Town’s architectural work recognized in new book

Published 12:00 am Wednesday, April 14, 1999

By LEONARD GRAY / L’Observateur / April 14, 1999

BATON ROUGE – Builders, architects and fine home-owners across Louisiana owe a debt to A. Hays Town, whose architectural influenceimpacted generations.

Town’s work across Louisiana is recognized and honored in “The Louisiana Houses of A. Hays Town,” to be released by LSU Press in May.Town, born and raised in southwest Louisiana, graduated from Tulane University in 1926 and launched his career in Jackson, Miss. He became apartner in the firm five years later and, in 1940, was honored by Life magazine for his design for the new Jackson High School.

But it was his fascination for historic architecture, gained through his leadership of a WPA project called the Historic American Building Survey of the State of Mississippi, that sparked his interest in using old materials for new homes in traditional designs.

He returned to Louisiana in 1939 and established his own commercial and residential architectural firm in Baton Rouge, making his reputation for proportion and symmetry.

The new LSU Press release, with text by Cyril E. Vetter and exquisitephotography by Philip Gould, recognizes Town’s synthesis of the classic Acadian cottage, Spanish courtyards and Creole-based full-length shutters for an amalgam of balance and the Town style.

His residences feature such classical Town trademarks as pigeonnaires, tree alleys and the use of fine, substantial Louisiana woods such as cypress and heart of pine.

The coffee-table sized book displays Gould’s photographs to best advantage, with the only real criticism of the book being the absence of information regarding location of the featured houses. A reader may betempted to at least view the houses from the exterior, but there is nothing to show where these houses may be found.

Each Town home proudly displays a bronze plaque reading: “A. Hays Town,Architect.”I’d like to see that for myself.

“The Louisiana Houses of A. Hays Town” is priced comfortably at $39.95,and will be available in major bookstores in May.Back to Top

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