The Dantzler-Fabacher House derives its primary significance from the fact that it not only is a relatively rare example of Mission style architecture in Mississippi, but one which retains a high degree of architectural finish and integrity as well. Designed by Pass Christian architect, Vinson B. Smith, Jr., the Dantzler-Fabacher House was built in 1924 for G. Bruno Dantzler, one of four sons and seven children of Lorenzo Nolley Dantzler and Sarah Elizabeth Griffin. Their marriage in 1858 marked the beginning of what would become the largest export lumber company in Mississippi. After the Civil War, L. N. Dantzler became a full partner in the lumber business started by his father-in-law, William Griffin. In 1873, he exchanged his interests in that company for a much smaller mill in Moss Point and subsequently purchased other lumber mills, a shingle mill, brick kiln, a towing business and a sash and blind factory. By 1885, with financial backing from lumber merchants in New Orleans, the L. N. Dantzler Lumber Company built the largest and most modern lumber mill in Mississippi’s Pine Belt (Nollie W. Hickman, Mississippi Harvest: Lumbering in the Long Leaf Pine Belt [University, Mississippi! University of Mississippi, 1962], pp. 168-171). In 1954 the Dantzler-Fabacher House and most of the original furnishings were purchased from the estate of G. B. Dantzler by Lawrence Batholomew Fabacher and his wife, Mary Agnes Stampley. The Dantzler-Fabacher House is the finest example of residential Mission style architecture on the Gulf Coast and one of the better surviving examples of the style in the state as a whole. Its clay tile hip roof with overhanging eaves and heavy brackets, tile porch flooring, stucco exterior, and arched entrance opening are classic elements of the style. Its architectural significance is heightened by the fact that the house has undergone virtually no alterations since its construction. The exterior is essentially unchanged despite the ravishes of Hurricane Camille in 1969. The interior has been altered only slightly to adapt it to modern use, which remains residential. The survival of almost all original hardware and light and plumbing fixtures adds even more to its overall integrity. The house is today owned and occupied by Charlotte Fabacher Ward, the granddaughter of Lawrence B. Fabacher.
Historic Significance: Architectural Style, Mission/Spanish Revival
Architect, builder, or engineer: Smith, Vinson B. Jr., Pass Christian, MS
Address: 1238 E. Beach Blvd.
City: Gulfport
County: Harrison
Accessibility: private residence and not open to public; can be viewed from vehicle.