Old Hattiesburg High School

Old Hattiesburg High School, located at 846 North Main Street, in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, was utilized as a public school building from around 1911 to 1959. The building was designated a Mississippi Landmark in 1986 and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1987. In 2007, the structure was heavily damaged by arson.DescriptionThe school building was constructed in two phases. In 1911, a 2.5-story, rear structure was built with tan brick, a flat roof, and no ornamentation. The front, 4.5-story, red brick, main building was constructed in 1921 and was designed by Hattiesburg architect Robert E. Lee. The interior featured dark-stained woodwork and pressed metal ceilings. In addition to classrooms, the building contained grand stairways and corridors, an interior courtyard, and an auditorium.HistoryFollowing closure of the building as a public school in 1959, it served as offices for the Hattiesburg Public School District and later, as an antiques mall, until 2001. The Historic Hattiesburg Downtown Association acquired the property in 2002, with the expectation of restoring the building. In 2003, the Mississippi Heritage Trust listed the Old Hattiesburg High School as one of the ten most endangered landmarks in Mississippi.In 2005, the structure was heavily damaged during Hurricane Katrina. More severe damage occurred in 2007, when an arsonist set a fire on the first floor of the 1921 addition. The fire spread to the fourth floor, and the roof collapsed. In 2008, a suspect in the arson was convicted and sentenced to 7 years in prison.