Vicksburg, Mississippi (est. 1825, pop. (2013) 23,542) • MS Delta
• 3-story, stone Second Italian Renaissance Revival style bldg. w/ hand-carved limestone & marble steps • designed by Louisiana-born Jewish-American architect, Leon C. Weiss (1882-1953) • sometimes mistakenly attributed to Vicksburg architect William Stanton (1840-1908) [photo], Confederate war vet & designer of the original (1887) B'nai B'rith Literary Stock Club at Cherry & Crawford Sts., which burned in 1915 • the present structure resembles Weiss's 1908 Elk's Club building (demolished, 1968) —MS Preservation
• Weiss became a partner at New Orleans architectural firm, Weiss, Dreyfus & Seiferth • political connections with Governor Huey "The Kingfish" Long resulted in a portfolio of public buildings that included Louisiana's skyscraper State Capitol • following his conviction in a 1940 trial which critics claimed was tainted by anti-semitism & "guilt by association," Weiss was imprisoned for fraudulent use of the US Mail • he went back to work after his 1952 release, died a year later
• this building served as a social club for Vicksburg's growing Jewish community, which had provided ~80 members by the 1890s • renowned from Memphis to New Orleans for its swimming pool, meeting rooms, ballroom & library • banquet hall could accommodate 500 guests
"The club and club house is known all over this part of the Mississippi valley as the center of the most lavish, yet refined, hospitality, while its cuisine under the direction of its accomplished caterers, past and present, is no less celebrated," —Picturesque Vicksburg, 1891
