Auburn (Natchez, Mississippi)

Last updated

Auburn
Auburn Mansion, Natchez, Mississippi, in April 2011.jpg
Auburn mansion in April 2011
USA Mississippi location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Usa edcp location map.svg
Red pog.svg
LocationDuncan Park, Natchez, Mississippi
Coordinates 31°32′44″N91°23′27″W / 31.54565°N 91.390733°W / 31.54565; -91.390733
Area4.2 acres (1.7 ha)
Built1812 (1812)
Architect Levi Weeks
Architectural style Federal style
NRHP reference No. 74001047
USMS No.001-NAT-4002-NHL-ML
Significant dates
Added to NRHPMay 30, 1974 [1]
Designated NHLMay 30, 1974 [2]
Designated USMSJanuary 5, 1984 [3]

Auburn is an Federal mansion in Duncan Park in Natchez, Mississippi. It was designed and constructed by Levi Weeks in 1812, and introduced academic Classical order architecture in the Mississippi territory. Its prominent two-story portico served as a model for the subsequent architectural development of local and nationally important mansions. It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1974 [2] [4] and a Mississippi Landmark in 1984. [3] [5]

Contents

Description

Auburn is a two-story brick building, with a Palladio exterior and Regencia interior, constructed of a central core and flanking symmetrical wings. A four-column temple front adorns the center of the block, with modified Ionic columns supporting an entablature and fully pedimented gable. The gable has modillioned cornices and an oval window at its center. The main entrance is set in a segmented-arch opening along with flanking sidelight windows and a transom window above. Sheltered by the temple portico is a second floor balcony, which is accessed via a three sash window, the earliest of the type in the city. [4]

History

In 1811, Lyman Harding, the first Attorney General of Mississippi, hired Levi Weeks, a young architect, to design and build the mansion. The original building was 60 feet (18 m) by 45 feet (14 m) with a two-story portico supported by four columns and includes an unusual floating spiral staircase between the first and second floors. [6] Levi Weeks designed the house to be, in his words, the "most magnificent building in the state." [4]

After Harding died in 1820, the building was bought by Dr. Stephen Duncan, who expanded the house to include two symmetrical wings, greatly expanding interior space. Duncan later abandoned the building amidst growing secession tensions just before the American Civil War, and the house was placed in the care of his descendants.

The building and 203 acres (82 ha) was donated by the family to the city of Natchez in 1911 and is now a historic house museum in a public park. The donation also included the Duncan family furnishings, which the city quickly and unfortunately sold. [6] [4] The grounds were converted by the City of Natchez into Duncan Park. [7]

Auburn mansion in 1936 Auburn, Auburn Boulevard, Duncan Memorial Park, Natchez vicinity (Adams County, Mississippi).jpg
Auburn mansion in 1936

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Missouri State Capitol</span> State capitol building of the U.S. state of Missouri

The Missouri State Capitol is the home of the Missouri General Assembly and the executive branch of government of the U.S. state of Missouri. Located in Jefferson City at 201 West Capitol Avenue, it is the third capitol to be built in the city. The domed building, designed by the New York City architectural firm of Tracy and Swartwout, was completed in 1917.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mississippi Governor's Mansion</span> Historic house in Mississippi, United States

The Mississippi Governor's Mansion is the official residence of the governor of Mississippi, who is currently Tate Reeves. It is located in downtown Jackson, Mississippi, south of the Mississippi State Capitol, at the south end of Smith Park. Completed in 1841 to a design by state architect William Nichols, it is the second-oldest governor's residence in active use in the nation, and a prominent example of Greek Revival architecture. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1975, and was declared a Mississippi Landmark in 1985.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Longwood (Natchez, Mississippi)</span> Historic house in Mississippi, United States

Longwood, also known as Nutt's Folly, is a historic antebellum octagonal mansion located at 140 Lower Woodville Road in Natchez, Mississippi, United States. Built in part by enslaved people, the mansion is on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places, and is a National Historic Landmark. Longwood is the largest octagonal house in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barton Hall (Alabama)</span> Historic house in Alabama, United States

Barton Hall, also known as the Cunningham Plantation, is an antebellum plantation house near present-day Cherokee, Alabama. Built in 1840, it is a stylistically rare example of Greek Revival architecture in Alabama, with elements from the late Federal period. The house was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1973 for its architecture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arlington (Natchez, Mississippi)</span> Historic house in Mississippi, United States

Arlington is a historic Federal style house and outbuildings in Natchez, Mississippi. The 55-acre (22 ha) property, which includes three contributing buildings, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. It was further declared a National Historic Landmark in 1974. Following a fire that destroyed much of the main house, it was placed on Mississippi's 10 most endangered historic places for 2009 by the Mississippi Heritage Trust.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Commercial Bank and Banker's House</span> United States historic place

The Commercial Bank and Banker's House is an unusual combination building, housing both a bank premises and the principal banker's residence, at 206 Main Street and 107 Canal Street in Natchez, Mississippi. Built-in 1833, it is a remarkably high-quality and well-preserved example of Greek Revival architecture. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1974. The bank portion of the building, used for a time by a Christian Science congregation, is presently vacant, while the house portion is a private residence. Both the buildings have carved limestone used extensively, columns lintels, window sills, and the entire facia are all carved limestone with the walls being 20" thick brick construction with scored plaster to have the appearance of large limestone blocks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dunleith</span> United States historic place

Dunleith is an antebellum mansion at 84 Homochitto Street in Natchez, Mississippi. Built about 1855, it is Mississippi's only surviving example of a plantation house with a fully encircling colonnade of Greek Revival columns, a form once seen much more frequently than today. Now an inn and conference center, it was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1974. Currently the original horse stable serves as a fine dining establishment with a traditional English pub in the lower levels of the structure

<span class="mw-page-title-main">House on Ellicott's Hill</span> United States national historic place

The House on Ellicott's Hill, also known as Connelly's Tavern, James Moore House, or Gilreath's Hill, is a historic house museum at 211 North Canal Street in Natchez, Mississippi. Built in 1798, it is the oldest surviving building in Natchez from its early territorial period. It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1974 and a Mississippi Landmark in 2001.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Melrose (Natchez, Mississippi)</span> United States historic place

Melrose is a 15,000 square feet (1,400 m2) mansion, located in Natchez, Mississippi, that is said to reflect "perfection" in its Greek Revival design. The 80-acre (320,000 m2) estate is now part of Natchez National Historical Park and is open to the public by guided tours. The house is furnished for the period just before the Civil War. Melrose was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1974.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Monmouth (Natchez, Mississippi)</span> United States historic place

Monmouth is a historic antebellum home located at 1358 John A. Quitman Boulevard in Natchez, Mississippi on a 26-acre (11 ha) lot. It was built in 1818 by John Hankinson, and renovated about 1853 by John A. Quitman, a former Governor of Mississippi and well-known figure in the Mexican–American War. It is one of Natchez's grandest Greek Revival mansions. It was declared a Mississippi Landmark in 1986 and a National Historic Landmark in 1988. It is now a small luxury hotel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rosalie Mansion</span> United States historic place

Rosalie Mansion is a historic pre-Civil War mansion and historic house museum in Natchez, Mississippi. Built in 1823, it was a major influence on Antebellum architecture in the greater region, inspiring many of Natchez's grand Greek Revival mansions. During the American Civil War, it served as U.S. Army headquarters for the Natchez area from July 1863 on. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1989.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stanton Hall</span> Mansion in Mississippi, United States

Stanton Hall, also known as Belfast, is an Antebellum Classical Revival mansion within the Natchez On-Top-of-the-Hill Historic District at 401 High Street in Natchez, Mississippi. Built in the 1850s, it is one of the most opulent antebellum mansions to survive in the southeastern United States. It is now operated as a historic house museum by the Pilgrimage Garden Club. The house was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1974; a pivotal property inside the Natchez On-Top-of-the-Hill Historic District in 1979; and a Mississippi Landmark in 1995.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James C. Flood Mansion</span> Historic house in California, United States

The James C. Flood Mansion is a historic mansion at 1000 California Street, atop Nob Hill in San Francisco, California, USA. Now home of the Pacific-Union Club, it was built in 1886 as the townhouse for James C. Flood, a 19th-century silver baron. It was the first brownstone building west of the Mississippi River, and the only mansion on Nob Hill to structurally survive the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and fire. It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1966.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Josephus Daniels House</span> Historic house in North Carolina, United States

The Josephus Daniels House, also known as Wakestone, and later the Masonic Temple of Raleigh, was a historic mansion at 1520 Caswell Street in Raleigh, North Carolina. Built in 1920, it was the home until his death in 1948 of Josephus Daniels, Secretary of the Navy under President Woodrow Wilson, and a major force in the development of the modern 20th-century United States Navy. It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1976. After Daniels' death it was purchased by the local Freemasons, who made additions to the building and continued to use it as their meeting hall into the 21st century. The building was demolished in August 2021 to make way for a new development of high end homes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Semple House</span> Historic house in Virginia, United States

The James Semple House is a historic house on Francis Street in Colonial Williamsburg, Williamsburg, Virginia. Built about 1770, it is a prominent early example of Classical Revival residential architecture, whose design has been attributed to Thomas Jefferson. It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1970.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Herndon Home</span> United States historic place in Atlanta, Georgia, United States

The Herndon Home is a historic house museum and National Historic Landmark at 587 University Place NW, in Atlanta, Georgia. An elegant Classical Revival mansion with Beaux Arts influences, it was the home of Alonzo Franklin Herndon (1858-1927), a rags-to-riches success story who was born into slavery, but went on to become Atlanta's first black millionaire as founder and head of the Atlanta Life Insurance Company. The house was designed by his wife Adrienne, and was almost entirely built with African-American labor. The house was declared a National Historic Landmark in 2000, and had previously been declared a "landmark building exterior" by the city of Atlanta in 1989.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Litchfield House</span> Historic house in Michigan, United States

The James Litchfield House is a private house located at 3512 Central Street in Dexter, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984. The house is an excellent Michigan example of a "basilica type" Greek Revival house.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cherry Grove Plantation</span> Historic house in Mississippi, United States

Cherry Grove Plantation is a historic plantation in Natchez, Mississippi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Selma Schricker House</span> Historic house in Iowa, United States

The Selma Schricker House is a historic building located in a residential neighborhood in the West End of Davenport, Iowa, United States. At one time the house served as the official residence of Davenport's Catholic bishop. It is a contributing property in the Riverview Terrace Historic District. The district was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1984.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paris and Anna Fletcher House</span> Historic house in Vermont, United States

The Paris and Anna Fletcher House is a historic house on Vermont Route 22A in Bridport, Vermont. Built about 1813 and enlarged in the 1820s, it is a fine local example of late Federal architecture, with a distinctive shallow Doric portico. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1999, and now houses the local historical society.

References

  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. January 23, 2007.
  2. 1 2 "Auburn". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. Archived from the original on June 6, 2011. Retrieved October 18, 2007.
  3. 1 2 "Mississippi Landmarks" (PDF). Mississippi Department of Archives and History. May 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 9, 2010. Retrieved April 20, 2009.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Paul Goeldner (n.d.). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination: Auburn" (pdf). National Park Service.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help) and Accompanying 2 photos, 1 exterior and 1 interior, from 1973.  (507 KB)
  5. https://www.historicauburn.org
  6. 1 2 "Auburn Museum and Historic Home" . Retrieved April 21, 2009.
  7. On, Best Books (1938). Mississippi; a Guide to the Magnolia State. Best Books on. ISBN   9781623760236.