Tullis-Toledano Manor

Tullis-Toledano Manor, also known as, the Toledano-Philbrick-Tullis House, was a red-clay brick mansion on the Mississippi Gulf Coast in Biloxi. It was considered an example of Greek Revival architecture. The mansion was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1976 and was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

Toledano-Philbrick-Tullis House
Toledano-Philbrick-Tullis House 1936
Location360 E. Beach Boulevard, Biloxi, Mississippi
Coordinates30°23′35″N 88°52′18″W
Builtcirca 1856
ArchitectChristoval Toledano
Architectural styleGreek Revival
NRHP reference No.76001095
Significant dates
Destroyed2005
Added to NRHPNovember 05, 1976
Removed from NRHP
July 16, 2008[1]

History

Christoval Sebastian Toledano, a sugar and cotton broker of Spanish descent from New Orleans, built the house in 1856 for his second wife, Matilda Pradat.[2] The home was a two and one-half story, five-bay structure built of red-clay bricks that were manufactured in a Biloxi brickyard.[3] The upper floors were accessed by a semi-spiraled, wooden staircase.

Another structure on the property was a two-story brick kitchen with servant's quarters located approximately 50 yards (46 meters) behind the main house.[3] In the 20th century, the structure was remodeled to serve as a guest house.

After Matilda Toledano sold the house in 1886, there was a succession of owners until 1939, when it was purchased as a summer home by Garner H. Tullis of New Orleans who was President of the New Orleans Cotton Exchange.[3] In 1969, the home sustained considerable damage from Hurricane Camille, and was sealed and vacated. In 1975, the Tullis family sold the house and property to the city of Biloxi. The city restored the house and used it for the next 30 years as a museum and community center.[4]

Casino barge that destroyed Tullis-Toledano Manor in 2005

After weathering 150 years of storms from the Gulf, Tullis-Toledano Manor was completely destroyed during Hurricane Katrina on August 29, 2005. A barge from Grand Casino Biloxi washed ashore during the hurricane and crushed the house. Nothing was left of Tullis-Toledano Manor except rubble.

Councilor oak

Located on the east side of Tullis-Toledano Manor was a centuries-old southern live oak (Quercus virginiana) which had the designation of Councilor Oak. The name was derived from local legend that native Indian tribes and French colonials signed treaties under the oak's branches.[5][6] The tree had a trunk circumference of 21 feet (6.4 meters) and a crown spread of greater than 100 feet (30.5 meters).[7] Councilor Oak (Crawford-Tullis Oak) was the 45th tree to be registered with the Live Oak Society.[8] The oak was destroyed by the same barge that demolished Tullis-Toledano Manor in August 2005.[9]

References
  1. National Register of Historic Places Listings in Mississippi (December 31, 2008) Retrieved 2012-07-25
  2. Civil War Survivors That Gave Up Their Ghosts Retrieved 2012-07-26.
  3. National Register of Historic Places Inventory—Nomination Form (The Tullis House) Retrieved 2012-07-26
  4. Tullis-Toledano Manor Retrieved 2012-07-26
  5. Elmo Howell. 1992. Mississippi Scenes: Notes on Literature and History Retrieved 2013-01-16.
  6. Jack Baldwin, Mary Fonseca, Winnie Baldwin. 2001. Weekend Getaways in Mississippi. Pelican Publishing Company, Inc., Gretna, LA Retrieved 2013-01-16.
  7. Elmo Howell. 1998. Mississippi Back Roads: Notes on Literature and History Retrieved 2013-01-16.
  8. The Live Oak Society Archived October 1, 2012, at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 2013-01-16.
  9. Before and After Hurricane Katrina Archived September 19, 2008, at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 2013-01-16.
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