Mississippi Heritage Trust’s MS MOD

This blog post and the accompanying photography comes courtesy of CDFL associate Chris Myers, AIA.

Earlier this month, Mississippi Heritage Trust continued its MS Mod project with a trip to the Delta. My wife and I were able to take part in a Saturday bus tour that hit sites in Clarksdale, Greenwood, Itta Bena, Indianola, Cleveland, and Mound Bayou, and was followed by an evening reception at Bill and Francine Luckett’s home in Clarksdale.

MS Mod is a project created by the Mississippi Heritage Trust that is intended to raise awareness of our state’s rich collection of mid-century modernist architecture. In a place known for its own brand of classical architecture, modern architecture is often misunderstood.

Last Spring, the project kicked off with a tour of modern buildings in Meridian and a tour of modern homes in Jackson’s Eastover neighborhood. The response was so positive, executive director Lolly Barnes decided to take the show on the road — specifically the flat roads of the Delta. Modernism hit the Delta in the 1940s, ’50s, and ’60s during a public construction boom where the clean lines and lack of ornament aligned perfectly with the need for simplicity and thrift. On top of that, the flatness of the Delta blends quite well with a long prairie-style elevation.

*The Museum of the Mississippi Delta, Greenwood | formerly Mississippi Petroleum*

*The Museum of the Mississippi Delta, Greenwood | formerly Mississippi Petroleum. A perfectly preserved mid-century office.*

*Delta Electric Power Association, Greenwood*

Wade Equipment (Greenwood), a Delta-owned John Deere dealership, hired a firm partnered with famed modern Mississippi architect N.W. Overstreet to design its headquarters. His “lollipop” sign has become a trademark for the company, and can be seen t… — Wade Equipment (Greenwood), a Delta-owned John Deere dealership, hired a firm partnered with famed modern Mississippi architect N.W. Overstreet to design its headquarters. His “lollipop” sign has become a trademark for the company, and can be seen throughout north Mississippi.

Delta State University (Cleveland) and Mississippi Valley State University (Itta Bena) both boasted major campus construction in the middle of the century. Modern principles applied to both the layout of these new buildings and the structures themselves.

*Mississippi Valley State University, Itta Bena | Chapel*

*Mississippi Valley State University, Itta Bena | Library*

*Mississippi Valley State University, Itta Bena | Auditorium*

*Mississippi Valley State University, Itta Bena | Auditorium interior hallway*

*Mississippi Valley State University, IttaBena | Administration Building*

*Mississippi Valley State University, IttaBena | Cafeteria*

*Delta State University, Cleveland | Cafeteria*

*Delta State University, Cleveland | Cafeteria interior*

Having grown up in the Delta myself, near Marks and Crowder, it was nice to revisit the area as an architect and preservationist and view these familiar sites through a different lens. New construction hasn’t been common in the Delta for the past fifty years, and the condition of most of the buildings on the tour was a testament to preservation for the sake of economy. Even in cases where the buildings have been renovated and re-purposed, there was a certain respect paid to the original design.

At one point during the bus tour, Bill Luckett, mayor of Clarksdale; former gubernatorial candidate; attorney; philanthropist; and our evening’s host, mentioned that his good friend and neighbor Morgan Freeman would be attending the reception. After a lunch of fried chicken and grits at Mississippi Valley State University, that news pushed us through the remainder of the afternoon with a minimal amount of coffee.

The Luckett home, designed for the McNamee family in 1973 by Arkansas architect E. Fay Jones, is a testament to Jones’s training under Frank Lloyd Wright. The sprawling prairie style house appears long and low from the street, but the interior boasts mostly double high spaces including overlooks and lofts in most rooms, including the secondary bedrooms. The house is surrounded by beautifully maintained gardens of native plants with almost every room containing a door to the outside.

*The author, pictured at the Luckett Residence, with Morgan Freeman.*

Mississippi Heritage Trust’s MS MOD

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