About

300 Third Street (corner of Citizen and Third)
Old Town Bay St. Louis
Mississippi Gulf Coast

A Celebration of Light and Space

This former schoolhouse possesses a rare "wow" factor that delights every visitor.  Restoration began in 2002 with the goal of preserving the simple authenticity of the building while creating two uplifting and convivial condo units, perfect for entertaining.

Located on some of the highest land near the Mississippi coast, Webb School is also an incredibly solid building.  It's constructed from legendary heart-pine wood, from old growth trees. The most of the floors, walls and ceilings are made from 1" thick interlocking tongue and groove.  Even the custom cabinets in one of the kitchens are crafted from reclaimed heart-pine. 

The original two schoolrooms have been re-designed as two large loft-style independent "apartments" - each with full kitchen, HVAC system and laundry hookups.  Both sides have private entrances opening in the front to the expansive veranda and in the back to a raised deck.  In addition, on the ground floor, there's a spacious separate studio/office and and an additional 2400 sq ft of covered exterior space. 

While Webb School is currently being used as single family home with 21/2 baths, it can be switched back to two separate living areas simply by closing a few doors. 

The building's grounds cover nearly 3/4 of an acre and are shaded by three enormous live oak trees, as well as magnolias, azaleas and bottle brush trees. From the park-like yard, it's just a two-block stroll to the beach, with its six-mile walking/biking path.

Walk or bike through Old Town's Depot District and the Main Street art and shopping district.  Bay St. Louis itself is sometimes called "Mayberry by the Sea," and you can click here to find out why. When you have a yearning for big city culture, you're less than an hour from the New Orlean's French Quarter and the CBD, making for an easy commute.

Many have said that Webb School reminds them of a grand-scale tree house.  Others talk about lingering "kid energy" that makes the heart feel lighter.  Still other say their spirits are buoyed by all the light the building catches.  But pretty much everybody agrees that Webb School is a place they'll never forget.

Year Built:  1913

Under Roof Heated and Cooled: 
  • Ground Level Office and studio with 1/2 bath (separate entrance):  778 sf
  • First Level with loft:  2666 sf
  • Total:    3444  sf                          

Additional Under Roof Exterior Space
  • Front Porch:  623 sf
  • Ground Level:  2400 sf
  • Total:  3,023 sf
  • Total Under Roof:  6174                                       

Open Exterior Space
  • Rear Deck: 256 sf

Lot Size: 
  • .71 acres (according to Hancock Tax Info)

Price:
  • $925,000.  Adjacent lot available:   95 X 85'  - $150,000

Interior Features

  • Old growth Longleaf heart-pine wood walls, ceilings, floors
  • Loft-style living spaces easily allow for small or large-scale entertaining
  • 64 windows for year-round, day-round natural light
  • "Ship's Cabin" Loft
  • Two full kitchens
  • Main Kitchen with custom heart-pine cabinets
  • Refrigerator
  • Dishwasher
  • 5 burner built-in gas cook-top
  • Double Oven
  • Electrical service for additional electric stove
  • 12ft ceilings in main rooms
  • Laundry Room
  • hookups for additional washer/dryer units
  • Staircase-multiple
  • 2+ cooling units
  • Zoned Cooling
  • Split Bedrooms
  • Walk-in Closet
  • Monitored wireless fire alarm system
  • 9 ceiling fans
  • downstairs office area with third cooling/heating unit
Exterior Features
  • Nearly 3/4 an acre with additional lot available
  • Partially fenced yard (wood custom picket)
  • Main Level Parking
  • Off Street Parking
Fireplace Features
  • natural gas
  • In Library
Heating/Cooling Features
  • 2 Dual central heating systems, Heat Pump/Gas
  • 2 Central A/C units
Exterior Construction
  • Heart pine, cypress
  • Concrete
Roofing
  • Metal
Stories
  • 2 stories
Location
  • Old Town Bay St. Louis
  • Two blocks from Beach
  • At 24.5 feet, some of the highest elevation in Bay St. Louis - and on the Mississippi coastline (beach areas)
Misc
  • designated Mississippi Landmark
  • Low-risk flood zone
  • Complete preventative treatment with Termador in 2008.  Recent termite inspection (March 2014) found no active termites. 
  • Major structural reinforcements from top to bottom.
  • Restoration has included top to bottom renovation beginning in 2002.    Latest improvements, additional landscaping and tree trimming, exterior painting and window glazing, interior painting, addition of historic brick walk. 
  • *Old growth heart pine:  The only way to get Heart Pine is time. According to the USDA Forest Service book “Longleaf Pine,” it takes 200 years for a longleaf pine to become mostly heartwood and be considered antique. Because this lumber was so desirable, it was almost timbered to extinction by 1900. What remains of the once vast virgin forest are protected meaning Old Growth Heart Pine is no longer commercially available as a timber crop.
    Scientists say that any wood from a tree less than 200 years old is “new heart pine.” A 75-year-old tree will average less than 30% heart. New Heart Pine is not as hard or rich in color as true Old Growth Heart Pine.
    Longleaf pine trees usually only grew an inch in diameter every 30 years and lived to be 400 to 500 years old, meaning that old growth heart pine grew slowly and had time to grow dense and strong.

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History

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