Built in 1856, the Tullis-Toledano Manor was a wedding present to Matilde Pradat by her husband Christoval Sebastian Toledano, who was a noted sugar and cotton broker from New Orleans.
Located on Biloxi's East Beach, the Manor is designed to interpret the region's antebellum history. The manor has been constructed on a French plan with intricate architectural details and is hailed by many as the most striking embodiment of Greek Revival Architecture. Warm red brick walls make up the exterior while the interior of the house in done up in the period style with an eclectic collection of antiques. The house, which encompasses two and a half stories and five bays, is infused with a multitude of decorative elements which include a semi-spiraled wooden staircase and cast-iron tie-rod bolts on the window blinds with Christoval Toledano's initials on them.
The house changed hands to Garner H Tullis who was then the president of the New Orleans Cotton exchange and then to Biloxi in 1975, when it was used as a museum and cultural center. Many young couples have been married on the vast and beautiful grounds of the Tullis Manor. The grounds are also home to the historic Councilor Oak which is said to be growing there, long before the settlers arrived. It is certainly one of the most massive and ancient of all of the area's live oaks. It is also believed that the early French settlers and Native Americans concluded treaties under its great boughs.
Unfortunately, the Manor has been a victim to the wrath of two immensely destructive hurricanes. The Manor was reconstructed after the Hurricane Camille hit the area but could not survive the Hurricane Katrina which ravaged it in 2005. The Grand Casino barge, which was moored on the Gulf, was lifted up by the winds and came crashing down on the Manor, reducing it to rubble.
For further information, you can refer to the website http://www.biloxi.ms.us/museums/tullistoledano or call (228) 435-6293.
The Tullis-Toledano Manor
360 Beach Blvd,
Biloxi, MS.
