Sullivan-Charnley Cottage

Louis Sullivan designed this house in 1890 for James Charnley, a wealthy Chicago lumber baron. Sullivan — the man who would coin "form follows function" and become known as the father of the skyscraper — discovered Ocean Springs while vacationing in New Orleans, where he ran into the Charnleys. They urged him to visit the coastal paradise they'd recently explored. Ocean Springs was only a small village then, a peaceful retreat from Chicago. Sullivan and Charnley purchased adjoining gulf-side properties. Sullivan recalls in his autobiography quickly designing "two shacks" in March 1890, then giving the prepared plans to a local carpenter to construct. Frank Lloyd Wright was a young draftsman in Sullivan's office at the time, but there is little evidence Wright actually contributed to the 3,000 square foot cottage. Wright never visited the site. The T-shape bungalow broke from Victorian architecture. Horizontal design. Rooms that flow from one into the next. Natural materials and large glass windows throughout. The interior floors, walls and ceilings are constructed of local heart and curly pine; the exterior walls are clad using wood shingles. Large roof overhangs and covered porches at the south, west, and east sides provide protection from the sun while numerous doors and operable windows distribute onshore and offshore breezes to cool the residence. Fireplaces in each bedroom, the entry hall, and dining room supply warmth for cooler winter temperatures. In 1895, Charnley sold the property to Frederick W. Norwood, a Chicago businessman who dealt in general merchandise and lumber near Brookhaven. In 1897, the main house burned to the ground. Sullivan modified and rebuilt it to nearly the same design. Hurricane Katrina's storm surge in 2005 knocked the house off its piers, collapsed one side, and washed away the porch. The brick foundation piers pierced through the floor where the structure landed after being floated by floodwaters. The Mississippi Department of Archives and History and the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources partnered to fund the $2.3 million acquisition and restoration project. Contractor J.O. Collins completed the restoration under supervision of Albert and Associates Architects and MDAH Gulf Coast Field Office staff. Wright designed only four homes in Mississippi. Two were destroyed by hurricanes Camille and Katrina. Charnley-Norwood and Fountainhead in Jackson remain. Of these two, only Charnley-Norwood is open to the public. The Gulf Coast National Heritage Area Program manages the property. The home is open weekly for tours and available for cultural and artistic events. It sits at 509 East Beach Drive.