Longwood
Longwood
Architect: Samuel Sloan
Location: Natchez, Mississippi
Year: Begun 1860 (never completed)
Visited: November 2015 and April 2017
Why it matters: The largest octagonal house in the U.S.—an ornate, unfinished vision of antebellum grandeur, forever frozen by the Civil War.
YouTube tour
Why It’s Iconic:
Longwood is a time capsule—and a heartbreak. Commissioned by wealthy planter Haller Nutt, this massive octagonal mansion was designed by Philadelphia architect Samuel Sloan in the exotic "Oriental Villa" style. Its ambitious layout included 32 rooms, domed ceilings, and elaborate Moorish detailing.
But in 1861, with the Civil War looming, Northern craftsmen abandoned the project, leaving only the basement level completed and livable. The remaining five stories were left raw and skeletal—an architectural ghost. The family lived in the finished ground floor while the vast upper structure sat open to the elements for generations.
What makes Longwood so unforgettable is exactly that incompleteness. Touring it feels like walking through ambition interrupted. The contrast between the ornate, finished lower level and the haunting, exposed brickwork above is unlike anything else in American architecture. It’s eerie, grand, and utterly compelling—a monument to what was and what might have been.
Jeb Score (Judging Every Building)
Design ★★★★☆
Preservation ★★★☆☆
Livability ★☆☆☆☆
Influence ★★☆☆☆
Overall Iconicity ★★★★☆
