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Samuel Mockbee
Canton Fire Station No. 3, Canton, Mississippi, 1984

Samuel Mockbee believed that “the best way to make real architecture is by letting a building evolve out of the culture and place.”

In accordance with this idea, Mockbee’s design for the Canton Fire Station No. 3 evokes local architectural traditions, vernacular materials, and visual associations — but reinterprets them through a modernist lens. For example, the twin gable roof over the facade (early incarnations of which are featured in this sketch) recalls the gables of nearby shotgun houses. It also references the shapes of a fireman’s protective hat and the town’s water tower.

The finished building is constructed of corrugated metal and metal tubing painted white.

Artwork Info

Artwork title
Canton Fire Station No. 3, Canton, Mississippi
Artist name
Samuel Mockbee
Date created
1984
Classification
architectural drawing
Medium
colored pencil and pen on paper
Dimensions
13 3/8 in. × 10 in. (33.97 cm × 25.4 cm)
Date acquired
2000
Credit
Collection SFMOMA
Purchase through a gift of Jay L. Wiener
Copyright
© Sam Mockbee Estate
Permanent URL
https://www.sfmoma.org/artwork/2000.550
Artwork status
Not on view at this time.

Other Works by Samuel Mockbee

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