The Work of Overstreet and Town: the Coming of Modern Architecture to Mississippi (Southern Renaissance, Louisiana).

Abstract

The story of the architectural practice of Overstreet and Town is a chronicle of a changing architectural aesthetic. The regional practice produced works which found their way into national and even international publications. The work illustrated represents the most progressive spirit in the nation, even in the rapidly changing architectural climate of the dynamic depression years. Their well proportioned smooth white concrete structures make a strong statement for the American early modern movement in the 1930's. An underst and ing of Overstreet and Town's architectural prac- tice also reveals much about the region the architects served: Mississippi, Overstreet's home state, and Louisiana, Town's native state. The practice was established in Jackson, Mississippi by N. W. (Web) Overstreet in 1912 on his return from engineering school at Mississippi State and architectural school at the University of Illinois. He brought with him a fondness for the current midwestern Prairie Style architects. (Albert) Hays Town joined the firm in 1926 directly following his engineering studies at Southwestern Louisiana Univer- sity in his family home Lafayette and architectural studies at Tulane. Town brought with him a great sense for order that a client described as "perfect taste."('1) He used this skill to further Overstreet's efforts to enliven the experience of his fellow Mississippians. His talent was quickly recognized and he soon came to design all of the firm's work. Overstreet was a masterful salesman and , with the help of federal relief programs, kept Town supplied with work. As the firm's primary engineer, Overstreet was instrumental in the firm's use of reinforced concrete. Overstreet and Town's experimentation in this relatively new material offered a guide for other architects of the era. Town left the practice to return to his native state in 1939. The years of Overstreet and Town's collaboration saw tremen- dous changes in Southern society. Their work, like that of the writers of the Southern Renaissance, describes this changing society. The best of their work shows a powerful but fragile balance between progress and tradition. This divergent intention seemed to haunt a generation of creative Southerners. The work of Overstreet and Town clearly reflects an intriguing world in turmoil. ('1)Interview with Mrs. Preston Hays, 9/24/86.