The Farish District, its architecture and cultural heritage

Abstract

This paper explores the complexity of the Farish Street District, its issues today and importance to the cultural history of the black community in Mississippi. This communities’ achievements in Farish District had far reaching affects, influencing religion, music, food and social justice nationwide and is there for much more than just a historic district of dilapidated, vernacular, buildings. The thesis is organized into six chapters. After a brief introduction, I focus on the history of Mississippi, Farish District, and its culture. In Chapter III. I review the 1980 National Register Nomination Form. The paper then explores the complex history of successful and failed redevelopment and preservation efforts in the Farish Street District, from 1980-2016. A chapter is devoted to current conditions which is highlighted with current photographs taken during my research. This is followed by the conclusion which is bolstered by an analysis of my findings.