Mound Bayou, Mississippi

Yesterday The Bolivar Commercial reported that the Taborian Hospital in Mound Bayou, Mississippi will undergo renovation beginning this week. With funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Jackson architects Canizaro, Cawthon & Davis plan to adapt the structure for use as the Taborian Urgent Care Center.(1)  The building has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1996.

After World War II, New Orleans architect William R. Burk (1887-1961), who maintained an office is Clarksdale, worked on several projects for Mound Bayou. In 1948, he designed a consolidated high school structure on Fisher Avenue. That same year, he collaborated with St. Louis architects Jamieson and Spearl to develop plans for a new Veteran's Administration hospital that had been championed by doctor and civil rights leader T.R.M. Howard (1908-1976).(2)

Tulane University's Southeastern Architectural Archive retains William R. Burk's architectural records.

(1) Rory Doyle. "Work on Historic Hospital Begins."  The Bolivar Commercial  (25 July 2013). As viewed 26 July 2013 at http://tinyurl.com/n2dhhx8

(2) "BIDS FOR CONSTRUCTION." The Times-Picayune (28 July 1948): p. 12. The article includes a presentation drawing of a very Charity-like hospital building. Howard's papers are at the Chicago Public Library.

Image above:  Taborian Hospital, Mound Bayou, MS. As viewed 26 July 2013 via google maps.

Graphic Design 1962

Every so often, we post business stationery / letterheads that include representations of buildings or were designed by various architects. Today, we came across a few 1962 building trade examples that made use of vibrant orange or red elements. The bottom two both employed the same substrate, American-made Strathmore Bond Fluorescent 25% Cotton Fiber wove finish paper that yielded a very bright white surface. If you are interested in American watermarks, check out Paper Watermarks online.

Images above:  Project Files (Project 1030; Project 1031). William T. Nolan Office Records, Southeastern Architectural Archive, Special Collections Division, Tulane University Libraries.

Please Return to Mr. Goldstein

New Orleans architect Moise H. Goldstein (1882-1972), like many of his contemporaries, traveled to Europe in his early adulthood. Along the way, he acquired an extensive collection of studio photographs of architecture, sculpture and furnishings. The black and white photographs were typically captioned and mounted to canvas by such studios as Alinari, Neue Photographische Gesellschaft (NPG) and Brogi.

Goldstein wrote instructions along the margins of Romualdo Moscioni's (1849-1925) image of one of the classical tripods in the Vatican Museums (top). Sometimes his drawings bear the same instructions, "Please return to M.H. Goldstein."

The bottom image proves enigmatic -- some of the caricatures are clearly architects. Did Goldstein pen them or someone else?

Images above: Moise Goldstein Office Records, Southeastern Architectural Archive, Special Collections Division, Tulane University Libraries.

Architectural Salvage Then: Part III

A few years ago, we featured some information (post I and post II) about the American trade in European architectural salvage. Arthur Todhunter, a British immigrant, established a New York showroom to sell salvaged architectural materials. He also created his own line of reproductions based on the salvaged pieces. His first showroom was at 414 Madison Avenue and his second was at 119 East 57th Street. Clients for his pieces included New Orleans architect Moise Goldstein (1882-1972).

Todhunter offered the mantel shown in the top photograph for $1800. Made of Sienna marble and featuring a central Venus with Cupid, the mantel was a massive 83" tall and 74" wide.

The mantel in the second photograph was extracted from John Loughborough Pearson's (1817-1897) William Waldorf Astor Residence, No. 19 Carlton House Terrace, London and offered for $950. It was of English marble with an inlay of Sienna marble.

The transatlantic trade for such architectural salvage bottomed out with the 29 October 1929 Wall Street Crash.

Images above: Arthur Todhunter, 119 East 57th Street, New York. Advertisements photographs. Undated. Moise Goldstein Office Records, Southeastern Architectural Archive, Special Collections Division, Tulane University Libraries.

More Lost Marbles

We recently came across mention of two sculptures that were once situated on the grounds of Gallier & Esterbrook's Luling Mansion on Esplanade Avenue (1864-1865; top image above). Imported from Italy and representing Flora (bottom image) and Ceres, the marbles originally adorned the Luling family's private gardens.

In 1871, Luling sold his residence to the Louisiana Jockey Club for use as a clubhouse and "the statues came into more of public life." By 1906, the property was once more in private hands, with cotton merchant Frank A. Longshore using it as his residence. Architects Keenan & Weiss altered the structure and in 1912 Longshore sold the expansive lot to a syndicate for the development of Arcadia Court. At the same time, he sold Flora and Ceres to barman Jules Groetsch, who installed them in his 137 St. Charles Street saloon. When stories circulated of public opposition to the statues, Groetsch responded:

'Now that they are there and riveted in the cement of the building. . . I think there should be some expression of general sentiment asking [for their removal]. To me they are expressions of artistic beauty, conceived by the master hands which wrought them nearly a century ago.'(1)

(1)"Era Used as a Club Without Its Consent." The Daily Picayune (16 July 1912): p. 9.

Images above:

Top: From Souvenir of New Orleans, LA. Columbus, Ohio: Ward Bros., 1897. Louisiana Research Collection, Special Collections Division, Tulane University Libraries.

Bottom: Detail, 1438 Leda Street. Undated photograph. Frank H. Boatner Collection of Louisiana Architecture Photographs, Southeastern Architectural Archive, Special Collections Division, Tulane University Libraries.