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1956
1319 Bienville Boulevard
This structure was erected in the summer of 1956 by William 'Bill' Dunn and Judlin Girot for their business, Acme Photo Service. Frank Galle was the contractor fo the 30-ft by 70-ft concrte and steel building. In addition to the Lower 48 states, the company had customers in Alaska, Japan, and Korea with single accounts in South Africa and Pago Pago. In Janaury 1958, Acme acquired Gulfphoto, a Biloxi competitor situated at 407 West Howard Avenue. The vendors were George B. Leggett Jr. and Albert H. Rehnberg.[The Daily Herald, June 7, 1956, p. 24 and January 24, 1958, p. 8]
December 2005 January 2006
1319 Bienville
post-Katrina remodeling
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September 1961
[images made August 1997]
1904 Government Street
J. Ben O'Keefe Memorial Funeral Chapel
Opened September 9, 1961 by Jeremiah J. 'Jerry' O'Keefe III [1923-2016] and named for his father. Erected by Fletcher Construction Company of Pascagoula, Mississippi from a Claude Lindsley design.[The Daily Herald, September 11, 1961, p. 16] In 1994-1995, the OS Public Library moved here from Dewey Avenue while being remodeled. In August 1997, the building later became the O'Keefe Foundation's New Hope Center and was later used by the local YMCA.
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November 1999
502 Porter
This small commercial building was removed from the streetscape in November 1999.
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April 1999
2407 School Street
[situated on the northeast corner of Holcomb and School Street. it was demolished in April 1999 because it was used by vagrants and alleged to be a 'crack house'. Once owned by Early Johnson.
see: The Mississippi Press, "Dilapidated Springs house to be razed", April 7, 1999, p. 1A].
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September 1998
Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church
1702 Weed
(upper image, August 1997; lower image March 2001)
The Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church removed their sanctuary preserving a portion of the rear of the building in September 1998. A new sanctuary was erected commencing in December 1998, by Fletcher Construction Company. Carl Germany was the architect for the new sanctuary, which was dedicated in August 1999.
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604 Porter
When David Cole and E. Stephen "Jake" Jacobs refurbished and made additions to the 1894 E.E. Clement house at 604 Porter, they removed the Wilbur Motel-Caper's Apartments. Wilbur C. Wisnasky (1909-1990) erected these concrete block building in the early 1950s and called them Wilbur's Motel with the advertising theme of : "Come For A Season or Come For A Day". Mr. Jacobs was the proprietor of THE PORTER HOUSE, a successful dining establishment with a southwestern flair.
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Winter 1998
824 Ward (top, image made 1994) and 832 Ward (bottom, image made September 1997)
Alfred "Fred" Russell Moran Jr. had these rental homes in the Black community demolished in the winter of 1998 to build the new Ocean Springs Lumber Company building materials storage building at 1611 Government Street, which was erected in March-May 1998. 824 Ward was the home of Freddy Weldy (1925-2000), head of the Ocean Springs Water Department. The Weldy cottage was probably once a part of the "turpentine camp" of Hiram F. Russell (1858-1940), Fred Moran's great grandfather, that house workers for the Gay-Hamill Turpentine Company twenty-five barrel turpentine still, which was situated near here. 832 Ward was occupied by Ester Mae Clayton before her eviction.
1611 Government
(image made April 1998)
This building materials warehouse was built by the Ocean Springs Lumber Company of Alfred "Fred" R. Moran Jr. in the spring of 1998, when the lumber company moved from Bowen Avenue to Government Street.
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January 1998
1209 Porter (image made August 2005)
Home of Curtis Lloyd.
1209 Porter
(image made, July 1997)
Curtis Lloyd removed this home and built a new one here in April 1998.
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demolished between 1998 and 2006
913 State Street
[Garden Inn Lounge L-R: image made November 1997 and September 2006 by Ray L. Bellande]
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September 1996
1920 Wieder-Engbarth Garage
1025 Government Street
(upper image made, March 1993; lower image made September 199
The Wieder-Engbarth Garage was erected in 1920 by Philip J. Wieder (1887-1995) and Claude M. Engbarth (1893-1967). The building was used for many years by the Robert Mohler family as Tidy Car, an automobile detailing service.
Jerry Pelham acquired the property from the Ocean Springs Lumber Company, an A.P. Moran family enterprise, in February 1996. It was destroyed in September 1996, except for the porto cochere. Immediately, Mr. Pelham built a replica of the old structure with Danny Jalanivich as contractor.
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September 1996
1925 American Legion-Jaycee Hut-Iberville Drive
(first image made September 1992; second image made September 1996)
This building was demolished on September 17, 1996.
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1994
1217 Washington Avenue
Building located south of Aunt Jenny's Catfish House, formerly Dr. Powell's Bayou Inn.
[image made by Ray L. Bellande in January 1993]
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March 1994
740 Bienville
This commercial building was demolished on March 10, 1994. It was situated on the NW/C of Cox Avenue and Bienville. A Sonic Drive-In was erected here in the fall of 1997.
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October 1993
516 Dewey Avenue
(image made October 1993)
This small cottage was destroyed in October 1993, by the City of Ocean Springs to construct a parking lot for the Ocean Springs Public Library. In 1991 and 1992, the building functioned as the headquarters for the Ocean Springs Centennial Commission chaired by Steve Robinson, Alderman-at-Large.
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August 1991
1545 Bienville Boulevard
[L-R: images made August 1991 and November 1997 by Ray L. Bellande]
Built in the early 1960s, by H.E. Lott for C.E. 'Chuck' Hussey (1918-1995) of Ocean Springs as 'Tony's Spaghetti House' in the Springs Plaza Shopping Center. This location later became a popular "local watering hole" known as The Village Inn and Dixie Diner, which was demolished in the summer of 1991. A new building was erected to house the KnightTime Video Store. Night Gallery, another video store, replaced it and is operating here in 2007.
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1973
Sinclair-Faessell House
The former Duncan Sinclair Estate home is the present site of the Gulf Oaks Condominiums on Front Beach Drive, which were erected in 1973 by Charles Moschella and Palmer R. Lake Development. Duncan Sinclair (1868-1902) and Frank Faesell (1870-1953) were long time owners of this structure. Mr. Moschella acquired the property from William Van White in October 1972.
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1970-1971
Mary Cahill O'Keefe Home
West Porter
(one-half block west of Washington Avenue on north side of West Porter)
This Queen Anne Cottage was owned by Ocean Springs School Superintendent, Miss Mary C. O'Keefe (1893-1980). It was probably built by the Herman Nill family of New Orleans in the late 19th Century. Miss O'Keefe and her brothers acquired it from Daniel Dick (1900-1971) in August 1925 for $1200. She acquired it from them in July 1930. Miss O’Keefe sconveyed her Porter Street cottage to the Catholic Charities Housing Association in February 1970. It was removed when The Villa Maria was erected mid-town between April 1970 and September 1971.
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1969
McEvoy-Usner House
Possibly built by Silas Weeks (1823-1901), the Martin McEvoy (1833-1924) family of NOLA acquired this East Beach vacation home in in 1902 from his heirs. The McEvoys sold it to the Margaret Schmaltz Usner (1848-1929), the wife of Jacob Usner (1841-1926), also domiciled in the Crescent City, in March 1915. It was destroyed by Hurricane Camille in August 1969. Betty Usner Armand (1909-1999) lived on a small tract here until her demise. Martin and Lisa Courtney Wagoner own most of the western part of the Jacob Usner tract as of 2011.[image circa 1905 by Roy Bland (1878-1970) and courtesy of H.R. 'Randy' Randazzo-January 2011]
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1969
Catholic Convent
Front Beach, just east of Jackson Avenue
[damaged by Hurricane Camille in August 1969. later demolished. image from The Ocean Springs Record, August 1969, p. )]
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1968
1909 Eglin House
(image made circa 1935)
West side of Washington Avenue between Bowen and Government Street
The Eglin House was erected in 1909 by Amelia Krohn Eglin (1855-1916), the widow of Albert M. Eglin (1852-1891). Annie O. Eglin (1881-1963) acquired it from her siblings in June 1917. It served as an apartment house and "tourist home" until it was severely damaged by fire and water in September 1964. It was removed from the streetscape by Clarence Galle (1912-1986) in January 1968. TIn 1970-1971, the Catholic Charities Housing Association built the Villa Maria retirement home on a portion of the former Eglin House lot.
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1968
Illing Cottages
(one-half block east of Washington Avenue on north side of East Porter)
The Queen Anne Cottages were erected by E.W. Illing (1870-1947) after the 1905 demolition of the Illing House, a large inn on the northeast corner of Washington and Porter. They were moved or demolished in1968, when the First Baptist Church of Ocean Springs acquired the Illing property and also removed the Illing's Theatre. Note the 1909 sanctuary on Porter and Bellande.
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1967
VanCleave Brothers Store (circa 1908)
W.S. VanCleave (1871-1938) and Junius P. VanCleave (1879-1945+), the sons of Robert A. VanCleave (1842-1908) and Elizabeth R. Sheppard (1842-1912), founded this mercantile business in 1904. This building was erected in 1906, by Burk and Shaw on the northeast corner of Washington Avenue and Porter. Gordon R. VanCleave (1906-1964), the son of W.S. VanCleave, ran the store for many years. It was demolished on July 22, 1967. Five Seasons, a health food, vitamin and holistic medicine center is situated here today.
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1967
1967
F.E. Schmidt Building
The Frank E. Schmidt Building was erected circa 1910 on the northeast corner of Washington Avenue and Desoto as a livery stable for Frank Joachim. It was demolished in 1967 to erect the First National Bank of Ocean Springs, which opened for business on November 25, 1968. The $104,500 building was erected by J.O. Collins from a Claude Lindsley design. Hancock Bank occupies this edifice today.
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1958-1968?
1927 Illing's Theatre
(northeast corner of Washington and Porter)
The First Baptist Church of Ocean Springs erected a new sanctuary here in 1968-1969. It was dedicated on May 11, 1969.
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December 1957
1886 Davis Brothers Store
Washington Avenue
For over seventy years, this 1886 structure stood as a landmark on the streetscape of the central business district of Ocean Springs. It was situated on the west side of Washington Avenue between Bowen and Government Street. The former Davis Brothers mercantile store building was demolished in late 1957 by Clarence E. Galle (1912-1986) for the salvage of its valuable, heart pine, lumber.
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post-1967
Saint James AME