By the Nineteen Twenties, there was a right away want for brand spanking new federal buildings throughout the Southeast. Federal workplaces have been outdated, overcrowded, and scattered in varied places all through every state. America Congress licensed funding for a brand new federal constructing to accommodate varied authorities companies in addition to a centralized courthouse. Constructed almost a century in the past, this former authorities constructing in downtown Vicksburg, Mississippi is an imposing limestone construction.

Building on the five-story Classical Revival-style submit workplace and courthouse started in 1935 and took two years to complete. Upon completion, the million greenback constructing, devoted in June 1937, was the biggest and most stunning of its form within the state. It was designed by architect Claude H. Lindsley beneath the administration of Louis A. Simon, Supervising Architect of the Treasury from 1933 to 1939. Lindsley, a Jackson-native barely in his 30s with no formal architectural coaching, designed a variety of buildings that will later change into Mississippi landmarks together with the Threefoot Constructing in Meridian and the Commonplace Life Constructing in Jackson, two of the state’s most outstanding skyscrapers.

C. H. Lindsley designed a variety of faculties, church buildings, and courthouses. He left Mississippi and moved to Houston throughout the Nice Despair. Whereas in Houston, he fashioned the agency of Hedrick & Lindsley with architect Wyatt C. Hedrick, who designed the long-lasting Sterick Building in Memphis. Lindsley returned to his personal unbiased apply in 1947, persevering with in Houston, however he maintained connections on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, with a number of initiatives by way of the Fifties. By 1958, he was listed within the Ocean Springs Metropolis Listing on Holcombe Blvd., however apparently he constructed a home on Ridge Street in Gulf Hills and retired there quickly thereafter. He was nonetheless utilizing his Houston, TX tackle on his stamp as late as 1962. Lindsley was married and had two daughters. Claude H. Lindsley died in Ocean Springs in 1969, however is buried in Lakewood Cemetery in Jackson. 

The primary flooring facade is scored to appear like stone and has three units of double bronze doorways with fanlights and elaborate bronze entablatures and eight casement home windows with transoms. The three entrances are recessed behind massive arches. The second, third and fourth flooring are separated from the fifth flooring by a heavy cornice and from the primary flooring by a heavy belt course on which is inscribed “United States Submit Workplace and Court docket Home”. The facade of those flooring is damaged by two recesses dominated by three-story Ionic columns and pilasters. The unique foyer stays intact with marble and brass detailing.

The courthouse not solely housed the U.S. Federal Court docket, but in addition the U.S. District Engineer and a number of other hundred staff engaged in Flood Management Work on the Mississippi River. In 1935, Henriette Amiard Oberteuffer was commissioned by the Works Progress Administration to color a mural, titled “Vicksburg, Its Character and Industries.” The 12-foot-by-14-foot oil on canvas portray dominates the rear wall of the federal courtroom. The broad canvas depicts loggers, educators, steamers on the Mississippi River loaded with bales of cotton and stately Southern properties sprawled beneath town’s famed courthouse — in addition to Oberteuffer’s father, Karl, in a tank high and with a shovel in hand. Oberteuffer’s work is within the collections of the Artwork Institute of Chicago, the Phillips Assortment, and the Minneapolis Institute of Artwork.

Artistic endeavors commissioned within the federal jobs applications, together with massive murals, have been frequent in early twentieth century courthouses. Some within the South turned controversial within the Seventies and Eighties as a result of they depicted whites as aristocrats and laborers, however blacks solely in servant roles, corresponding to choosing cotton. Draperies have been bought to cover many. Though the Vicksburg mural is an “Outdated South” tableau, none of its scenes have provoked complaints about stereotyping. Its future can be because the centerpiece of a ballroom in a deliberate luxurious resort, in accordance with the constructing’s proprietor. When a federal constructing is bought containing a WPA paintings, the brand new proprietor should agree to take care of the artwork and make it obtainable for public viewing.

In 2001, Vicksburg Mayor Laurence Leyens introduced that the U.S. Submit Workplace and Courthouse can be donated to town inside two years. The federal government provided the constructing to the Metropolis of Vicksburg after plans have been within the works to maneuver the federal courtroom to Natchez by January 2004. On the time, it was the one constructing on the block not owned by town. The mayor had no set plans for the constructing however hoped to consolidate town workplaces that have been unfold round city to at least one constructing and unload the excess property. He mentioned the submit workplace would stay on the primary flooring and pay hire to town.

Nevertheless, the plans fell by way of, and town by no means took possession of the property. The Environmental Safety Company reported that the constructing contained asbestos that had not been eliminated. Presumably, this or different potential upkeep points satisfied town to not settle for the property. The federal authorities bought the constructing to a non-public proprietor round 2007. The present proprietor plans to rework the constructing right into a boutique resort. Please don’t trespass.

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The early twentieth century in Emporia, Virginia noticed the development of recent academic services downtown. The Greensville County Faculty was inbuilt 1907 as a three-story faculty, educating college students in grades 1-12. By 1925, a second constructing was constructed to function a highschool. The colleges have been two separate buildings related by a one-story brick addition. A faculty auditorium was added in 1934. The whole advanced grew to become Emporia Elementary Faculty in 1953.

Through the Nineteen Thirties, the Nice Despair precipitated the economic system of Emporia to decelerate together with the remainder of the nation. In response to widespread financial hardship all through the USA, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who took workplace in 1933, established the New Deal, to reply to the calamity of the Nice Despair and alleviate the despair besetting America. Roosevelt launched scores of recent applications to reply to a variety of issues dealing with the nation: stabilizing the banks and stimulating the economic system, creating jobs and elevating wages, investing in public works and modernizing lagging areas of the nation to provide abnormal People a way of safety and hope. The New Deal lasted till the USA entered into World Warfare II on the finish of 1942. In a decade, it reworked the nation and restored many People religion within the skill of presidency to serve the folks.

The New Deal used an array of federal businesses, native governments, and personal contractors to improve and develop the nation’s infrastructure. It constructed a whole bunch of hundreds of recent roads, bridges, and tunnels; metropolis halls, libraries and submit places of work; hospitals, faculties and auditoriums; dams, water works and sewage techniques; and airports, parks and army installations. It unfold these enhancements throughout the nation with paved roads, electrical wires and phone strains to areas that beforehand didn’t have them.  These huge waves of public funding helped to underwrite the struggle effort and postwar prosperity.  As a result of it was nicely constructed, most New Deal infrastructure is nonetheless in use at the moment. Three buildings inside the Hicksford-Emporia Historic District have been constructed beneath the New Deal: the Armory, the Put up Workplace, and the Greensville County Auditorium.

The historic Greensville County Auditorium was constructed in 1934 with the help of Public Works Administration (PWA) funds. Whereas the previous elementary faculty was demolished a long time in the past, the Neoclassical-style auditorium constructed of brick with an uncommon Flemish bond sample, positioned on Battery Avenue and dealing with Principal Avenue, nonetheless stands at the moment. In accordance with the Nationwide Register of Historic Locations registration kind, the two-story auditorium has a big central recessed entrance flanked by two smaller entrances. Every entrance has a double door and is topped with a webbed fanlight. The imposing landmark has two Doric columns supporting a large entablature and parapet with the phrase ‘Auditorium’ etched in stone. The auditorium served as a venue for numerous occasions and performances. 

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The primary Younger Males’s Christian Affiliation (YMCA) was based in 1844 by 22-year-old George Williams with 11 buddies in London, England, to deal with urgent social challenges confronted by younger males like himself. Years later, retired sea captain Thomas Valentine Sullivan labored as a marine missionary and realized that sailors and retailers additionally wanted a spot to name dwelling. In 1851, Sullivan based the primary YMCA in america in Boston, impressed by YMCA tales in England. Within the 1860s, YMCA housing was established to supply secure and reasonably priced lodging for younger males shifting from rural areas. These services included gyms, auditoriums, and hotel-like rooms.

Early within the 1900s, the YMCA had constructed quite a few services all through the Southeast, usually serving as a significant useful resource for males, particularly throughout segregation. Numerous these YMCA buildings supplied important companies comparable to secure lodging, meals, and leisure actions. In Could 1919, the Vicksburg Night Put up reported that Mrs. Fannie Johnson, a neighborhood philanthropist, deliberate to donate loads and fund the development of a YMCA constructing in downtown Vicksburg, Mississippi.

Frances “Fannie” Vick Willis Johnson is the great-grandchild of Main Burwell Vick. His brother is Newit Hartwell Vick, who purchased the land the place Vicksburg is situated, and left a portion of his property to be divided into plots of land for the founding of a metropolis when he died in 1819 of yellow fever. Vicksburg was included in 1825 and named Vicksburg in Newit Vick’s honor by his brother, Burwell (Fannie’s great-grandfather) and son, Hartwell Vick. Fannie married Junius Ward Johnson on Could 3, 1881. Following the loss of life of Fannie’s mom in 1900, the couple returned to Mississippi. They lived in Yazoo Metropolis for a time and had residences at Panther Burn Plantation and in Vicksburg. Junius Ward Johnson was killed on March 17, 1919, in a twister when their home at Panther Burn collapsed and crushed him. After his loss of life, Fannie offered Panther Burn Plantation for $1 million.

In July 1919, a gathering was held to announce that the state YMCA had granted a constitution to Vicksburg. It was additionally introduced that Mrs. Johnson deliberate to construct a “well-equipped Y for Negro boys and males.” A second YMCA was constructed at Walnut and Jackson Streets and operated for blacks throughout segregation. Shortly after it was lastly given to the town within the early Nineteen Nineties, the constructing collapsed. Vicksburg constructed and operates the Jackson Road Group Middle on that website immediately.

Fannie Johnson appointed a constructing committee composed of Paul Polk, C.L. Warner, T.W. McCoy, George Sudduth, Wilson Carroll and J.W. Garrett. Following conferences with a number of architects, she chosen Chicago-based architects Shattuck and Layer to design the constructing in a Classical Revival model with Beaux Arts components. Within the years prior, Shattuck and Hussey (Shattuck’s associate earlier than Layer) received a design competitors for the Chicago YMCA, and went on to design dozens of the almost 200 YMCA buildings in america constructed between 1906 and World Struggle I. The YMCA handled the agency’s designers as quasi-employees and relied on the agency to provide useful, cost-effective services. These might simply be replicated from venture to venture and diminished danger for native YMCA constructing committees. Their designs for the Y group have been closely influenced by the Chicago College which clad metal and concrete constructions with masonry and neoclassical particulars.

Building of the YMCA in Vicksburg started two years after the venture was introduced. In March 1922, the Vicksburg Herald reported that “Vicksburg can have a really lively Younger Males’s Christian Affiliation in a really quick time.” The affiliation has been organized, as far as the officers and administrators are involved, however the work of effecting an lively group by securing members has been delayed on account of the dearth of a constructing. Cash for the erection of the constructing has been contributed by Mrs. Fannie Johnson, who has additionally contributed a really helpful lot, admirably located for the aim, however the price of development has been considered prohibitive.” Underwood Contracting Company of New Orleans was chosen to construct the brand new YMCA on the northwest nook of Clay and Monroe streets.

Building prices have been $184,286 for a complete of $225,242 together with furnishings, and the land price was $36,000. Fannie Johnson’s present was $190,000, which she mentioned was not given in reminiscence of her late husband, however regardless, the constructing can be named after him. An article within the Put up reported that “It had been thought that the erection of the Y.M.C.A. constructing by Mrs. Johnson is likely to be thought of, in a way, as a memorial to her husband, the late J.W. Johnson, who was, for a few years, one of many state’s most distinguished and influential residents and one in every of whom Vicksburg left justly proud.” Mrs. Johnson states, nevertheless, that this isn’t the case. It’s true that she and Mr. Johnson talked concerning the matter of erecting the constructing many instances, and he was simply as deeply inquisitive about it as she, nevertheless it won’t be erected in his reminiscence.”

Contractors constructed 200 to 225 casings, every 200 toes lengthy, to type the muse for the three-story constructing. Casings have been pushed into the bottom to assist concrete pillars for the constructing’s basis. The Junius Ward Johnson YMCA was devoted November 11, 1923. When it first opened, dues for boys have been $6 yearly and $10 for males yearly; rooms may very well be rented for $12.50 a month. There are separate entrances, showers, dressing rooms and social rooms for males and boys. There was a billiard room, an indoor pool, a well-equipped gymnasium with a gallery above the gymnasium and a stage on the north finish, and 33 dormitory rooms. When it grew to become clear that further residence rooms have been wanted, a fourth ground was added in 1929 at a value of $47,912.

The Junius Ward Johnson YMCA was added to the Nationwide Register of Historic Locations as a contributing factor to the Uptown Vicksburg Historic District in 1993 and was extra lately included as a beforehand listed factor within the Uptown Vicksburg Modification and Boundary Enhance #2, which was added to the Nationwide Register in February 2020. The historic YMCA constructing was offered to Nashville-based developer Michael Hayes in April 2000. The YMCA moved to a brand new facility in 2002, and Hayes deliberate to transform the constructing into 27 one- and two-bedroom flats for seniors. Later, the constructing was set to deal with a department of the Farish Road Blues Museum, a nonprofit devoted to preserving the historical past of Blues music alongside U.S. Freeway 61, generally often known as “Blues Freeway.” Nevertheless, the constructing requires extra repairs than the museum can cowl and was quickly vacated. The constructing has sat empty for greater than 20 years.

The ornate copper cornice was stolen some years in the past by thieves who made their method into the attic. They pushed the cornice out of its pockets, and the copper fell to the bottom and was retrieved. The noise was loud, and the police have been known as, however nobody was arrested. In July 2023, the Junius Ward Johnson YMCA was listed on the market for $400,000. As of 2025, the constructing remains to be on the market in a extreme state of disrepair.

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