Walking Biloxi

"Biloxi boasts a long and sometimes turbulent history, dating from 1699 when Pierre Lemoyne, Sieur d'Iberville sailed into the Mississippi Sound." So began the introduction to the Historic Downtown Biloxi Walking Tour brochure.

We began the walk at the Katrina Memorial, which is dedicated to those residents who lost their lives in the storm.

Near this memorial is one of the last tree sculptures created by Marlin Miller.

The sprawling sculpture shows a turtle, a crab, dolphin fish,

and a marlin, fashioned from a live-oak trunk on Biloxi’s Town Green.

Old Biloxi Library, c. 1924-1925

This building is the finest example of the Spanish Colonial Revival style in Biloxi. The main doorway exhibits twisted columns; the twin flights of its entrance stairway are especially grand. It served as the city's public library until 1978.

Redding House, c. 1908

This is one of the finest Colonial Revival houses remaining in Biloxi. A prime feature is its use of circular motifs, particularly in the forms of its porches and the projective bay on the west façade.

Original U.S. Post Office & Customs House, c. 1905-1908 (City Hall)

Biloxi's City Hall, a Neoclassical Revival building, is faced with a fine grayish white marble.

Peoples Bank Building, c. 1913

Two tall Ionic columns frame the two-story entrance. The doorway has a fine Renaissance style segmental pediment.

Old Peoples Bank Building, c. 1896

The eastern end of Downtown Biloxi is anchored by this Victorian styled building on Vieux Marché.

The building's cupola is topped by an ornamental copper weathervane featuring a large witch carrying a broom and sitting on a fingernail moon. The Peoples Bank was located here until 1924.

Dukate Theatre, c. 1898

This two-story imposing building still retains its balconies and grand presence. Fan windows over large rectangular ones on both the first and second stories elicit the grandeur of the theatre as do the square half Doric columns.

Number 2 Mechanic's Fire Company, c. 1895

Eistetter Building, c. 1896

This building features one of two distinctive cupolas in Downtown. The building's fine detail and strong form add elegance to the streetscape.

The next three photos show the buildings along two blocks of Vieux Marché from the Eistetter Building to the Old Peoples Bank--from cupola to cupola.

This segment is a portion of the city's earliest thoroughfare. The one-lane street is flanked by reminders of Biloxi's once-thriving commercial and cultural center.

Saenger Theatre, c. 1929

The eclectic style structure was at the forefront of theater design when it opened. It was saved from destruction in 1976 and restored as a performing arts center.

This was an easy walk, but one does get hungry. So we continued with a short walk to our lunch spot.