Auburn (Natchez, Mississippi) Explained

Auburn
Nrhp Type:nhl
Designated Other1 Name:Mississippi Landmark
Designated Other1 Link:Mississippi Landmark
Designated Other1 Abbr:USMS
Designated Other1 Color:
  1. B3A1D7
Designated Other1 Number:001-NAT-4002-NHL-ML
Designated Other1 Date:January 5, 1984[1]
Designated Other1 Num Position:bottom
Location:Duncan Park, Natchez, Mississippi
Coordinates:31.5457°N -91.3907°W
Area:4.2acres
Architect:Levi Weeks
Architecture:Federal style
Designated Nrhp Type:May 30, 1974[2]
Added:May 30, 1974
Refnum:74001047

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] [3] and a Mississippi Landmark in 1984.[1] [4]

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.[3]

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 by with a two-story portico supported by four columns and includes an unusual floating spiral staircase between the first and second floors.[5] Levi Weeks designed the house to be, in his words, the "most magnificent building in the state."[3]

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 203acres 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. [5] [3] The grounds were converted by the City of Natchez into Duncan Park.[6]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Mississippi Landmarks . May 2008 . Mississippi Department of Archives and History . April 20, 2009 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20101009033103/https://mdah.state.ms.us/hpres/MSLandmarks.pdf . October 9, 2010 .
  2. Web site: Auburn . 2007-10-18 . National Historic Landmark summary listing . National Park Service . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110606060715/http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceId=1449&ResourceType=Building . 2011-06-06 .
  3. [{{NHLS url|id=74001047}} National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination: Auburn]. pdf. n.d. . Paul Goeldner . National Park Service. and  
  4. https://www.historicauburn.org
  5. Web site: Auburn Museum and Historic Home . April 21, 2009.
  6. Book: Mississippi; a Guide to the Magnolia State. 9781623760236. On. Best Books. 1938. Best Books on .