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Please note: Contents of this page, including all text and photographs, are copyrighted
by Linda Saxon Nix and may not be copied, downloaded, or used in any manner
without her written consent.

The Tivoli Series

The Tivoli Hotel, the Grande Dame of the Riviera of the South, no longer exists.
She is gone forever, one of our many historic landmarks destroyed by Hurricane Katrina.
Photographs are the only reminder of what was once one of the premier destination
resorts of the Gulf Coast in the Roaring Twenties and the Thirties.

This page showcases the photographs that I took shortly before the Tivoli was torn down by the wrecking ball. They are among my most favorite photographs because they epitomize the very soul of this once magnificent building. I wish I had known The Tivoli Hotel in its time of glamour. Even in its state of total decline, all you have to do is close your eyes, conjure the sounds of an orchestra playing in the Grand Ballroom and your mind can take you back in time where your imagination takes over and you are acutally there, dancing to the music, laughing and having the time of your life.

To the ghosts of the Tivoli Past: You are sorely missed.

Read the History of the Tivoli Hotel

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


"Alcoves and Recesses"

"Window to Our World: View from the Tivoli"

Winner of two awards in 2006:
Best Photograph - Gulf Coast Art Association Annual Snow
Sun Herald Award - Best Photograph - Ocean Springs Art Association Show 2006

An lighted alcove on the mezzanine floor that goes nowhere, yet it is part of the majesty that once was grand architecture.

 

"Rooms for Rent"

A suite of abandoned rooms.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Doors to Nowhere"

A variety of doors and doorways in a room long abandoned.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Penthouse Suite"
With light coming in from an outside window, casting a daylight hue to the floor and walls where it hits, the rest of this aging room must have been one of the finest suites available. The dumb waiter door to the left and overturned table can be seen while the darkened raised ceiling

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Elegance Revisited"

If walls could talk, these walls graced by wide crown molding and age showing by peeling paint in the Mezzanine would have thousands of stories to tell. Close your eyes and listen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Tivoli's Folly "

Taken from the mezzanine, this computer enhanced photograph of the damaged eastern walls shows what was left of the grand ballroom. Remnants of the fancy light fixtures hung from the ceiling. Can't you hear the music playing in a ghostly mist?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Tivoli Destroyed"

This is the eastern side of the front of the Tivoli. Had it not been for the huge Grand Casino gambling barge breaking loose from its moorings, this hotel might could have been saved. The storm surge washed the huge barge over four lanes of Highway 49 and carried it westward where it hit the corner and knock a good portion of four stories away.

News stories told of how people who were staying in the newer (perhaps 50's era, but plainly a second rate motel) Tivoli Motel on the property made their way to the top floor to wait out the storm. Some of them drowned in the storm surge before they reached safety.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Forgotten Windows"

Old-fashioned wooden windows covered with decades of dust and dirt sit in an abandoned room. Were they removed by treasure hunters who were going to take them and use them elsewhere?

"Room with a View"

Although this room was on the eastern side of the hotel, visitors still had a view of the Gulf to their right. This photograph shows what was left of the George Ohr Museum that was designed by Frank Ghery and had begun construction before Katrina hit. With walls gone from the casino barge, it had a much bitter view than when the hotel was in operation.

"Room 409"

When you stand in the darkened room across the hall from Room 409, you can imagine the visitors looking out over the Gulf from their window.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Old Tivoli Hotel

This is a historic postcard of the Tivoli Hotel in its heyday. There was a swimming pool in the front where visitors could swim and look at the view of the Gulf.

 

 

 

 

Coming Soon

A box of ten 5 X 7 note cards printed on Strathmore Watercolor Paper card stock.
The set will contain ten Tivoli images with envelopes.
Price: $50.00 plus $5.00 shipping and handling.

 

To purchase an image from The Tivoli Collection

Payment Methods:

  1. Check or money order, to be received before image is sent.
  2. Your Visa, Master Card or Discover Card number can be taken over the phone. If you wish to purchase in this manner, e-mail me for my phone number.
  3. E-mail your request, including the name and size of the print you wish to purchase. Include the name of the page where you found the image, the image name and / or the image number. I will then send my mailing address so you can mail payment.
  4. Upon receipt of payment and your address, as soon as your check clears , I will mail the photo(s). This is standard Internet business policy.
  5. You will need to allow lab processing time(up to two weeks) if I you want a larger photo lab print, or if I don't have the particular size and image that you wish to order in stock.

Prices vary with each image and image size. Please see the chart below.


Southern Creations, Inc. uses a professional Epson printer that is used by many professional photographers. Using special archival papers, images are rated to last for at least 100 years provided they are framed behind glass and kept out of direct sunlight. All price quotes below do not include matting. If you would like a photograph matted, please e-mail for a price quote.

Due to the fact that some of these photographs were taken with a Mamiya 645 medium format camera, some of the sizes are not exactly like those taken with a 35mm camera and would need to have a custom mat and frame.

Shipping and Handling

Postage and Packaging - Please add for each photo:

(Regular 1st Class Mail Delivery)

Overall size, matted or un-matted per image:
(Approximate sizes listed)

8 X 10
$4.00
11 X 14
$6.00
12 X 16
$9.00
13 X 19 or 16 X 20
$12.00
18 or 20 x 24
$18.00


Priority Mail Flat Rate Envelope Shipping and Handling: $6.30
Framed Photographs - Priced Separately

Insurance - Actual US Postal Service Cost:
(Prices subject to rate increases annually, so
this chart may not reflect actual prices)

Value up to $50.00
$1.70
$50.01 - $100.00
$2.15
$101.00 - $200.00

$2.60
$201 - $300
$4.60
$301 - $400
$5.55
$401 - $500
$6.50
$501 - $600
$7.45
$600 - $5,000
$7.45 plus $0.95 per $100 or fraction thereof


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Please allow time for images to be sized and printed, time for your payment to be received, and time for mailing. If you are in a rush (for instance, you are purchasing a photograph as a gift), you may want to make your transaction by phone and use a charge card.

Absolutely no fine art or reference for painting photographs will be shipped
as a digital file by e-mail.

All Rush Orders - Add $25.00
(as in "I need it today or tomorrow")
Please allow adequate time to print (or order from a photo lab a large print)
and mail before the date you need the photograph(s).

 

"Room 409"

When you stand in the darkened room across the hall from Room 409, you can imagine the visitors looking out over the Gulf from their window.

Prices for un-matted photographs:

Window to our World
10 X 12 - $60.00
13 X 16 - $75.00
16 X 19.5 - $105.00

Alcoves and Recesses
8 X 12 - $50
11 X 16 - $80.00
14 X 20 - $95.00

Elegance Revisited
9 X 12 - $50.00
12 X 16 - $70.00
14.9 X 20 - $95.00

Penthouse Suite
8 X 12- $50.00
12 X 16 - $70.00
15.5 X 20 - $105.00

Doors to Nowhere
8 X 12 - $50.00
12 X 18 - $85.00
13 X 20 - $95.00

Room 409
8 X 12 - $50.00
12 X 18 - $85.00
13.4 X 20 - $95.00

Grande Dame
8 X 12 -$50.00
11 X 16 - $80.00
13.5 X 20 - $95.00

Tivoli's Folly
9 X 12 - $50.00
12 X 16 - $70.00
16 X 20 - $105.00

Sizes for newer available images will be added.


Shipping to be added to the prices listed above;
shipping for matted images will be higher than un-matted images due to size.

(For Larger Sizes, you will need to specify a size and a price quote will be determined.)

 

 

All images are printed on archival Premium Luster paper on a professional printer with archival inks rated to last 100 years. Sizes range from 8 X 12 for most images to 13 + X 20 (not including mats). Larger sizes available by special order. Rights of use are available.

Purchase Other Fine Art Images

Magnolia Images

Christmas Note Cards

Cards and Note cards for all seasons

About the Photographer

Copyright and Image Use Information | Floral Images

Festivals, Art Shows and Galleries

Information on Images for stock, illustration, advertising, web sites, etc.

Back to Southern Creations Main


 

Copyright Notice for Linda S. Nix Photographs and Images:

Southern Creations, Inc. is a business.
Any unauthorized use of any photographs on any of these web pages is prohibited by law.

All images on this page and all other web pages are copyrighted.
(Copyright 1997 - 2007 by Linda Saxon Nix).
None of these photographs are in public domain. They may not be downloaded, printed, manipulated, made into web graphics or Paint Shop Pro tubes, used on personal or corporate web pages, used as art reference,  stored, reproduced electronically or digitally, used in or placed in any image or photography gallery, online or print without my explicit, written permission. If you see anyone offering any of my photographs in any form on the Internet,
or elsewhere, please contact me at the e-mail address above.

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Tivoli Hotel
Circa 1927

 


"The Tivoli Hotel was one of the few remaining Grande Dame resorts of the 1920s, built during a time when the Mississippi Gulf Coast was known as the American Riviera. The hotel was featured as an apartment hotel with 64 guest rooms on four floors. The first floor contained a striking barrel-vaulted lobby with a magnificent ballroom to one side and the large dining room to the other." The ballroom could be viewed from an open mezzanine over a short wrought iron rail. The Mezzanine contained excellent architectural features, some of which are pictured in Nix's photographs. From that vantage point, one could see elegant chandeliers hung by long chains from a two-story tall ceiling.
A different report stated that the Tivoli "boasted 100 rooms with private baths and 24 apartments with baths and kitchenettes". A spacious verandah spanning the length of its façade gave guests a continuous panorama of the Gulf. It had five stories, a swimming pool in front, and was surrounded by picturesque Live oaks. The view of the beach area was outstanding.
According to newspaper accounts, the Tivoli opened "in a whirl of dancing, a kaleidoscopic blaze of color and a musical festival of barbaric jazz." Over the years, more modern hotels came along and The Tivoli slowly skipped into the past. Through the years, many attempts have been made to restore the building to its former glory, including plans to turn it into a halfway house, a resort, and a health center, and, lastly, a casino. Despite these efforts, the building was sitting empty except for the homeless and the transients who burrowed in, using mattresses that were left over, waiting to be called a Grande Dame once again, when Hurricane Katrina hit on August 29, 2005.
My personal impression of the Tivoli as I photographed it was that it was a unique and fascinating structure. I found myself wanting to go back in time to experience the splendor that her guests must have enjoyed. More than that, I wanted The Tivoli to be preserved. The building had lovely arches, ornamental ironwork railing, and little balconies to look over, and ornamental woodwork and where walls met ceilings. Although it was dirty and in disrepair, I found much to delight in, and many artistic scenes to capture. Even the peeling paint on the walls and doors expressed faded dignity.
Several years ago a New Orleans developer had an option on the property, with plans to redeveloping it into high-end condominiums. The plans went nowhere because the owner had wanted to turn it into a small-scale casino. The Tivoli was built like a ten ton cement barricade. It had solid concrete structure and stairwells, was adorned with arches and crown molding, and would have lasted for centuries had the Grand Casino barge not broken loose and been hurled into the southeast corner by the powerful storm surges to destroy the lobby and three more floors. It was the Grand Casino barge that ultimately destroyed it. Had the barge not hit its southeastern corner, it could still be standing today. I feel sure that, since it would have been one of the very few historical landmarks left on the Coast, it would have been refurbished and stood in its glory once again.
I feel most fortunate that I was able to go inside the Tivoli twice during the spring and summer of 2006 and photograph the faded elegance of the once Grande Dame. These photographs are some of my most poignant and memorable images.
The Tivoli was demolished the week after my last photo shoot. With each click of the shutter I had wished it could have been refurbished to its original grandeur. With a few blows from the wrecking ball, it was demolished and is forever gone. It exists only in the photographs and the memories in the recesses of very old minds. It is my pleasure to be able to share some of those poignant memories with you.
Linda Saxon Nix ~ December 2006

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This page created January 27, 2007
Updated 4/9/0, 5/10/08

Uploaded to Southern Creations ATT