The Unkindest Storm
Hurricane Katrina Shattered Many of the Gulf Coast's Historic Districts.
By Alan Huffman | Online Only | Sept. 16, 2005
A historic house on Biloxi's Seal Avenue
Credit: Mississippi Heritage Trust
In what was arguably the most extensive historic preservation disaster in U.S. history, thousands of historic homes, commercial buildings, and other sites from Mobile to New Orleans were flooded, damaged, or destroyed after Hurricane Katrina made landfall on Aug. 29. Hundreds of the Gulf Coast's historic structures suffered significant damage, and an untold number were washed or blown away completely. But the worst destruction occurred along the 90-mile Mississippi coast, where Katrina tore through 15 historic districts.
In the Mississippi cities of Biloxi, Gulfport, Pass Christian, Bay St. Louis, and Waveland, mile after mile of historic houses overlooking the Mississippi Sound from groves of ancient, moss-draped oaks took the brunt of the storm. Surviving buildings, many of which lost their roofs and took on several feet of seawater, now are isolated by piles of storm wreckage and empty lots. The concern among preservationists is that many buildings that remain standing will be bulldozed, perhaps needlessly, and that in the rush to rebuild, little thought will be given to preserving what remains of the neighborhoods' character. In fact, in many cases, the buildings' former context is gone.
Ken P'Pool, director of the historic preservation division at the Mississippi Department of Archives and History, has begun talks with FEMA and its state counterpart in hopes of averting the destruction of salvageable homes during the cleanup process. The National Trust is sending teams to the Gulf Coast next week to assess the damage.
"The devastation, not only in the coastal counties but far inland, is immeasurable," says David Preziosi, director of the Mississippi Heritage Trust. "In my opinion, it's the worst preservation disaster in the history of the country." National Trust President Richard Moe, urging cities not to compound the damage by bulldozing neighborhoods, says, "Katrina is one of the worst human tragedies in our nation's history, but it could also be the worst cultural catastrophe America has ever experienced."
Hurricane Katrina, with winds of 150 miles per hour, created a storm surge estimated at 30 feet in Bay St. Louis, a region where the highest point is 28 feet above sea level. The water and wind tore through what was once a resort area for planters from the Mississippi Delta and inland Louisiana as well as wealthy families from New Orleans who came for the sea breezes during the region's sweltering summers. The death toll from Katrina stands at more than 790 and is expected to rise considerably as bodies are recovered from flooded New Orleans neighborhoods.
Mississippi historic-preservation agencies and groups have begun a partial assessment of properties in their state, but it is unclear how extensive the damage will be in New Orleans. Although the famous French Quarter and Garden District neighborhoods fared comparatively well, other historic districts such as the Bywater and Treme neighborhoods, which contributed significantly to the city's architectural and cultural flavor, suffered catastrophic, long-term flooding. Some buildings burned, suffered wind damage, or were swept from their foundations by floodwaters. Among the buildings reported to have been severely damaged were Antoine's and Commander's Palace restaurants and the U.S. Mint Museum.
Among the Mississippi landmarks that were destroyed:
Grass Lawn, a Greek revival mansion built in 1836;
Tullis-Toledano Manor, a two and one-half story brick mansion built in 1856 and considered to be one of the best examples of Gulf Coast vernacular architecture;
The Pleasant Reed House, built by a freed slave in 1887, which was being developed as an African American museum on the grounds of a Frank Gehry-designed museum that was under construction and damaged;
The 1895 Breilmaier House, a Victorian-era architectural tour-de-force that served as the Biloxi visitors center;
The Dantzler mansion in Biloxi, built in the 1850s and remodeled in 1905 with characteristic wraparound double galleries overlooking the water;
A house in Ocean Springs attributed to Frank Lloyd Wright;
The Episcopal Church of the Redeemer, whose bell tower was a local landmark after surviving 1969's Hurricane Camille;
The Bailey and Hermann houses in Biloxi, two large Greek revival raised cottages dating to the 1850s;
The Old Coast Guard Barracks, which housed the Maritime and Seafood Industry Museum;
The 1920s Shearwater Pottery complex in Ocean Springs;
The 1833 annex to the old Harrison County Courthouse in Mississippi City;
Numerous antebellum and later houses in Pass Christian's Scenic Drive historic district;
An estimated 125-150 buildings within the Bay St. Louis historic district, including the 1820s Breath House and 1804 Elmwood Plantation.
In addition to those buildings that were completely destroyed, countless Greek revival, Victorian, West Indies-style and Colonial revival structures, shotgun houses, Creole cottages, and late 19th- and early 20th-century commercial buildings were also damaged—in many cases, irreparably.
Among the notable survivors: The 1848 Biloxi lighthouse, an icon of the coast; the 1720 Pointe-Kebs House in Pascagoula; and Beauvoir, Jefferson Davis's home in Biloxi, which sustained significant damage but still stands. Beauvoir, a raised cottage built in 1852, lost a large part of its roof and all of its galleries, which had been recently refurbished, along with the facade, at a cost of $220,000. Two antebellum buildings on the grounds, including the library pavilion where Davis penned The Rise and Fall of the Confederate Government, were destroyed. Numerous artifacts were also lost, as well as the ground floor of the adjacent library.
Nowhere was the damage more complete than along the beachfront between Waveland and Bay St. Louis, which alone had more than 100 buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places. For a span of about seven miles, only one building stands. The endless piles of debris tell the story: Hand-hewn beams and splintered, antique cypress flooring are jumbled up with smashed cars, twisted trees, and downed power lines. Many of the destroyed houses were considered indestructible after having survived Hurricane Camille, in 1969, which lashed the coast with 200-mile-an-hour winds and a 25-foot storm surge and killed an estimated 250 people.
Mississippi state historic preservation officer Richard Cawthon says many historic buildings were also damaged or destroyed as far as 150 miles inland, including the Old Capitol State Historical Museum in Jackson, which lost part of its roof and suffered water damage. The Department of Archives and History and the Mississippi Heritage Trust has begun an assessment of damage to properties and is offering advice to homeowners and other government agencies. Like the National Trust, the Heritage Trust has also set up a fund to aid in the preservation of those buildings that can be saved. It is expected that many of the existing historic districts on the Mississippi coast will have to be resurveyed and redrawn, and lost or hopelessly damaged properties may be de-listed from the National Register.
A full assessment of the damage in New Orleans must wait until the city is drained and stabilized and remaining bodies removed.
Alan Huffman, who lives in Jackson, Miss., is a frequent contributor to Preservation magazine.
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