Location Information for the Hewes Building. Architectural Information. Construction Date:. Architectural Styles s :. Registration Information. NR Listing Date:. NR District Name:. Harbor Square NR Status:. Element No. Gulfport Harbor Square Commercial View National Register Nomination Form. A significant regional landmark, the Hewes Building illustrates the remarkably rapid development of the last city established along the Mississippi Gulf Coast.
Chartered in , Gulfport's origins can be traced to the economic boom that occurred in the South between the s and World War I, an event made manifest in south Mississippi in the exploitation of the region's extensive timber resources. One notable by-product of the boom was the Hewes Building, constructed the National Register nomination gives an incorrect date of , reflecting the business prospects recognized by Gulfport's developers and serving as an example of the continuing use of traditional architectural styles in a multi-story building.
Its symmetry and simplicity make it a handsome turn-of-the-century building and an important element in preserving the early architectural character of Gulfport's central business district. The Hewes Building was individually listed on the National Register on 7 October , and it was later included as element 19 in the old Harbor Square Historic District, which was placed on the National Register on 13 August Because that historic district was severely ravaged by Hurricane Katrina in , the old district was superseded by the new Gulfport Harbor Square Commercial Historic District, which was placed on the National Register on 25 October It is included in "Buildings of Mississippi" p.
Brief Description. Five-story, Second Renaissance Revival style brick and stucco office building with a flat roof behind a parapet with a cast stone cap. In the parapet is a projecting string course with dentil molding. The corners of the building have ashlar quoins. Between the first and second floor is another projecting cast stone string course. The first floor is stuccoed and scored into large blocks.
There is a suspended metal canopy attached by metal rods to the building. The windows are plate glass in aluminum frames divided horizontally into a larger lower section and smaller upper section. The door is in a recessed entry and is plate glass in an aluminum frame with sidelights and a transom above.
