Biloxi historic building lures Jackson architects to Coast

JIMMIE BELL

Imagine the century old “turret top” building at the corner of Howard Avenue and Lameuse Street in Biloxi with its own posh elevator. It’s happening.

The latest saga of the vintage 1896 turret top structure began in 2007 when two nationally known architects headquartered in the Mississippi state capital realized that they had obtained so many jobs in the Coast recovery area that it was time for them to move south and get closer to their work.

The 112-year-old Peoples Bank Building, encased in 19th century architecture (and a turret on top) caught the eye of two busy architects: Dale & Associates of Jackson; and Dale-Morris Architects of Jackson, Houston, Orlando and Los Angeles.

Both firms there and then decided to add Biloxi to their Mississippi headquarters since both had developed new clients in the Biloxi area.

What also caught the eye of 21st century architects was the potential the Coast now has to reshape itself into a new world. Here they found an architectural triumph, dating back to 1896 — the year The Peoples Bank was founded.

“Because Peoples Bank was a client of ours, we investigated the possibility of occupying the second floor of the historic building,” said Ron Hartley, project director. “Peoples Bank owns the building and offered us the opportunity of moving into the space.”

And thus they began their own renaissance of the interior of the building.

The transformation

There were several architectural issues encountered in order to maintain the historical value of the structure.

“We had to follow the MDAH guidelines, which dictated that we could not expose the brick on the interior,” Hartley said. “Also, we had to replace the damaged plaster walls with Gypsum and wall board. Our goal was to do as little demolition as possible to the walls and doors in order to keep the original look. This required that we make our office layout work with the existing layout. Thus, we had to add an elevator in order to make it accessible.”

The project has taken about seven months due to encountering unanticipated problems.

“Using the backdrop of the traditional building, we designed the millwork, storefront and finishings to be clean and minimal in order for the new to highlight the old,” Hartley said.

Other reasons

Biloxi is centrally located on the Coast and many of the projects were located here. Dale has worked on the Coast, in fact, since the late 1980s.

The business Dale is doing down here includes architecture, interior design and space planning, master planning and analysis as well as selection, feasibility studies, programming and needs assessment, landscape architecture, graphics, construction administration, and furniture, fixtures and equipment selection.

In locating the office central to Biloxi, “We can walk to the City Hall, and the Community Development Building,” Hartley said. “At this time, we are within walking distance of most of our project sites.”

The “turret top” building in downtown Biloxi that first housed The Peoples Bank in 1896 and now the home of Ellzey Hardware, is — at the age of 112 — undergoing a make-over of its second floor that will send it sailing through the 21st century in style.

Always in style

A turret is a 20-foot, ice cream cone mounted upside down with a narrowing point aimed skyward in the genre of old architecture that abounded during the Elizabethan Era and popular from England to Turkey. This one stands proudly at the intersection of Howard Avenue and Lameuse Street.

Dale projects, Hartley said, include Peoples Bank Money Center, Peoples Bank Pass Christian, Biloxi Community Center, Library and multi-use facility, Biloxi Lighthouse Park, Biloxi Lighthouse renovation, Pass Christian police station and Emergency Operations Center renovation and Pass Christian Business Accelerator-Incubator building.

Dale-Morris projects include Bacaran Bay Casino Resort, Bayview Casino and Resort, and Cache Creek Casino Resort renovations and additions.

Dale maintains 39 employees in its Jackson office.

Dale-Morris has almost 200 employees with its offices in Jackson, Houston, Orlando and Los Angeles.

MEDIA CONTACT

Amanda Hansen :: Morris Architects :: 713.850.6530