National Register Listing

Beechland

S. of Natchez off US 61, Natchez, MS

Beechland is a significant example of vernacular Greek Revival plantation architecture. The house exhibits the typical Mississippi, mid-nineteenth century, plantation form of a one and-a-half story, five-bay, frame house with undercut gallery, molded box columns, and brick foundation piers. Frequently, the front wall of such houses was finished in horizontal matched boards, and occasionally, like Beechland, in stucco on lath that is scored and penciled in imitation of stone. "Beechland derives added significance from this facade treatment, which is also repeated on the rear elevation, because it retains its original peach-colored tint and white penciling. In addition, the interior decorative scheme of the house is also intact and includes white plaster walls, grained doors, black baseboards, and mantel pieces with fake black marbling. A probably unique and well executed architectural feature of the house is the stairway which features a wooden doughnut at the union between the turned newel post and the turned handrail. Unusual features of the house are the matching galleries of the front and rear elevations, the division of the upper half story into four bedrooms, the original closets of the two, downstairs rear rooms and the four second-story bedrooms, and the magnolia leaf centerpiece of the westerly front parlor. Beechland was recently purchased by Gene Radzewicz who plans to restore the house as a residence. Although the original columns and railings of the front and rear galleries were removed by a former owner, the present owner has located them in a storage building and plans to repair and restore them to the house. The outstanding interior integrity of the house will be preserved.

Local significance of the building:
Listed in National Register of Historic Places in 1982.