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Grass Lawn
Formerly listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Mississippi Landmark (Grasslawn II)
Grass Lawn in 1978
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Location	720 East Beach Boulevard, Gulfport, Mississippi
Coordinates	30°22′31.91″N 89°03′47.76″W / 30.3755306°N 89.0632667°W / 30.3755306; -89.0632667
Built	1836
Architect	Hiram A. Roberts
Architectural style	Greek Revival
NRHP reference No.	72000692
USMS No.	047-GLF-0236.2-ML
Significant dates
Destroyed	2005
Added to NRHP	July 31, 1972
Designated USMS	January 01, 2010
Removed from NRHP	July 16, 2008

Grass Lawn, also known as the Milner House, was a two-story Antebellum home located in Gulfport, Harrison County, Mississippi. In 1972, the home was added to the National Register of Historic Places. In 2005, the home was destroyed during Hurricane Katrina. A replica of Grass Lawn, Grasslawn II, was built and was designated a Mississippi Landmark in 2010. The new structure was dedicated in 2012 for use in city events, weddings, receptions, and parties.

History

Grass Lawn was constructed in 1836 as a summer home for Dr. Hiram A. Roberts, a Port Gibson surgeon and owner of sugarcane plantations in Louisiana. The house was located in Gulfport, Mississippi on 235 acres (95.1 hectares) overlooking the Mississippi Sound. Grass Lawn was unique in that it was of wood-pegged construction with timbers of hand-hewn longleaf pine and walls of bald cypress. Heart-pine lumber was used as flooring, and fireplace mantels were composed of either black or white marble. The 2-story home had 10-foot-wide (3-meter-wide) porches supported by box columns.

Through the years, the property was subdivided, and in 1905, John Kennedy Milner purchased the home. Milner later became owner of the Coast Coca-Cola Bottling Company in Gulfport.

In 1972, because of its political, historical, and architectural significance, Grass Lawn was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 1973, the Milner Family sold the home to the City of Gulfport. During the next 32 years, the house was used by the city as a community center for both private and public gatherings.

On August 29, 2005, Grass Lawn was destroyed during Hurricane Katrina. In the aftermath of the hurricane, government officials committed to construct a period-style replica of Grass Lawn to serve as a visible reminder of historic buildings on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. The completed structure was dedicated on July 20, 2012, to be used for city functions, and rented out for weddings, receptions, and other events.

References

1. Location information for Grass Lawn Retrieved 2012-08-15.
2. ^ "Mississippi Landmarks". Mississippi Department of Archives and History. Retrieved February 11, 2014.
3. Grass Lawn Historical Home Archived 2009-08-27 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 2012-08-15.
4. "Grass Lawn architectural data" (PDF). American Memory collections. Library of Congress. Retrieved August 15, 2012.
5. "Beloved Grass Lawn dedicated in Gulfport". WLOX. July 20, 2012. Retrieved August 15, 2012.
6. "Gulfport's Grass Lawn finally reopens". Biloxi Sun Herald. Retrieved August 17, 2012.

• Houses completed in 1836
• Buildings and structures demolished in 2005
• Buildings and structures in Gulfport, Mississippi
• Demolished buildings and structures in Mississippi
• Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Mississippi
• Former National Register of Historic Places in Mississippi
• Mississippi Landmarks
• Houses in Harrison County, Mississippi
• National Register of Historic Places in Harrison County, Mississippi