It’s an amazing small-town story with some amazing results.
Belinda Stewart Architects is based in Eupora, a city of about 2,100, and is now doing business from Maryland to Louisiana. Opened in 1990, the firm is a wholly woman-owned business with 23 employees and has received more than 100 design and distinguished preservation awards.
They have worked on more than 600 historic structures and on local, state and federal projects.
The owner and mastermind is Belinda Stewart, a Mississippi State University architect graduate, who has the motto “There’s Always a Way.” She grew up on a farm near Walthall, which is 4 miles north of Eupora, and went to school in Eupora.
“But I’ve always considered myself to be from Eupora as well,” she says. “I left Mississippi right after college, but within five years I decided to come back and see if I could develop my company here in Eupora. I knew that I wanted to focus on preserving historic buildings, and on new buildings in historic communities, and I believed that could be done from a small town.”
Stewart says the secret to the success she’s had is surrounding herself with wonderful people who have a passion for this kind of work, a heart for service and a love for the area.
“We focus on projects that are incredibly meaningful and that make a significant difference in their community,” she explained.
As an architect, she has always been fascinated with vernacular architecture — local non-architect-designed structures.
“There is so much to learn from these structures, which grew out of necessity and available materials and trial and error. Their simplicity, strength and utility provided honest and authentic buildings,” she said.
Her passion for historic properties is based on the significant stories these properties have to tell, and it’s these stories that draw her to them.
“Historic properties are the tangible evidence of our stories. They can remind us of the significant events that happened around us, both good and difficult,” she said. “These stories frame and give a better context to our design.”
Sometimes, the stories are connected to an important person in history or events that helped shape the nation, such as the Emmett Till-related sites in the Mississippi Delta.
“Within the larger narrative, there are always tidbits of stories that make the history feel tangible. The building is the artifact that holds the stories,” Stewart said.
Currently, Stewart and the firm are in the early stages of documentation and restoration of Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church and Parsonage, Martin Luther King’s church, in Montgomery, Alabama. They have also been helping tell Emmett Till’s story through various projects in the Mississippi Delta for 17 years.
“It is an extraordinary privilege to be part of these projects, helping to bring light to their significance,” she said.
An early project that stands out for her was the Matt Ross Administration Building for Claiborne County, completed in the mid-1990s.
“This was an annex to the courthouse and served as a bridge between the exuberant architecture of the historic Claiborne County Courthouse and downtown Port Gibson,” she said. “The building was designed with significant community engagement, incorporating local artwork, and telling the story of the civil rights boycott in Claiborne County.”
Often, funding is a challenge when communities have more critical needs competing for funds and have difficulty prioritizing restoration projects.
“We added grant writing and assistance to our services early on and have helped bring close to $40 million in additional funding to our projects over the years,” Stewart said. “The early planning stages of projects present challenges, too.”
Technology has come a long way since the firm opened in 1990 and has helped in a variety of ways.
“We have employees who primarily work with us remotely, as well as employees who periodically work remotely to provide flexibility for things going on in their lives,” Stewart said. “Technology has allowed us to communicate more often with our clients, through remote meeting software, online camera technology and cellphones — those little computers we hold in our hands.”
Also, technology has significantly expanded their services for historic preservation.
“We have used drones for several years now, giving us early and expanded access to analyze existing structures and sites,” Stewart said. “We also use 3D scanners to document structures. Additional technologies such as moisture meters, thermal cameras, borescopes, digital measuring devices and testing equipment allow us to gather highly detailed information about our projects.”
In the 30-plus years since Belinda Stewart Architects opened, much has changed. The company has added more services, more people and work in more places. There have also been some personal changes.
“I have a larger family, including a precious 2-year-old granddaughter,” she said. “I’ve learned how to be more patient (much of the time) and to better appreciate and listen.”
