Gulfport Veterans Administration Medical Center Historic District, also known as ''Centennial Plaza'', is a compound located in
Gulfport, Mississippi
Gulfport is the second-largest city in Mississippi after the state capital, Jackson. Along with Biloxi, Gulfport is the co-county seat of Harrison County and the larger of the two principal cities of the Gulfport-Biloxi, Mississippi Metropolit ...
.
[ National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form−Gulfport Veterans Administration Medical Center Historic District]
Retrieved 2014-02-11 The facility operated as a medical center under the
Veterans Administration
The United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is a Cabinet-level executive branch department of the federal government charged with providing life-long healthcare services to eligible military veterans at the 170 VA medical centers a ...
from the 1920s until 2005, when damage from
Hurricane Katrina resulted in its closure.
[ Biloxi Veterans Affairs Medical Center−A Historical Perspective]
Retrieved 2014-02-11 The property was designated a
Mississippi Landmark in 2010 and was added to the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...
in 2014.
History
Development of the property began in 1916, when it was selected as the site for Mississippi's centennial statehood celebration.
[ The centennial exposition was set to open in the autumn of 1917, but with the advent of ]World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, the event was never held.[
In support of the war, Mississippi leased the property, including the temporary centennial exhibition buildings, to the ]U.S. Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage o ...
for use as a training facility.[ When the war ended, the U.S. Public Health Service took over the lease, and in 1921, opened a hospital for neuropsychiatric care of military servicemen. In 1922, the hospital was transferred to the U.S. Veterans' Bureau. That same year, the Bureau purchased the property from the State of Mississippi and began construction of several buildings that were completed in 1923. As time passed, medical services increased and additional buildings were constructed to accommodate more veterans.
The medical center continued to operate into the 21st century, but closed after Hurricane Katrina's storm surge caused the collapse of one structure and flooding of the other buildings to a depth of . Following storm cleanup, the Veterans Administration transferred the property to the City of Gulfport in 2009.][
]
Contributing resources
The historic district contains twelve contributing resources, ten of which are historic buildings that were constructed between 1920 and 1950 in Spanish Colonial Revival
The Spanish Colonial Revival Style ( es, Arquitectura neocolonial española) is an architectural stylistic movement arising in the early 20th century based on the Spanish Colonial architecture of the Spanish colonization of the Americas.
In the ...
architectural style. The historic buildings were constructed using poured concrete, terra cotta
Terracotta, terra cotta, or terra-cotta (; ; ), in its material sense as an earthenware substrate, is a clay-based unglazed or glazed ceramic where the fired body is porous.
In applied art, craft, construction, and architecture, terracotta ...
brick with stucco finishes, and terra cotta tile roofs.[ In the post-hurricane cleanup, the interiors of all ten buildings were gutted in preparation for future renovation.
The two contributing resources that are not buildings include the main entry gates and the site landscape which incorporated ]southern live oak
''Quercus virginiana'', also known as the southern live oak, is an evergreen oak tree endemic to the Southeastern United States. Though many other species are loosely called live oak, the southern live oak is particularly iconic of the Old South. ...
s around the perimeter of each building. The ten historic buildings are as follows:[
]
Development
Development of the property as a ''community oriented marketplace'', utilized existing buildings to create retail outlets, restaurants, and hotels.
Mississippi bicentennial celebration
The bicentennial celebration for south Mississippi was held at Centennial Plaza on March 31 and April 1, 2017. During the event, the U. S. Postal Service introduced a first-day-of-issue forever stamp
Non-denominated postage is postage intended to meet a certain postage rate that retains full validity for that intended postage rate even after the rate is increased. It does not show a monetary value, or denomination, on the face. In many Engli ...
to commemorate the 200th anniversary of Mississippi statehood. Approximately 25,000 people attended the two-day celebration.
Resort development
In August 2019, Centennial Plaza Resort opened to the public. The US$100 million development included renovation of 10 historical buildings within the complex. When the new resort opened, it had two hotels containing over 200 rooms, two full-service restaurants, a water park (splash pads, slides, pool), and a wedding chapel so as to accommodate both business and family clientele.
References
External links
Centennial Plaza website
{{Registered Historic Places
Hospital buildings completed in 1923
Mississippi Landmarks
Buildings and structures in Gulfport, Mississippi
Hospital buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Mississippi
Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Mississippi
National Register of Historic Places in Harrison County, Mississippi
1921 establishments in Mississippi