The Charnley-Norwood House

1890

509 East Beach Drive

Ocean Springs, MS 39564

Dorothy and I visited the Charnley-Norwood House on the morning of December 16, 2022.  You must call ahead to schedule a tour.  Upon arrival at the site, we were met by Jeff Rosenberg, Preservation Coordinator of the Mississippi Office of Restoration & Resiliency in Biloxi, Mississippi.  Jeff was very knowledgeable and passionate and was most generous and kind to us during our tour of the property.  Jeff was intimately involved in the reconstruction of the house after it was blown off its foundation by Hurricane Katrina in 2005.  One of the brochures available at the house provides this introductory information:

“The Charnley-Norwood House (CNH), affectionately known as “Bon Silene”, is an architectural gem that heralds a turning point in the residential architecture in the U.S.  Designed in 1890 by Louis Sullivan, “Father of the Skyscraper,” and Frank Lloyd Wright, one of the four Masters of Modern Architecture, the CNH may be the very first modern house in the Western world.  It exhibits many of the traits that would come to be associated with 29th century Modernism, such as functionality, spatial flow, natural materials, fenestration that erases inside-outside barriers and integration into the landscape.  Compared to its contemporaries, CNH exhibits a degree of clarity and austerity not witnessed before in residential architecture.  This humble cottage is the product of two great forward-thinking genii at work.” 

Dorothy and I thoroughly enjoyed the time we spent at CNH.  Jeff was gracious, generous, and entertaining as he made the house and its history come alive for us.  The photos below don’t do the house justice, but I hope you enjoy them none-the-less!  If you would like to see our blog post of the trip that includes our visit to this site, look here.