All projects are special to me. Sometimes it is what a client brings to me to work into a design: iron pieces they purchased in an antique shop in New Orleans, an antique metal piece that they want worked into a gate design, or a beautiful antique door purchased in Europe that they want a custom designed steel track built to look as old as the door, but slide like a hot knife through butter. They’re all special in some way.
Then there are projects that are special because they are personal. When I’m working on these I like to share a little of the history behind the project. I hope you enjoy getting “the rest of the story,” as Paul Harvey used to say.
Double Curved Iron + Wood Staircase
Growing up in the shadow of the Mississippi Delta Levee, I was excited when a client asked me to design and build a pair of staircases for his family’s cabin. As we talked he relayed what he envisioned and I began sketching a design that would match the scale and detail of the cabin he was building. The process from sketch to finished product began to take shape as straight steel beams were turned into a 12’ tall sweeping radius pulled by hand with chain and come-along. Almost 200 steel spindles were perfectly cut, spaced, and welded to create mirror identical stairways. All the lamb’s tongues at the end of the handrails were hand formed. The solid 2” oak treads were sawed, fitted, and finished to rest in tread brackets. The build was challenging but worth the effort. To complete every step from a pencil sketch to the final cuts necessary to create the 3 piece brackets attaching the massive structure to the cabin was a tremendous accomplishment. I am honored to have been asked to do the ironwork for this beautiful cabin.
Cutrer Mansion in Clarksdale, Mississippi
Its colorful history includes playwright, Tennessee Williams and Catholic nuns.
I’m excited to share a project from a place I know well, the Cutrer Mansion in Clarksdale, Mississippi, built in 1916. This beautiful mansion is on the property of the former St. Elizabeth’s school where I attended from 1st to 8th grade. The nuns who taught school lived in the house. It was beautiful and stately with black and white tile floors, large windows, French doors, and ornate mantles. As a student I didn’t know much about the history of the mansion but later learned that it was quite the social gathering place back in the day.
Cutrer Mansion is designated as a Mississippi Landmark by the MS Dept of Archives & History. I was asked to design, build, and install an iron entrance that will be placed on large white columns. The house, and the Cutrer family, have some interesting connections to the iconic American playwright, Tennessee Williams. Williams frequently visited his grandfather who was an Episcopal minister in Clarksdale. The Cutrer Mansion and family might have given William’s inspiration for the locations and several characters in his plays.
Since this property is a Mississippi landmark and holds special memories for me I wanted my work to be exemplary of the status this piece of history holds for our community. I hope it sets the stage as visitors make their way onto one of Clarksdale’s most endearing and beautiful pieces of architectural history. I was honored to design, build, and install this project.
Blues Venue, Clarksdale, Mississippi The “I Spy” Fence
To say this project is "one of a kind" is an understatement. I hardly knew what to expect when the owner of a blues venue in Clarksdale, Mississippi asked me to create a fence that would keep the property secure and incorporate items she had collected over many years.
Her instructions were pretty straightforward. She wanted her items attached to a steel frame in a way that was unstructured. As I looked at everything I thought of that game we played as a kid, "I Spy" and I started welding.
I wasn't sure how it would turn out, but it is neat and fits the theme of the Blues and the Mississippi Delta with many farm tools and implements in the design. When I'm at the Blues Festival I like to see people stop and look to see what they can spy. Anyway, it was a neat project and I appreciate the opportunity to create this one of a kind fence.
