Magnolia's Three Amigos

  Day 1

After finishing the longggest game of UNO ever, we all went to bed around 11.  Once the alarms all rang bright and early at 7:00 am, it was time to stay a very long day.  After a little bit of Apple Jacks and 'Saved by the Bell,' everyone hit the road, heading towards Mr. Cox's office. We had a class meeting in the conference room until Dr. Roger showed up to give us the tour.  After all of the tours, my team drove to Magnolia earlier than scheduled to explore a bit of the city.  We went to the Public Library (which had more people in it than the one in Baton Rouge) in search of information and history of the city. Afterwards, we went to the new depot where City Hall is located and enjoyed a snowball.  About an hour later, the group showed up and we continued on our tours.  Finally, we were informed that out site will change from a vacant plot of land to an infill-type project...and we are very excited!

Magnolia's Three Amigos 

Elizabeth Galan

Taylor King

Beatriz Acosta

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Day 2

We had a pleasant surprise this morning when Marsha and Frank delivered delicious doughnuts to the studio space. After our morning meeting we headed toMagnolia to begin our investigation of the site and surrounding buildings. It was a bit difficult to measure the site because we were unsure of where our site ended. It was extremely hot outside and so we took a lunch break at the Creole Cottage Cafe. We had refreshing water, coke, and sweet tea along with delicious salads and gumbo, of course you cannot forget about dessert. We had a wonderful talk with the Owner and Cook Mr. Jimmy who new a lot about the history of magnolia and the project site. During our lunch we learned about the timeline of the buildings on the site and also some current events that happen in Magnolia, like the Pickle Festival. We continued to the Magnolia Gazette office to get a picture of the site during the 1800's when it was a prime vacation spot for New Orleans' rich and famous. The lovely ladies working helped us with the picture and gave us a little bit more information about life in Magnolia. There was a meeting scheduled for two back in McComb and we bid our farewell to McComb for the Day. We met with our client Dr. Lampton and talked about the possibilities such as retail spaces, apartments, market place, and possibly incorporate the current village houses within the design. The client is thinking about New Orleans style while still incorporating traditional style of Magnolia houses. We are really excited about the project and cannot wait to begin the design process.

Magnolia's Three Amigos
Elizabeth Galan

Taylor King

Beatriz Acosta

Day 3

Our group had its second adventure in Magnolia today. We drove there after our class meeting in search of more information regarding our site. After a trip to the Court House and Annex, we soon realized that our site actually included what appeared to be adjacent to the site: the antiques store. This circumstance has added another layer of complexity to our planning and programming, since now we must tie together the street edge and create a cohesive street presence for the site along with its context. Also, we now have an overall understanding of what programmatic elements are needed in our site and how the property is laid out as well. We feel like we have enough information to move forward with our design and present Dr. Lampton, our client, with a proposal that fits in with his vision and enriches the city of Magnolia at the same time.

Day 4

Today the work day began with a trip to the Magnolia Court House Annex where Cox Architecture had a bid day for one of their new projects. It was very interesting to see how the process works. We sat and talked with the council members and then it was back to work. The other teams returned to McComb but our team still had work to do on our site in Magnolia. We measured the building that was located on our site and the surrounding sidewalks, streets, and buildings. It was overcast today and because of that the pictures we wanted did not turn out so well. We finished our measurements and pictures and headed back for a quick lunch before returning to the Cox Architecture office. today each person was working on different tasks; the tasks were separated as site plan, existing elevations, and floor plan research. We have been working all afternoon to move the project along to designs. We have a client meeting on Saturday and we would like a good amount of information ready. We took a small tour of one of the apartments that is currently open to rent in McComb to get an idea of apartment layouts in the area. The project is very exciting and we are excited about being involved with the future development of Magnolia. From here on out its work.... work.... and more work. Today is Leftover Thursday and ZUMBA!

Magnolia's Three Amigos

Elizabeth Galan

Taylor King

Beatriz Acosta

DAY 5

Today was a day just like any other, but better.  First, we started off the day with our regularly scheduled large meeting where each group updated progress on their work.  Our group stuck around to talked to Fransha about our progress, ideas and future steps.  We all agreed that our next step should be more programming exercises in order to figure out where everything is going to go.  We sketched different layout options all the way up until lunch which was delivered by The Broadway Deli!  All of us walked over towards the pavillion next to the tracks for little bit of Noon Tunes.  We got the opportunity to eat and listen to music in the shade for about an hour, which was a well needed break.  After lunch, our group continued programming and researching precedents that we could use to begin designing.  Luckily, we found some recent precedents that will really come in handy.  As for tonight: BBQ at the Cox's! 

Magnolia's Three Amigos

Elizabeth Galan

Taylor King

Beatriz Acosta

Day 6

   We went to the Ice House Bar last night and listen to a Louisiana Band play it was so much fun and we danced all night. This morning we all arrived at 9:00am because Frank and Marsha were kind enough to let us sleep in an hour on Saturday morning. They also brought a delicious Doughnuts for us this morning. We had a lot of work to do mostly program planning and very quickly frustration over took the team. We have to take a different approach for our design ideas then many of the other buildings because ours is completely new construction. We were sketching, modeling, CADing, and sketching some more. Idea after Idea after idea but none seemed to work quite like we wanted it to. We took a break for lunch; we ate at Fox's Pizza Den for lunch and spent a good time with the rest of the students. We came back and worked again and then complete frustration took over. We called in Marsha to help break through the frustration and as usual she made it all so much better; it was like when mom kissed your bo- bo and all the pain went away. We are already feeling good about our next steps and are ready for a break on FUNDAY. We are ready for Monday and our client meeting.

Magnolia's Three Amigos

Elizabeth Galan

Taylor King

Beatriz Acosta

Day 7

Today marks the beginning of our second week here in McComb. Our planning and design has come along way from last week; we now feel like there is more direction in our design choices. We met with Dr. Lampton this afternoon and showed him our vision for the awakening of the old street behind our site. By doing so, our site becomes a central point that connects the existing green space in front of the Depot and future development along the creek. This development activates the street edge and enhances a downtown feel for Magnolia, all the while providing ample courtyard spaces and revenue generating units that will enliven the city.
 Dr. Lampton was very intrigued by our design choices and said he could provide us with even more information on the past context of our site. Nevertheless, there is still a full week of work ahead of us.

Magnolia's Three Amigos

Elizabeth Galan

Taylor King

Beatriz Acosta

Day 8

First, we would like to give thanks and praise to the Varnado family for cooking dinner and letting us play in the creek near their house last night.  I think we can all agree that it was a really fun and relaxing time.  

This morning our group went back to Magnolia to take more photos and measurements and also take a tour through the Village Antique building.  Since the building sits on our site, we thought it would be a good idea to try to incorporate it into our design.  After touring it, we decided that a portion of the second story could be used as a coffee shop that has access to a newly added balcony. We went back to Jimmy's restaurant for lunch, which once again didn't disappoint.  We each tried something else on the menu and all made a 'happy' plate! Once arriving back to McComb, we continued working on the program and floor plans to try to fit them into the volumes we want.  We are trying to bring back the facade of the old Lampton building and tie it into the facade and New Orleans feel of the new development.  We're all going to play soccer this afternoon so hopefully no one pulls a hammy..

Magnolia's Three Amigos

Elizabeth Galan

Taylor King

Beatriz Acosta

Day 9

         Today is Wednesday and our last day is slowly creeping  up. Marsha and Frank brought us doughnuts and pigs in the blanket; they were delicious. We continued working on the site plans and floor plans today and are growing more and more excited about our project. We had the final measurements we needed; those measurements inspired us with fantastic ideas about a coffee shop and future development. Taylor found his new favorite book Materials, Structures, and Standards, great for any architecture student. We worked all day and are very excited about the dinner we are going to today. Dr.Lampton stopped by with a map of Pike County from 1874, which gave us insight about how the Central House hotel was laid out along with Palmetto Street, the creek, and the island. We have developed several apartment floor plans along with a few of the retail spaces. The development of the front facade and the facade along the courtyards has begun and, I must say, is developing quite nicely! Frank just brought us Name Tags.. so everyone will know our names :/!

Magnolia's Three Amigos

Elizabeth Galan

Taylor King

Beatriz Acosta

Day 10

Our day has been very productive today; we have made great progress with our site plan, facades, and floor plans.  Recently, we have been trying to come up with the best layout for residential units in our project, since it will be the primary source of revenue for the city.  Coincidentally, Chris Chain came and talked to the class about developing old, downtown buildings into apartments (both studio and 2-bedroom ones).  Our group also had the chance to talk to him separately and cleared the doubts we had regarding space planning for our apartments.  We are making good progress as of now and hope to work steadily and efficiently from here on out.  We are also looking forward to presenting our project to the community.

Magnolia's Three Amigos

Elizabeth Galan

Taylor King

Beatriz Acosta

Day Eleven

Home Sweet Home

After a fun-filled night on the town, we were allowed to come into the office at 9 today.  We spent the early part of the day finishing the program so we could focus more on the facades.  By looking at historic facades, we were able to think about what kind of detailing we wanted to put on the front of the building.  We do not want too much ornamentation but at the same time add enough detail to bring some old character.  The whole group went to The Dinner Bell for lunch, which is a very unique setting.  The circular tables spin at the center allowing all the food to be passed around the table. The food was really good and filling, luckily it is our last meal in McComb.  I think by this point everyone is ready to start a diet to shed off the five pounds gained here.  We have a busy, busy upcoming week in order to finish all of our design.  We can't wait to deliver a final product that could be very beneficial to the downtown area of Magnolia. 


We are all thankful for the hospitality that everyone from McComb and Magnolia has shown to us at LSU.  We couldn't have asked for anymore support or fun events that were provided.  We felt like we were welcome at everything we went to!!  


Thanks again, Magnolia's Three Amigos 

Day Twelve


 We are back on LSU's Campus and are feeling a little stressed because the deadline is coming quickly. We have been working very hard to create a successful project and one that  will help the city of Magnolia. We have met with Frank and Marsha and they have been very helpful in pushing us along with what we need to do for the final presentation. We are really excited about our final design and hope that those who call Magnolia, Mississippi their home will be just as excited. Again we thank everyone who helped us with information, pictures, and who fed us wonderful food without your help this would not have been possible!!




Magnolia's Three Amigos
Elizabeth Galan
Taylor King
Beatriz Acosta


Day Thirteen


Hello mates! After spending another day in studio we have made some nice progress.  Since we only have two and a half days left to finalize our work, the 'amigos' have been spending a lot of time drafting the plans and elevations.  We plan to use much of the night working so we can come into studio tomorrow having made even more progress.  We are laser-cutting our model in the morning and will spend the rest of the day working on renders/ drawings.  Hopefully by tomorrow night we can have most of the drawings done so we can test print and start finalizing all the work.  These next 24 hours will determine how much work we will be able to produce for the final presentation.

.....the time is a tickin'

Magnolia's Three Amigos
Taylor King
Elizabeth Galan
Beatriz Acosta