Intersection of North Pearl and Franklin streets

Intersection of North Pearl and Franklin streets. Natchez Trails. The dramatic looking Natchez Hotel (no longer standing) was built in 1891. Within a few years, parts of the building began to disappear in stages. The tent-like dome went first in a storm, and a 1926 fire destroyed most of the structure. A remnant of the building, adorned with cast-iron masks, survives on Franklin Street. , This large building with grand columns and extensive porches (behind you) began life about 1840 as a simple, brick cottage. In 1902-1903, the Elks Lodge enlarged and remodeled the building and added a swimming pool. In 1932, the Natchez Garden Club used the Elks Lodge as their headquarters for the first Spring Pilgrimage house tours. In the 1980s, the building became an inn, and the pool was converted to a landscaped courtyard. , Members of the local Jewish community built the Standard Club (no longer standing) as a social club about 1890. Cotton merchants Geisenberger and Friedler rented offices in the first story, while the second story contained a large ballroom. It was a popular spot for social activities before construction of the grander Prentiss club in 1904. , At his shop on the south corner of Franklin and Pearl streets, cabinetmaker Robert Stewart made both wooden furniture for fine Natchez houses and wooden caskets for his undertaking business. He also sold furniture at retail. Cabinetmaking shops like Stewart's utilized the skills of many enslaved and free African American craftsmen in the early 1800s.