Orange Avenue Historic District

Pascagoula City, Jackson County, MS

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The Orange Avenue Historic District [‡] was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2001.

Description

The Orange Avenue Historic District lies four blocks north of downtown Pascagoula, Mississippi and one block south of U.S. Highway 90. The Orange Avenue Historic District is bounded by Live Oak Avenue to the north; Orange Avenue to the south; Frederic Street to the west; and Magnolia Street to the east.

The Orange Avenue Historic District features twenty-three, late-nineteenth to mid-twentieth century resources and two Ranch houses built in the 1970s. Although some of the historic resources have undergone minor alterations, such as the addition of vinyl siding, the overall integrity of the Orange Avenue Historic District has not been diminished. All are arranged on a grid pattern of streets defined by Orange and Live Oak Avenues and Frederic and Magnolia Streets. Nine historic houses stand on Orange Avenue, five on the south side and four on the north (504, 505, 506, 507, 508, 510, 518, 517-519, and 523 Orange Avenue). A Ranch house also stands on the south side at 512 Orange Avenue. Among the historic houses on Orange Avenue is the Thompson-Bugge House at 523 Orange Avenue [see George Thompson House]. Built circa 1890, the Thompson-Bugge House is a two-story, wood frame Victorian that was individually listed in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) in 1991. The Frederic Street battery consists of eight historic houses (3511, 3515, 3517, 3519, 3603, 3607, 3611, and 3615 Frederic Street). Most of these houses feature Victorian detailing, such as shingle work, decorative brackets, and turned posts. Four houses (410, 512, 516, and 520 Live Oak Avenue) and one bus depot (Trailways Bus Station; 513, 515, and 517 Live Oak) line either side of Live Oak Avenue. The Dr. Joseph A. Tabor House at 520 Live Oak Avenue has been converted to professional office space. It was individually listed in the NRHP. Similarly, a Victorian cottage at 3604 Magnolia Street has been converted into a lodge [Grand Magnolia] in recent years. One other resource, a Ranch house, is located at 3511 Magnolia Street. Sixteen of the resources are contributing; five are previously listed; and four are noncontributing.

Residences constitute an overwhelming percentage of the resources in the Orange Avenue Historic District. Of the twenty-three residences in the historic district, twelve were built between 1880 and 1910. Most of these feature Victorian detailing, such as shingle work, decorative brackets, turned posts, and spindle work. The Thompson-Bugge House (523 Orange Avenue) is a full fledged Victorian with its cross gable roof, asymmetrical floor plan, bay window, decorative brackets, and turned posts. Although built in the same period, 510 Orange Avenue draws its design from Neoclassical motifs. Eight houses are classified as Bungalows. These houses feature such stock and trade Bungalow characteristics as exposed rafters, tapered posts on piers, and commodious porches. Two dwellings (3615 Frederic Street and 505 Orange Avenue) are defined as a massed plan cottage: a dwelling of several rooms in width and several rooms in depth typically crowned by a side gable roof. Another residence (512 Live Oak Avenue) hails from the minimal traditional vocabulary.

One resource (3604 Magnolia Street) comes under the category of a lodge; however, the edifice was originally a residence. Built circa 1890, it features Victorian embellishment. One resource (Trailways Bus Station; 513, 515, and 517 Live Oak Avenue) has Art Moderne attributes, such as smooth streamlined surfaces, rounded corners, and large window openings.

Archaeological Component: Although no formal archaeological survey has been conducted in the Orange Avenue Historic District area, the potential for subsurface remains is minimal; however, buried portions may contain information that may be useful in interpreting the entire area.

Significance

The Orange Avenue Historic District is listed on the National Register of Historic Places in the area of architecture. Represented in the Orange Avenue Historic District are locally significant examples of Victorian, Neoclassical Revival, Colonial Revival, and Art Moderne architecture. Possessive of a high degree of integrity, the historic resources reflect nationwide trends in architectural development that extend from the late nineteenth century to 1945, the period of significance. Built between 1880 and 1906, a period of rapid growth for Pascagoula, nine residences feature such decorative Victorian details as shingle work, embellished brackets, spindle work, and turned posts. Built circa 1890, the Thompson-Bugge House [George Thompson House] (523 Orange Avenue) was individually listed in the National Register in 1991 as a locally significant example of the Victorian style. 518 Orange Avenue is the Orange Avenue Historic District's sole representative of the Neoclassical Revival style. It features a temple front with a pediment, raking denticulated cornice, and columns. Trailways Bus Station (513, 515, and 517 Live Oak Avenue), is cast in the Art Moderne style. The bus depot features a streamlined design, smooth surfaces, horizontal banding, and rounded corners.

References

Sanborn Fire Insurance Company. 1898, 1904, 1918, and 1924 Sanborn Maps. New York.

Cangelosi, Robert J., Jr. Historic Resources of Pascagoula, Mississippi, a multiple resources National Register nomination. Nomination kept on file at the Mississippi Department of Archives and History, Jackson, Mississippi. 1991.

Adapted from: Gene A. Ford, Orange Avenue Historic District, Jackson County, Mississippi, nomination document, 2000, National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places, Washington, D.C.

Nearby Neighborhoods

Street Names
Frederic Street • Live Oak Avenue • Magnolia Street • Orange Avenue


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