Location Information
(for the Ocean Springs Community Center)
Name:Ocean Springs Community Center
Address:510-512 Washington Avenue
City/County:Ocean Springs, Jackson County
Architectural Information
Construction Date:1949-50
Architectural Styles(s):Eclectic/Composite
No. of Stories:1
Registration Information
NR Listing Date:24 Aug 1989
NR District Name:Old Ocean Springs (1987)
    NR Status:Status Unclear
    Element No.:28
NR District Name:Old Ocean Springs (Boundary Increase) (2014)
    NR Status:Previously Listed
    Element No.:510
    MPS:Walter Anderson Thematic Group
View National Register Nomination Form
Mississippi Landmark Information
Designated:05-09-1990
Recorded:05-29-1990
Book/Vol. No.:V. 958, p. 683
Easement Information
Date Signed:09-22-2011
Easement Type:Preservation/Maintenance
Book/Vol. No.:Book 1668 Pg. 472-482
Context/Comments
A one-story, front-gabled concrete block meeting hall. Soon after its construction, its interior was adorned with an elaborate array of murals painted by Walter Anderson (1903-1965). In 1991 it was incorporated into the new Walter Anderson Museum of Art. A one-story, front-gabled concrete block community meeting hall. Soon after its construction, its interior was adorned with an elaborate array of murals painted by Walter Anderson (1903-1965). In 1991 this building was incorporated into the new Walter Anderson Museum of Art.

The Community Center building was individually listed on the National Register on 24 August 1989 as part of the Walter Anderson Thematic Group. It had earlier been included as element #28 ('non-contributing' at that time, because it was not yet old enough) in the original Old Ocean Springs Historic District, which had been placed on the National Register on 7 October 1987. That district was later resurveyed and enlarged as the Old Ocean Springs Historic District Boundary Increase, which was placed on the National Register on 2 June 2014; and the buildings in the original district were re-inventoried and renumbered. This building is now listed as element #510 in the enlarged Old Ocean Springs Historic District. It was designated a Mississippi Landmark on 9 May 1990. In August 2005 it was announced that the Ocean Springs Community Center had been awarded a “Save America’s Treasures” grant of $100,000 for Federal Fiscal Year 2007.

It is included in "Buildings of Mississippi" (2020) (p. 355-356, GC37).
Brief Description
One-story, concrete block, front-gable Neo-Classical civic building with an inset partial porch supported by full-height Tuscan columns. The inset entry consists of 8-light over 2-panel wood double doors with 15-light transom. Windows are wood 9/9 d-h-s, oval 9-light fixed, and 12-light fixed. Decorative features include gable returns, entablature, pented gable, denticulated cornice, and Doric pilasters. The building rests on a concrete slab, is clad in concrete, and has an asphalt shingle roof. Two gable roof additions are appended to the right (south) elevation.
Historic Information
In 1951, Walter Anderson volunteered to paint murals at the center. His plan was to depict the 1699 landing of Iberville at Ocean Springs on the south wall, and the flora and fauna of the region on the north wall. Prior to painting the murals, Anderson studied Gayarre's 'History of Louisiana,' and travelled to the Cabildo archives in New Orleans. The murals took over a year to paint, and are approximately 3,000 sq. ft. in area.