Thirty-four thousand souls tucked into a city on a west side of the state. Nickname: “The Heart and Soul of The Delta.” Mottos: “The Best Food, Shipping, & Entertainment in the South.” That’s what Wikipedia says.

Might be so. Can’t say.

“Well, once there was a man who wanted to build something with a third story, but the boys went round his office and had a good talk.”
Do you presume from this that the downtown’s firing on all cylinders? Even if it’s a two-stroke?
I don’t say this often, because it’s a cliche, but I can’t even.

The late 60s / early 70s brick have nothing to do with the original building. The awning is a rotted mystery.

And then there’s that driveway.

That’s an impressive piece of masonry.

There are times when the prosperity of the past leads to a good vibe in the contemporary streetscape. This is not one of them.

This is where I get the deja vu, and check if I’ve done this before. Something about that little door in the display window looks familiar. Probably because I've just looked at the picture or a few times - or it's a scene repeated in numberless towns.

When someone rented out the right half and did that to the facade, did anyone ask what they were up to?

The things they did to buildings was a shame.

 

I mean, either do none of it, or do all of it. It looks like the building is grey with cold, with its head in the stocks.
Nice screen, if a bit rote. The Delta Teaching Supply has a classic post-war display case. Shoes? Diamonds?

 

Burned, collapsed - whatever happened, it left an interesting record.

You can see an old sign exposed by the demolition - Eagle Shoes?

Lots of doors in the back. Why?
 
The May Building.

A rather dark store entrance but the building has a crisp 50s purity. It appears unused.

“City Hall looks nice, but it’s lacking something.”

“Big stone vases up top for some reason?”

“Exactly!”

“You didn’t say you wanted the addition to blend in.”

It’s like a space ship has docked to suck the life out of the old husk.

OUMB.

And then some.

Behold, the inspiration for the eyes on the thin guy in the “Money For Nothing” video:

 

Pseudo-Yamasaki building with those damned modern columns.

I never liked those, but they help date a building if you’ve nothing else.

Sorta-kinda Prairie style OUMB:

 

Yes, it’s a festival of OUMBs!

 

I wonder what people thought of these bland, rote buildings when they went up. They looked modern, but had the bureaucrat’s soul.

 

Still pumping.

 

Quite an impressive wreck.

Imagine if Aliens built an embassy, and we learned that they understood the idea of windows, but not anything else about them.

The tree is losing the race with the light pole, but it may have the long-term advantage.

Tall and solid, but not overly endowed with grace or ornamentation:

Well, a little ornamentation:

 

Finally: the home of the International Order of Ostentatious Pediments.

I think this last batch is from Greenville; the folder said so, but I never know if I've screwed up something.