Does anyone know if the Ocean Springs houses are going to be destroyed? If they are, does anyone know if there will be salvage? It seems like some panelling, doors, etc may be saved.
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Reidy
Joined: 07 Jan 2005
Posts: 66
Location: Pasadena
Posted: Tue Nov 22, 2005 2:54 pm Post subject:
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See the Conservancy's homwpage:
http://savewright.org.
Peter
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Cooper W Norman, AIA
Guest
Posted: Wed Dec 14, 2005 12:41 pm Post subject: Ocean Springs MS - Charnley Houses and Sullivan House
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This was posted early in the morning, and I'm afraid it contained typos, corrected here for clarity. Sorry.
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All three primary structures were damaged in Hurricane Katrina, with Louis Sullivan's House reduced to rubble. The Charnley House suffered severe damages to the living room end, which impacts everything behind there, but the dining room back is progressively in better and better condition, if that's what it can be called. Porch appendages were ripped away. The Charnley Guest House similarly suffered severe damages on the shore end, but the inland portions faired better, including the later addition. The rear 1940's guest houses collapsed. Fragments of these buildings were scattered into the "woods" (mostly now non-existent) and efforts have been made to cull the debris for salvageable items and building fragments.
Unauthorized removal of any of these items would be viewed as looting under the current conditions, and police and military (not to mention the owners) are alert to this kind of possibility and the consequences for anyone found engaged in removing items will be severe.
Reports that FEMA or the US Army Corps of Engineers will bulldoze the site are somewhat misleading. This will only occur after the owner has made a written request to the City of Ocean Springs asking them to demolish the structures and/or clear debris from the site, and only then after careful review of the situation with SHPO and other stakeholders, resulting in an acceptable work plan that addresses historic preservation issues and conservation of the various resources.
FEMA recognizes the importance of these buildings and there will be no federal undertaking on these sites until it has been organized with careful attention to the circumstances and significance of the buildings and grounds.
FEMA Historic Preservation Review Specialists have been on the sites a number of times and discussed the options with the various owners, and any undertaking that would involve FEMA or USACE would only occur under careful review and constraints, coordinated with Mississippi Dept of Archives and History (SHPO) to minimize unintentional damage to remaining historic resources on these sites, including building fragments and standing structures.
That the federal government would get involved with an undertaking on private property is highly unusual, but these are unusual times along the Mississippi Gulf Coast and special provisions have been extended to aid with the recovery of private sites such as these. But in the instances of this type, FEMA will not proceed until satisfactory arrangements have been made to deal with historic preservation and archeological issues.
I have numerous photos but this site doesn't appear to have a way to receive them.
Regards.
Cooper W Norman, AIA
Historic Preservation Architect
Federal Emergency Management Agency
Biloxi, Mississippi