Fireplace Mantels and Restored
Fireboxes

There are twelve fireplaces throughout the Nacogdoches University Building, all but the one in the powder room has been restored. The fireplaces had their mantels removed and the openingswere boarded up and plastered over. The major renovation done in 1988 for the building’s 150thcelebration saw restoration of the fireplaces led by Capt. Charles K. Phillips, with consultation from his son Charles A. Phillips, a restoration architect. Once the designs were finalized, the woodwork was done by Morris Boozer and the painting and finishes were completed by Frank Walsh.

The mantle on the parlor’s south wall is the only antique mantle in the Nacogdoches University Building. It is an Edwardian style mantle over mantle. Edwardian style mantels replaced Victorian style and were simpler in nature and were typically tall and slender in design. The south wall mantel was donated by Mr. and Mrs. Robert Cason.

The mantle on the north wall in the parlor was donated by the R. W. McKinney Foundation. It is an early Victorian mantel as evidenced by its ornate details and finishes. This mantel is one of the painted faux wood structures that Charles Phillips finished to replicate rosewood finishes found throughout the building.