The Fight for New Formalism
The Adaptive Reuse of the Gulfport Library
By Erin Pittman | Photos by Christy Ryan
For many years, a battle raged over the fate of the Gulfport Library. Designed by local architect Charles L. Proffer in the New Formalist style, the library was constructed in 1966 and featured a grand spiral staircase, elegant colonnade and a koi pond. Hurricane Katrina savaged the modernist building, leaving it open to the elements. Those pushing a demolition agenda did not want to rebuild the library on the beachfront, potentially in harm’s way of future storms. Plans for the demolition of the library were moving forward but preservation advocates, who called themselves “We the People to Save the Gulfport Library”, fought long and hard to change that outcome. A theme throughout the vigorous debate was whether modernist architecture should be considered historic. In the end, the Gulfport Library moved north, but that did not mean the end for the former library.
Enter David Hardy. A staunch advocate for historic preservation, David worked alongside many champions to reimagine the future of the storm-damaged structure. The stars aligned when the site to the west of the library was chosen as the home for the Mississippi Aquarium. When his firm Eley Guild Hardy Architects was selected to prepare a master plan for the future use of the Coast Transit Authority’s 550-space garage located to the north of the library, David saw the opportunity to connect the dots with a restored Gulfport Library, a home for the Mississippi Aquarium and better utilization of the existing parking structure. “I always knew the best site for the Mississippi Aquarium was on our coast, near the Gulfport Harbor and connected to the waterfront,” David explains. “At this particular site, there was a wealth of opportunity.”
The master plan recommended the adaptive reuse of the Gulfport Library to become a transit center and office and educational space for the Mississippi Aquarium. Plans for the restored library also include a food court and a bike share program. Long an admirer of the library’s clean lines, David fought hard to repurpose the library. “We lost too much from Katrina, so we wanted to put something back since we had the opportunity.” Engineers reported that the library was structurally sound, which allowed plans for the restoration to move forward.
Working collaboratively with the Gulfport Redevelopment Authority, Kevin Coggin, Executive Director of Coast Transit Authority, secured funding sources for the restoration, which included a Federal Transit Authority grant along with state and federal historic tax credits. The architectural firm LRK joined the project to complete the building’s nomination to the National Register of Historic Places. The talented craftsmen with Roy Anderson Corporation and J.W. Puckett Construction worked tirelessly to retain and restore as much of the original materials as possible, including the terrazzo floors and the art tiles on the interior walls.
Photo Credits: Mississippi Department of Archives and History
“We brought something back that could have easily been demolished and the history would have been lost.”
The restoration has been fraught with challenges, especially in recreating the exterior exposed green aggregate tile. The east and west facades of the building reused the original tile, while a replica tile created by Jackson Precast, Inc. was installed on the north and south facades. Another challenge was recreating the central helical stair, which originally boasted an acrylic guardrail system. Under new building codes, handrail assemblies must be able to withstand a much higher level of impact than in the 1960s. Since it was not possible to use acrylic, laminated glass was the answer. This process involved 3D laser scanning of the original stairway. This data was then sent to New Zealand, where it was translated into a glass guardrail.
Fifteen years since Hurricane Katrina laid waste to so much of the coast’s architectural treasures, the old Gulfport Library once again delights visitors with its soaring white colonnade and sleek modernist details. Despite the challenges and setbacks caused by trying to complete a $9.5 million-dollar construction project in the middle of a global pandemic, David could not be more proud of the end result. “It is extremely fulfilling to see the building returned to its original glory,” says David. “We brought something back that could have easily been demolished and the history would have been lost.” Without the relentless efforts by so many community members to save this piece of the past, Gulfport would have lost an incredible building that will once again serve the community.