When U.S. 51 Bypass was extended from Woodrow Wilson Drive in the 1950s to the town of Ridgeland, it opened the forests, farmland, and swamps north and east of Jackson for development. Expanded and joined with I-55 by 1970, the thoroughfare offered space for new office buildings outside of the crowded downtown and close to suburban residences. The former IBM Regional Headquarters (1965; 3780 I-55 N), a two-story concrete structure with a peripteral porch, designed by Curtis and Davis of New Orleans, and the adjacent Dixie National Life Building (1971; 3760 I-55 N) by the Jackson firm of Brumfield and Craig are two such buildings. Meanwhile, new retail developments kept shoppers in the suburbs. Highland Village (1972, Barlow and Plunkett; 4500 I-55 N), with its open-air mall concept, was based on such festival marketplaces as Ghirardelli Square (1964) in San Francisco. Today, the I-55 corridor retains some vibrant sections, but has suffered from the movement of retail and office space even farther north into Madison County.
Writing Credits
If SAH Archipedia has been useful to you, please consider supporting it.
SAH Archipedia tells the story of the United States through its buildings, landscapes, and cities. This freely available resource empowers the public with authoritative knowledge that deepens their understanding and appreciation of the built environment. But the Society of Architectural Historians, which created SAH Archipedia with University of Virginia Press, needs your support to maintain the high-caliber research, writing, photography, cartography, editing, design, and programming that make SAH Archipedia a trusted online resource available to all who value the history of place, heritage tourism, and learning.