Historic Preservation, Mississippi Department of Archives and History, US Corp of Engineers and over 40 additional agencies and consultants, Vicksburg National Military Park has put a $4.7 million dollar plan for rehabilitation into action. The archaeology field study phase of the project has been completed, setting the stage for inventory and analysis that will shed light on untold stories of Native American and African American connections to the park and Vicksburg.
World War II Heritage City Educational Program, Pascagoula
In 2022, the City of Pascagoula was designated by the National Park Service as a World War II Heritage City, which recognizes the one city or region in each state that made the greatest contribution to the war effort. This designation involved an extensive application process completed by the City of Pascagoula and the Pascagoula Historic Preservation Commission. To celebrate the designation, the City of Pascagoula held a ceremony and reception attended by several veterans of World War II, along with other veterans, members of the Pascagoula High School NJROTC and hundreds of enthusiastic citizens who were treated to patriotic music, an impressive water boat display and an exhibit of World War II memorabilia. This program was nominated by the Jackson County Historical and Genealogical Society.
Mississippi Agriculture and Forestry Museum Fortenberry Parkman Farmstead, Jackson
Constructed in 1858 and occupied until 1960, the Fortenberry Parkman Farmstead was moved to the Mississippi Agriculture and Forestry Museum in 1981 to become the cornerstone of educational programs to tell the story of the everyday Mississippi farmer. As part of the Ag Museum’s 40th anniversary in 2023, living history interpreters prepared and shared foods commonly eaten in the 19th century to over 800 visitors. The celebration also included extensive plantings of period flowers while farmyard babies including triplet goats, chickens and a calf were welcomed.
City of Starkville Architectural Survey of Historic African American Resources
The City of Starkville has five historic districts and 17 individually listed properties entered into the National Register of Historic Places. Recognizing that historic properties related to Starkville’s African American history were underrepresented on the National Register, the City of Starkville commissioned Jeff Rosenberg to undertake a comprehensive survey of African American historic resources. The intensive-level survey, completed in 2022, evaluated more than 300 properties and identified three individually eligible resources, six potential districts and two areas for the potential expansion of existing districts and constitutes the first city-wide survey of African American architectural historic resources in Mississippi.
Mississippi Delta National Heritage Area
One of Mississippi’s three congressionally designated National Heritage Areas, the Mississippi Delta National Heritage Area encompasses 18 counties and countless stories. Whether it is a bricks and mortar project to save a treasured landmark like the New Hope Missionary Baptist Church from being lost to time, the innovative interpretive programs of StoryWorks or the convening of like-minded partners to envision the future of civil rights heritage tourism, Dr. Rolando Herts and his talented team are always ready to lend their time, talent and expertise to their diverse group of stakeholders to help bring ideas to life.