Gulfport Veterans Administration Medical Center Historic District

Gulfport Veterans Administration Medical Center Historic District, also known as Centennial Plaza, is a 48-acre compound located in Gulfport, Mississippi. The facility operated as a medical center under the Veterans Administration from the 1920s until 2005, when damage from Hurricane Katrina resulted in its closure. The property was designated a Mississippi Landmark in 2010 and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2014.HistoryDevelopment 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, 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 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 4ft. Following storm cleanup, the Veterans Administration transferred the property to the City of Gulfport in 2009.