Historic Mandeville and Covington - Preservation Resource Center

PRESERVATION RESOURCE CENTER OF NEW ORLEANS APRIL 2010 

PRESERVATION 

VOLUME 37 NUMBER 3 

Louisiana State Historic Preservation Office 

IN PRINT 

Historic Mandeville 

and Covington 

Inside: 

• Real Time in Tremé 

• Meet “Uncle” Lionel Batiste 

and Benny Jones, Sr. 

• Save America’s Treasures: 

Dollar for Dollar Beats Stimulus Package 

• Spring Break with Hammer in Hand 

at PRC’s Rebuilding Together

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2 Preservation in Print • April 2010 www.prcno.org

PRESERVATION 

VOL. 37, NO. 3 

Published by the Preservation Resource Center of New Orleans 

and the Louisiana State Historic Preservation Office 

Editor Mary Fitzpatrick 

Deputy Editor & Chief Archivist Katie Walenter 

State Historic Preservation Officer Scott Hutcheson 

Assistant Editor Patricia Duncan 

Advertising Manager Jackie Derks 

Typography & Design Fonda Brennan 

Literary Sales Manager Averil Oberhelman 

Printing Brennan’s Printing & Mailing 

PRESERVATION RESOURCE CENTER 

OF NEW ORLEANS 

ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF 

Executive Director Patricia H. Gay 

Chief Financial Officer Brandi Couvillion 

Development Director Beverly R. Lamb 

Education & Outreach Director Suzanne Blaum 

Operation Comeback Director Pamela M. Bryan 

Preservation In Print Editor Mary Fitzpatrick 

Rebuilding Together Acting Director Daniela Rivero 

BOARD OF DIRECTORS 

IN PRINT 

APRIL 2010 

President Holly Sharp Snodgrass 

Vice President Hal Williamson 

Secretary Anne F. Redd 

Treasurer Randy Opotowsky 

At-Large Janie Blackmon, David Darragh 

Leah Nunn Engelhardt, Wayne Troyer 

Directors 

Lynn Alline 

Odom B. Heebe 

Charles Booker 

Clyde Jacob 

Hal Brown 

Paul James 

Robert W. Brown 

Al Johnson 

Bridget Carter 

Gaynell Lawrence 

Mark M. Cassidy, M.D. Frederic Theodore “Ted” Le Clercq 

Steve Dumez 

Rhesa O. McDonald 

Rashida Ferdinand Michelle Ogden 

Donna Fricker 

Suzanne Perlis 

Julie Habetz 

Lloyd N. “Sonny” Shields 

Stephanie Haynes Hilda Young 

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GET YOUR WHITE LINEN SUIT 

FOR THE WHITNEY ZOO-TO-DO! 

Preservation in Print is published to promote the appreciation of Louisiana’s historic 

architecture and neighborhoods. The views expressed in signed articles are 

not necessarily those of the Preservation Resource Center. Membership in Preservation 

Resource Center is open to all. Preservation in Print is published nine 

times a year. The Preservation Resource Center is a member of The Chamber/ 

New Orleans and the River Region, New Orleans Tourism and Marketing Corporation, 

the Louisiana Trust for Historic Preservation, Preservation Action, and the 

National Trust for Historic Preservation. Library of Congress ISSN: 0734-4481 

10% recycled content 

& FSC certified 

This project has been financed in part with federal funds from the National Park Service, Department of the Interior, through the Department 

of Culture, Recreation and Tourism. However, the contents and opinions do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the Department 

of the Interior, nor does the mention of trade names or commercial products constitute endorsement or recommendation by the 

Department of the Interior. This program received federal financial assistance for identification and protection of historic properties. Under 

Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the U. S. Department of the Interior prohibits 

discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin or handicap in its federally assisted programs. If you believe that you have been 

discriminated against in any program, activity or facility as described above, or if you desire further information, please write to: Office of 

Equal Opportunity, U. S. Department of the Interior, Washington, D.C. 20240 


923 TCHOUPITOULAS STREET, NEW ORLEANS, LA 70130 

(504) 581-7032 • FAX: (504) 636-3073 

E-MAIL: prc@prcno.org • WEBSITE: www.prcno.org 

www.prcno.org 

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2010 April • Preservation in Print 3

Contents 

FROM THE DIRECTOR 

6 

How to Get 10 Times More Jobs from Tax Dollars 

by Patricia H. Gay 

Congratulations, Mayor-Elect Landrieu 


FROM THE STATE 

HISTORIC PRESERVATION 

OFFICE 

7 

Lost to Louisiana 

by Patricia L. Duncan 

9 

Preservation for the Ages Conference, April 14-16 

PRC IN ACTION 

30 

Federal Budget Cuts Threaten Historic Preservation 

by Theresa Conrad 

Stimulus Package vs. Save America’s Treasures: 

Jobs Created 

Federal Historic Tax Credit as Job Creator 

Saints’ Quarterback Drew Brees Partners with Operation 

Comeback and Prince of Wales’ Foundation 

31 

Operation Comeback Homes For Sale 

by Lisa Ross 

32 

Preparing for a Lifetime of Community Involvement 

by Sarina Mohan 

33 

Alternative Spring Break Brings 

College Kids to Help Rebuild 

by Alyssa Provencio 

34 

Membership 

35 

Major Donors 

37 

PRC Salvage Store’s Featured Item: 

Stained Glass Window 

FEATURES 

11 

Destinations: Old Covington and Mandeville 

by Celeste Berteau 

18 

Real Time in Tremé 

by Katie Walenter 

20 

Blight Fight in Tremé 

by Constance Adler 

28 

New Orleans on Film: Blaze 

by Alex Lemann 

29 

The Hottest Blaze in Burlesque 

by John Magill 

NEWS & VIEWS 

17 

Craft Guild Shop on Julia Street 

Alive with Local Artwork 

by Danielle Del Sol 

New Exhibit and Sale at PRC Gallery 

22 

Thinking Big in a Small Way: 

An Interview with Roberta Gratz 

by Mary Fitzpatrick 

26 

Featured Book from PRC Store: 

How to Achieve a Heaven on Earth 

by Danielle Del Sol 

Preservation Complements Prosperity: 

The New Orleans Example 


COLUMNS 

25 

Legends: The Beat on the Street with Members 

of Tremé Brass Band 

by Constance Adler 

37 

Marigny Life: What Resonates 


36 

Kiosk 


On the front cover: Dew Drop Social and 

Benevolent Hall in Old Mandeville. 

Photograph by Celeste Berteau. 

Correction: 

In Preservation in Print’s September 2009 article 

“The Era of Residential Luxury Returns to 

the Pontchartrain” (page 21), the last name of 

father-son mural painters Charles and Charles 

Reinike III was incorrectly spelled. 

At the end of Kim Bookless’ article “Obamaland” 

(page 28) in Preservation in Print’s 

February 2010 issue, the URL was incorrectly 

attributed. Max Grinnell can be reached at 

theurbanologist.com. 

Given Kristin Palmer’s track record at PRC [where she has twice been direc - 

tor of Rebuilding Together, as well as director of educational programs] 

and elsewhere, we should see some very positive projects and policies 

coming out of city hall, not just for her district but for the entire city. 

Patricia H. Gay, PRC executive director 

FROM THE EDITOR 

FRENCH QUARTER IN GOOD HANDS WITH 

KRISTIN PALMER 

Venice, Italy — As I sit in a café writing this, the 

silent alleys of Venice, trampled each year by more 

than 16 million visitors, have been briefly returned 

to fewer than 60,000 Venetians. Their numbers are 

small and their presence is elusive. In fact, every 

museum guide and waiter tells me the same thing: 

They, themselves, live on the mainland where life 

is easier and cheaper. I am reminded of French 

Quarter author James Nolan who has talked for 

years about ending up alone in the urban zoo of 

the Quarter with dressed-up tour guides commuting 

from Harahan. While it seems so disingenuous 

when the geography is ours, it is exactly the situation 

in Venice today. 

At this point there are fewer than 4,000 full-time 

residents in the Quarter, and many of them mass 

together in their favored cafés as if they were equatorial 

expats. Bars, cafes and the Postal Emporium 

are among the few local places to congregate as 

Quarterites, like Venetians, have seen much of the 

commerce essential for daily life replaced by tourist 

shops. In Venice it is masks, instead of t-shirts, that 

have become the fast buck for shopkeepers. The 

famous fish and produce markets are shrinking, 

and it is possible that soon Venetians will experience 

the French Market phenomenon, i.e., the food 

vendors move out, tourist traders fill the stalls, and 

finally a public/private partnership steps in to promote 

a welcome revival of the original market. 

Tourism is tricky, in Italy as well as Louisiana. 

New Orleans Councilmember Jackie Clarkson has 

been a proponent of cultural tourism for many 

years, emphasizing the merits of attracting tourists 

who spend more, stay longer and respect the 

environment they are visiting. Not too long ago a 

Venetian tourism official declared that only about 

four million of the 16 million-plus tourists who 

come to Venice add anything to the local economy. 

The majority cost the Italians far more to host than 

they contribute. 

In New Orleans’ earnest effort to rebuild the 

tourism industry — with an official goal of doubling 

the annual visitor count to around 14 million 

— it is wise to take counsel from destinations 

such as Venice. And it is a stroke of genius to elect 

such a thoughtful community steward as Kristin 

Gisleson-Palmer to represent this fragile heart of 

the city, which will reap the benefit and bear the 

burden of tourism. 

Mary Fitzpatrick 

Editor 


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From the 

DIRECTOR 

Patricia H. Gay, executive director 

Preservation Resource Center of New Orleans 

How to get 10 times more 

jobs from tax dollars 

We have said it before and we 

will say it again: Public dollars 

spent on preservation programs 

have more economic impact than 

almost any public program you can 

name. Preservation programs almost 

always generate more jobs per public 

dollar and have a bigger ripple 

effect than most economic development 

efforts. Study after study 

has proven this, the latest being 

Donovan Rypkema’s comparison of 

Stimulus dollars to Save America’s 

Treasures, a program started under 

the Clinton Administration that 

has been proposed for elimination. 

(Please see article on page 

30.) State by state, Save America’s 

Treasures project dollars generated 

on average 11 times more jobs than 

Stimulus dollars, per dollar spent. In 

Louisiana, the figure is higher. 

Many countries have included 

heritage funding to address the worldwide 

recession. Recent figures from 

Australia, as reported by Mr. Rypkema, 

indicate that the cost per job 

from heritage programs is $21,818 — 

11 times more created jobs than the 

White House figure of $159 billion 

that has generated 640,000 jobs. As 

he says “But make the next calculation 

— that works out to $248,000 

per job,” spent from Stimulus dollars. 

Surely we can get through to our 

leaders with this information. 

Preservation programs complement 

others. Neil Pearce, syndicated 

columnist who covers urban matters, 

recently wrote about the urban 

programs that President Obama’s 

Administration has introduced. We 

are all for urban programs because 

we see urban revitalization as the 

only solution to economic, environmental 

and quality-of-life issues, 

but there was a missing piece: you 

guessed it — historic preservation 

programs. Had funding been 

included as part of the Administration’s 

urban initiative, we would 

see more immediate and more 

visible results, with more of a ripple 

effect. It has been proven time and 

again that Main Street, tax credits 

(include please a homeowner rehab 

credit), grants and other programs 

have major economic impact. Why 

are these programs ignored 

Why are preservation programs 

so successful Many, many reasons. 

They attract private sector 

investment. They are building on 

substance, not fluff, speculation or 

the unknown. Restoration generates 

more jobs per dollar than 

new construction. Highly visible, 

preservation programs indicate that 

a community knows value, knows 

what it is doing, and is committed 

to making a better life for all who 

live there. Since 1966 (the National 

Preservation Act), a partnership 

among the states and local governments 

has grown with success after 

success within the National Park 

Service. Prior to 1966, American 

cities were imploding, losing 

population with infrastructure going 

unused, institutions collapsing and 

with a resulting escalation of crime, 

violence and loss of tax revenues. 

As solutions got into full swing cities 

across the country saw downtowns 

and urban neighborhoods 

reverse decline and come alive. 

Yet this economically successful 

partnership with its many programs 

has been ignored. 

Want jobs We urge our leaders, 

at home, in our state capitals and in 

Washington, to take advantage of a 

true success story to create more jobs 

and get our economies going again. 

Congratulations, Mayor-Elect Landrieu 

The PRC congratulates Mitch Landrieu on his impressive mayoral 

victory. By all accounts he ran an energizing campaign, so thoroughly 

uniting voters across every demographic that he was elected in the primary 

round — a feat accomplished only once in the last 30 years. 

Mr. Landrieu will be leaving his post as Louisiana’s Lt. Governor, a 

position he has held since 2004. As historic preservation falls under Mr. 

Landrieu’s supervision as the head of Louisiana’s Department of Culture, 

Recreation and Tourism, we have worked closely with Mr. Landrieu and 

his office over the years, and look forward to continuing this partnership 

in his new capacity as Mayor of the City of New Orleans. 

Under his tenure, Louisiana has instituted programs to help homeowners 

rehabilitate historic housing through tax credits and the Historic 

Preservation Recovery Grant Program, the Cultural Economy Initiative, 

Broadway South and the Homeowner Rehabilitation Tax Credit. He has 

always been happy to offer assistance to those working to preserve New 

Orleans’ unique way of life, and we are confident that he will continue 

to make preservation a priority, as his election agenda lists opening a 

dialog with the PRC about these issues. 

To keep our city moving forward, we would like to suggest our new 

mayor immediately take the following steps (for starters!): 

1. Fully fund the Historic District Landmarks Commission and 

other agencies that oversee our historic buildings and districts. This 

includes the Vieux Carré Commission and the City Planning Commission. 

Specifically for the HDLC, accommodate qualified neighborhoods 

that want to become local historic districts, because local district 

designation serves as an impetus for revitalization, business development 

and residential development. The current staff of the HDLC is at pre- 

Katrina levels, and additional staff is needed to facilitate new districts. 

The cost for this goal is nominal and the economic development impact 

will continue to multiply as districts develop, which will facilitate other 

preservation goals. 

2. Expedite the process for getting blighted properties to the market. 

Reducing blight was a major issue in the campaign, and is certainly a 

focus of the incoming administration. Clearly, the best and greenest 

way to reduce blight in our communities is to return these properties 

to commerce, allowing interested parties to renovate and improve the 

neighborhood, not only for themselves but for all. The current process is 

overly complicated, discouraging and ripe for an overhaul. 

3. Let’s market New Orleans as a great place to live, not just to 

visit. We have spent much time and energy telling the world that New 

Orleans is again ready to welcome them for fun, now let’s capitalize on 

those good feelings to encourage them to put down roots. We have a 

uniquely appealing culture and lifestyle that differs from anything else 

America has to offer and we saw what happened Post-Katrina — many 

people who came to help discovered what life was like here in New Orleans 

and stayed, bringing their energy and enthusiasm with them. Let’s 

spread that message. 

From ensuring that City Hall employees understand that preservation 

is a core ethic of the administration to bringing the message to Baton 

Rouge and Washington, we need to make historic preservation part of 

the process. Preservation is good business, spurring economic development 

and job creation while preserving our heritage for generations to 

come. As part of that forward-planning process, historic preservation 

should be a criterion in developing and evaluating projects and their 

overall impact. It should be included in economic development strategies 

by establishing a policy for creating and supporting programs that 

focus on marketing our exceptional built environment to attract business 

investment and public support. 

Historic preservation should be part of our city’s DNA — something 

built into our processes to ensure our treasures get the protection they 

deserve while the city reaps the economic rewards. We wish our new 

mayor the best of luck and stand ready to help however we can. 


From the 

LOUISIANA 

State Historic Preservation Office 

Office of Cultural Development, 

Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism 

Lost to Louisiana 

By Patricia L. Duncan 

Division of Historic Preservation 

As a professional preservationist, 

I sometimes talk with people who 

believe that having their historic 

property added to the National 

Register of Historic Places will 

ensure its survival. Sadly, that is 

not always the case. 

Although the prestige of Register 

listing should carry a moral obligation 

to preserve, that responsibility 

is not a legal one. Listed private 

properties can be demolished or 

moved according to the owner’s 

wishes. Sometimes the State Historic 

Preservation Office does not 

even know that demolition or moving 

has taken place. And of course, 

there is no way the Register can 

prevent hurricanes and fires. 

While recently reviewing the National 

Register files, I was shocked 

and saddened to see the extent and 

variety of the resources Louisiana 

has lost. By mourning these losses 

(examples of which follow), perhaps 

we can appreciate even more the 

wonderful historic properties that 

survive in our state. 

Lands End Plantation (c. 1857) 

Land’s End Plantation stood near 

Frierson in northern DeSoto Parish. 

Listed on the National Register in 

1972, the Greek Revival mansion 

was built by Colonel Henry 

Marshall, a signer of the Confederate 

Constitution and the Louisiana 

Ordinance of Secession. Featuring 

six fluted Ionic columns, two black 

marble mantels, and faux marbre 

baseboards painted to match, the 

house remained in the hands of the 

Marshall-Means family for seven 

generations before its destruction by 

an electrical fire in October 1989. 

Sprague Street Houses (c. 1903) 

Located on the edge of a large 

African-American neighborhood 

(known variously as Ledbetter 

Heights, St. Paul’s Bottoms and The 

Bottoms) that has been decimated 

by losses, Shreveport’s Sprague 

Street houses were a row of six 

almost identical urban cottages 

featuring Queen Anne Revival and 

Eastlake styling. Designed 

Land’s End photo by Goodloe Stuck 

Sprague Street Houses photos by Shreveport Metropolitan Planning Commission 

www.prcno.org 


June House photos by Donna Fricker Kate Chopin House phot by John C. Guillet 

as workers’ housing for a rental 

market, they were characterized as 

“side hall shotguns” when added to 

the National Register in 1983. Last 

December the Division of Historic 

Preservation learned that five of the 

cottages have been lost, while the 

future of the sixth is uncertain. 

Kate Chopin House (c. 1805) 

Designated a National Historic 

Landmark in 1993 due to its association 

with the nationally 

significant author Kate Chopin, 

this French Creole, raised-basement 

house stood in the southern 

Natchitoches Parish community of 

Cloutierville. While residing there 

with her family from 1880 to 1883, 

Chopin discovered the folklore and 

lifestyles of the Cane River region, 

the culture that served as inspiration 

for many of her later literary 

works. Fire destroyed the landmark 

in October 2008. 

June House (c. 1898) 

Photographs indicate that Hammond’s 

June House, an outstanding 

example of the Queen Anne Revival 

featuring a turret and other lively 

exterior details, also contained the 

finest late-19th/early 20th-century 

interiors in Tangipahoa Parish. 

Added to the National Register 

in 1983, the house contained an 

interior with wainscoting, mantels, 

staircase, coffered ceilings, modillion 

cornices, carved faces and plant 

motifs; and elaborate patterns of 

beaded boards formed from woods 

such as oak, maple, curly pine, heart 

pine, cherry, burl walnut, magnolia, 

poplar and cypress. To have such an 

elaborate interior in a small town 

home was unusual. Louisiana lost 

the June House, like so many other 

historic properties, to fire. 

Longbranch Hotel (c. 1879-1880) 

A resort complex located about 

10 miles north of Lake Pontchartrain, 

the Longbranch offered the 

curative powers of St. Tammany 

Parish’s “sparkling” mineral water 

and “healthy” ozone-laced air to 

vacationers and the infirm. The last 

surviving resort hotel in the Abita 

Springs area, it obtained National 

Register status in 1982. In 1992 the 

owner sold the hotel’s Victorianera 

guest house to a New Orleanean 

who moved it away from the 

complex. Shortly thereafter, a fire of 

unknown origin destroyed the Classically 

styled main building. 

June House 

Longbranch Hotel photo by Donna Fricker 

Longbranch Guest House photo by Donna Fricker 


Tezcuco (c. 1855) 

Once the home of a prosperous and 

style-conscious planter, Tezcuco 

combined elements of the Greek 

Revival and Italianate styles in a 

sophisticated and intricate manner. 

Added to the National Register 

in 1983, its exterior highlights 

included the extensive use of ironwork 

in a grape and vine pattern 

and highly detailed Greek Revival 

dormers. Even more luxurious, 

the interior featured cornices and 

friezes elaborated by moldings 

with an intricately foliated design, 

three marble mantels, and faux 

bois doors. Fortunately, vacationers 

sleeping in the house escaped 

unharmed when fire destroyed the 

bed and breakfast in 2002. 

Texcuco photo courtesy of the Division of Historic Preservation 

Gracelane photo by Patricia L. Duncan 

Missing in Action 

As mentioned in the accompanying article, owners of private 

property may legally demolish or move Register-listed buildings 

without notifying the Division of Historic Preservation. 

This has happened to Baton Rouge’s Gracelane Plantation 

(c. 1870), which achieved National Register listing in 1997. 

In the way of a new subdivision, the house later disappeared 

from its site just off Perkins Road in the southeast portion 

of the city. If anyone knows what happened to Gracelane, 

please contact Louisiana’s National Register Coordinator at 

225.219.4595 or pduncan@crt.state.la.us. 

Preservation for the Ages 

Louisiana Preservation Conference & 

Honor Awards Luncheon 

April 14-16, 2010 

Shreveport Convention Center •Shreveport, Louisiana 

Hosted By Louisiana Trust For Historic Preservation & Louisiana Division Of Historic Preservation 

Keynote speaker: Mr. Pratt W. Cassity, Jr., Director of the Center for Community Design and Preservation 

Educational Sessions: Including those on mid-century architecture, the use of tax credits in 

preservation, and many more. 

Tours: of Shreveport’s Historic Districts and Landmarks 

For more information, call 225.930.0936 or email: info@lthp.org. 

www.prcno.org 


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OLD COVINGTON AND HISTORIC MANDEVILLE, FAMED 100 YEARS AGO FOR 

THEIR HEALTHY AIR, ARE NOW HAPPENING PLACES WITH RESTAURANTS, 

GALLERIES AND SHOPS IN NATIONAL REGISTER-LISTED BUILDINGS. 

North shore shotguns are known for their wrapped porches. 

The Ozone Belt 

By Celeste Berteau 

Photos by Celeste Berteau and Charles E. Leche 

© Charles E. Leche 

IN 1898 a publication referred to 

the area north of Lake Pontchartrain 

as “An Ideal Retreat.” At 

this same time the East Louisiana 

Railroad proclaimed St. Tammany 

Parish to be “the immune region,” 

and a place “where no contagious 

diseases can exist.” Obviously the 

second quote has no basis in reality, 

but even today, despite a gigantic 

building boom over the last 20 

years, I would have to agree with 

the first. From participating in a formal 

retreat among the pines at the 

historic St. Joseph Abbey outside 

Covington, to spending a leisurely 

weekend in a cabin on stilts over 

the lolling lake waves at Fontainebleau 

State Park, numerous relaxing, 

entertaining and educational opportunities 

await the visitor in the 

“Ozone Belt.” 

COVINGTON was established primarily 

as a commercial center and 

port at the fork of the Tchefuncte 

and Bogue Falaya rivers. The town 

www.prcno.org 

was founded in 1813 by John Wharton 

Collins, an Englishman from 

Philadelphia, who purchased 1600 

acres from a New Orleans Creole 

named Jacques Drieux. Prior to this 

acquisition he had staked a claim 

with the Spanish government to all 

the land between the Tchefuncte 

and Drieux’s land. This all became 

the town of Covington. Collins laid 

his town out in a grid of 27 blocks 

oriented to the Bogue Falaya. He 

named this area the Division of St. 

John, and even though, due to two 

fires, none of the original buildings 

exist, the National Register 

of Historic Places refers to historic 

Covington as The Division of St. 

John Historic District. Something 

in the area of 246 buildings are 

included in this listing, most built 

between 1880 and the early 1900s, 

and reflective of architectural styles 

ranging from Queen Anne Revival 

and Eastlake to Craftsman bungalows 

to a style known as North 

Shore, described as a shotgun with 

a t-shaped addition at the rear. 

Besides being historically significant 

for its architecture, Collins’ design 

of his town is important from an 

urban planning standpoint. While 

shopping at galleries and shops on 

Columbia and Boston streets over 

the years, I noticed what reminded 

me of courtyards behind the buildings, 

but never gave it 

Ruins of Bernard de Marigny’s sugar mill at Fontainebleau State Park in Mandeville 


Destinations 

much thought. What I now know 

is that Collins set up each block 

to have 300-square feet of open 

space, a small central square, which 

connected to the streets by alleys. 

These open areas were known as ox 

lots, where residents tethered their 

livestock. For this design, Covington 

takes its place in a select group 

of American towns known for innovative 

urban planning, and today 

there are nine acres of open spaces 

within the historic area. Although 

Collins originally named his town 

Wharton, in 1816 the state legislature 

re-named it Covington, in 

honor of General Leonard Covington, 

a native of Natchez, Mississippi, 

and hero of the War of 1812. 

As the area north of Lake Pontchartrain 

became a popular tourist 

destination in the late 1800s, 

Covington continued to grow. Numerous 

hotels like The Claiborne 

and The Oaks catered to the influx 

of health-seeking visitors from the 

south shore who arrived by rail or 

the steamer Josie at the Columbia 

Street landing. 

For a small town, Covington 

is a happening place. Numerous 

events attract visitors on a 

regular basis. The St. Tammany 

Juniper restaurant in historic Griffin’s Bakery in Mandeville 

Art Association is very active in 

sponsoring coordinated gallery 

openings and festivals, including 

the wildly successful Three Rivers 

Art Festival and Fall For Art each 

autumn, as well as Spring For Art 

in March. (For parents interested 

in nurturing creativity in their 

kids, Alabaster Artwork offers 

lessons and arts camps. Visit http:// 

alabasterartwork.blogspot.com for 

details.) The Ozone Film Festival 

features three days of independent 

films, live music and art, also in 

the fall. The Covington Farmers 

Market sets up at the St. Tammany 

Courthouse at 609 N. Columbia 

St. each Wednesday from 2 p.m. to 

6 p.m., and each Saturday from 9 

a.m. to 1 p.m. Enjoy music, wine, 

homegrown food and don’t miss 

Aunt Bee’s homemade soap. It’s delectable. 

One of my favorite spots 

for a “retreat” in Covington is the 

Columbia Street Landing. Here, at 

the foot of Columbia on the bank 

Columbia Street in Covington 

Downtown Covington 

222 North Columbia St 

985.898.6465 

Ponchartrain Center Mandeville 

3535 Hwy 190 

985.626.8685 

Towne Center Baton Rouge 

7450 Jefferson Hwy 

225.924.7100 

Blue Willow 

Bed & Breakfast 

505 East Rutland • Covington, Louisiana 

“The perfect getaway.” 

Reservations: 985.892.0011 

www.bluewillowbandb.com 

Boston Street in Covington 


Jennifer Rice and Team 

JENNIFER RICE 

(985) 966-1321 

(985)-892-1478 

www.jenniferrice.net 

Covington 

985.893.6158 

• Mandeville 

985.674.0560 

Open 7 days • Sunday Brunch 

www.coffeerani.com 

Susan Andry Milling 

Historic Residential Specialist 

Cell: (504) 577-7908 

Hm./Office: (985) 892-1660 

Prudential Gardner 

Realtors 

Office: (504) 861-7575 

Monrepos • 74270 Lee Road • Covington, La. 

This is the perfect country retreat! 1882 cottage in a picturesque 

setting. Beautifully renovated and decorated. Cottage has 

living room with gas fireplace, dining room, solarium, custom 

kitchen, 2 bedrooms,and 2 baths. Charming guest house with 2 

bedrooms & 2 baths. Enjoy the formal gardens with walk-ways, 

fountain, swimming pool, and pond. 

Magnificent historic home with views of the Bogue Falaya River 

This magnificent historic home was built by the family of Covington founder John Wharton 

Collins sometime in the 1830’s. Believed to have been the summer residence of General Benjamin 

Spoons Butler, the Commander of the Federal Occupation of New Orleans during the 

Civil War. Situated on approximately 1.3 acres of glorious oak laden lawns, tucked in a private 

enclave within Covington’s garden district, with views of the Bogue Falaya River. Significant 

recent renovations, meticulously maintained, new roof and all new exterior paint. Outbuildings 

include guest house, workshop. greenhouse and tool shed. 

Alice McNeely 

504-812-2236 

Hyatt Hood 

985-966-1131 

For more information and photos: 

www.jenniferrice.net 

985-626-5687 

1321 W. Causeway Approach 

Mandeville, LA 70471 

of the Bogue Falaya, you’ll find a 

peaceful park with a deck, a perfect 

spot for a picnic, a coffee, or just 

some time for reflection. It’s hard 

to imagine this was once a bustling 

commercial dock where schooners 

and steamers would unload and 

take on cargo like cotton, bricks, 

lumber, whiskey and, until the 

1930s, oysters. This is also the site 

of Sunset at the Landing, featuring 

live music every third Friday from 

6 p.m. to 8 p.m. 

It’s easy to lose an afternoon on 

the streets of Covington shopping 

at the numerous galleries, shops and 

boutiques on Columbia and Boston 

streets and quaint Lee Lane, such 

as Bella Cucina custom kitchen 

and baths and Shoeffle shoe store. 

The Brunner Gallery on Columbia 

is one of the finest in our region, 

and two blocks away, H.J. Smith’s 

Son General Store and Museum, 

family operated since 1876, presents 

hundreds of items from the region’s 

past. The respected Henry Hood 

Gallery is close by on Lockwood 

Street. The historic district is home 

to several popular dining establishments, 

like Buster’s Place on Boston 

Street and Coffee Rani at Boston 

and Lee Lane. If one is looking for 

a peaceful and cozy place to spend 

the night, the conveniently located 

Covington takes its place in 

a select group of American 

towns known for innovative 

urban planning, and today 

there are nine acres of open 

spaces within the historic area. 

Blue Willow Bed and Breakfast is 

only a block from Boston Street. A 

bit off the main drag, but definitely 

worth a visit for its large selection 

of gifts, decorative items and bridal 

accessories is Jefferson House. 

To really know a town you have 

to walk its streets, and while walking 

through Covington’s residential 

area I stumbled on a city treasure, 

Christ Episcopal Church at 120 N. 

New Hampshire St. This Queen 

Anne Revival structure, with its 

Gothic windows and octagonal 

tower, has been an integral part of 

the community since it was built in 

1847. Framed by towering pines and 

set within a cheerful garden, the 

church is open and still in use. 

For anyone interested in churches, 

art or history, a visit to St. Joseph Abbey, 

just outside Covington at 75376 

River Road is essential. In crossing 

the one lane bridge over the Bogue 

Falaya River and entering the abbey 

grounds one leaves the outside world 

behind. The majestic St. Joseph 

Church, built in 1932, dominates the 

landscape. The bell tower and rose 

window of the Basilica-styled church 

Christ Episcopal Church in Covington 

are reflected in the calm water of a 

small lake, surrounded by live oaks, 

pines, camellias and azaleas. 

Established in 1903 by a group of 

Benedictine monks from Indiana, 

the abbey, which occupies 1200 

acres, is famous for several things, 

not the least of which is its murals. 

Ranging in style from Byzantine, to 

www.prcno.org 


Destinations 

Clockwise: St. Joseph’s Church at St. Joseph’s Abbey in Covington; The Good Shepard 

by de Wit; Refectory ceiling at St. Joseph Abbey depicting The Last Supper 

Art Deco, to WPA, the murals, visitors, you will need permission 

found in the monk’s dining to visit the refectory. It is worth it. 

room in the refectory building, This long, gabled-roofed building 

and in the church, were executed 

was built in 1910, and virtually every 

by a Dutch monk/priest/artist surface in the dining room is painted. 

named Dom Gregory de Wit. The ceiling is completely covered 

Born in 1892, de Wit had been with 56 separate panels depicting 

ordained in 1918, and studied The Creation, as well as celestial 

at the Brussels Academy of Art imagery. At one end of the room is 

and the Munich Art Academy. a depiction of Christ, the Shepherd, 

Having first painted murals at and at the opposite end is an amazing 

the Sacred Heart Church in 

depiction of The Last Supper. 

Baton Rouge, de Wit received This mural measures over 40-feet 

the commission from St. Joseph long and contains evidence of the 

in 1945, a project that took him late artist’s sense of humor; a salt and 

10 years to complete. 

pepper shaker sits on the table. 

Viewing the murals is like a The Abbey is also known for its 

lesson in Bible and art history. St. Joseph Seminary College, its 

The 49 murals in the church Pennies For Bread program and St. 

total 7850-square feet of brilliant Joseph Woodworks. Walker Percy, 

compositions that explode in the famed author and Covington resident 

colors of jewels. Upon entering 

is buried on the grounds of the 

the church the eye is drawn to the abbey. For information on retreats 

rich gold and ruby-red treatment and events call 985.892.1800. 

overhead in the half-dome of The growth of the North Shore 

the apse. The length of the right has almost merged Covington and 

wall is adorned with paintings of Mandeville as seen along the highway 

male saints, while the left side is 

in the many restaurants and 

dedicated to the female saints. other businesses. Numerous chain 

Over the front doors is The Last stores have appeared with small 

Judgment, which depicts Christ locally owned shops nestled among 

with a representation of citizens them, such as Creations de Main 

from all walks of life in the early featuring luxury bath items and an 

1950s when it was painted. amazing selection of fine candles. 

While the church is open to 

The Dew Drop Hall in Mandeville 

14 Preservation in Print • April 2010 Interior plaque photo © Charles E. Leche 

www.prcno.org

For Sale 

Flagstaff Historic Home in Mandeville 

The Johnson House in Mandeville 

MANDEVILLE, Initially settled 

by the early New Orleans developer 

Bernard de Marigny in 1830, came 

to prominence in the late 1800s primarily 

as a resort town, and as the 

need for hotels and other services 

increased so did the permanent 

population. Between 1870 and 1900 

the population grew from 541 to 

1,029 where it stabilized until after 

World War II. Besides tourism, 

the main industry in town was the 

Poitevent and Favrot sawmill established 

in 1913. By 1915 there were 

35 commercial buildings, including 

a bakery, drug store, general store, 

and hotels, including the grand 

Mugnier Hotel on Lake Boulevard 

(now Lake Shore Drive), which 

later became the St. Tammany 

Hotel. Steamers and ferries like the 

New Camellia and Suquehanna carried 

travelers on regular schedules 

from New Orleans. 

Today, while strolling along the 

wide Mandeville lakefront graced 

with magnificent live oaks, it’s easy 

to believe not much has changed. 

The promenade is lined with stately 

homes, many of them historic, and 

www.prcno.org 

the ambience is one of times gone 

by. Although the area received a fair 

amount of damage from the waters of 

Hurricane Katrina, much restoration 

has taken place, and the town is 

buzzing with renewed energy. 

If you possess extra energy, a perfect 

way to explore Old Mandeville 

is by bicycle. Conveniently located 

in the heart of town, The Kickstand 

has bikes for rent. It’s located right 

on the Tammany Trace bike path, 

so if you’re so inclined you may 

want to pedal to Fontainebleau 

State Park, or up to Abita Springs. 

Pedaling, walking or even driving 

along Lake Shore Drive is a feast 

for the eyes. Numerous homes 

along the way are on the National 

Register, like Little Flower Villa, 

Flagstaff and the Hanisee House. 

Lafitte Street is home to the 

historic Johnson House, as well as 

the former Griffin’s Bakery, also on 

the National Register. This corner 

property at 301 Lafitte, is now home 

of Juniper, a fine restaurant with 

wonderful atmosphere. 

Mandeville has always been one 

of my favorite dining destinations, 

West Indies Style Home On Ten Acres Of Property 

Four Car Garage With Apartment, Heated Pool 

Ideal Northshore location, 10 miles north of I-12, Goodbee exit, at 50196 Turnpike Rd. 

The beaded cypress twelve foot walls and ceilings 

of this home are complimented by antique pine 

floors. This cozy home has three bedrooms, two 

complete baths, master bath with Jacuzzi and 

living area with wood burning stove. Twelve foot 

porches surround the house to make it possible to enjoy the property year 

round. The ten acre estate is completely fenced with three board wooden 

fences and heavily landscaped with native Louisiana plants. The heated 

swimming pool offers year round entertainment for family and friends. The 

height of the four car garage/workshop is built to house an RV or horse 

trailers. The second story of the garage/workshop is an apartment with full 

kitchen and bath which can serve as a rental home, office or guest house. 

Call 985-796-9130 for a personal tour of the property. 

www.lapolofarms.com 

and there are more choices today 

than ever. The long-time institution 

Bechac’s (a favorite of Walker 

Percy) on Lake Shore Drive closed 

a number of years ago, but as of late 

has reopened as The Lake House. 

The food is good and you can’t beat 

the view. Other local favorites are 

Nuvolari’s on Gerard Street for 

dinner, and The Broken Egg Café, 

also on Gerard, can’t be beat for 

breakfast and brunch. 

Taking side streets in small towns 

can reveal unexpected delights. 

The 1875 Mar Villa guesthouse on 

Claiborne Street is an inspiration 

for those in the process of choosing 

paint colors, and Zorro’s pet boutique 

in the old St. Tammany Bank Building 

is a lively shopping destination 

for pet lovers. 

One of the most special discoveries 

to be made in Old Mandeville 

is the Dew Drop Social and 

Benevolent Hall in the 400 block 

of Lamarque Street. Built in 1895 

by a group of African American 

citizens whose organization aided 

the poor and ill, the Dew Drop 

functioned as a music and dance 

hall from the 1890s to the 1930s. 

Steamboats from Milneburg in 

New Orleans ferried jazz musicians 

across the lake, including the likes 

Spring has Sprung. 

Beeswax Candles, 

Gifts, Home Decor, 

Spa Luxuries. 

The Village Shopping Center 

2875 Hwy 190, Next to Talbot’s 

985-231-7388 


Rental cabins at Fontainebleau State Park 

of Papa Celestin, Kid Ory, Buddy 

Petit and even Louis Armstrong. 

Placed on the National Register 

in 2000, it is considered one of the 

oldest, unaltered rural dance halls 

in the country. 

Thanks to a group of Mandeville 

residents and city council members, 

the non-profit Friends of the Dew 

Drop Inn was established in 2007, 

and events featuring traditional 

jazz are now held at the Dew Drop 

several times a year. Visit www. 

dewdropjazzhall.com for details. 

Mandeville traces its roots 

to Bernard de Marigny, whose 

north shore property was called 

Fontainebleau, now the site of 

Fontainebleau State 

Park. Although Marigny’s 

sugar plantation, 

Bellevue, was located in 

Plaquemines Parish, he 

chose the north shore 

location for his mill. Today, 

the remnants of the 

mill still stand not far 

from the park’s entrance. 

In recommending the 

site, a National Park 

Service report from 1936 

notes the “scenic beauty,” 

“historic interest” and 

“natural recreational features 

of Lake Pontchartrain.” The 

construction of the 2000-acre park 

was begun in 1938 and completed 

in 1942, with all the work done by 

the Civilian Conservation Corps. 

The visitor’s center presents numerous 

exhibits on the history and 

natural resources of the area and the 

interpretive rangers are eager and 

Mandeville lakefront 

knowledgeable. 

I hadn’t been to Fontainebleau for 

many years, but after my recent visit 

I vowed to return soon and often. 

The nature trails are extensive, the 

shoreline exquisite, and the newly 

built rental cabins standing high 

above the lake are my “ideal retreat.” 

SUMMER CAMP 

June 7th-August 6th 

Half or All Day 

On the Northshore 

Weekly Themes: 

Famous Fashion, Out in Space, 

Very Veggie & More 

ALABASTER ARTWORK 

Part Art Studio — Part Kids Place 

985-502-7250 www.alabasterkids.com 


Welcome To The Neighborhood 

Craft Guild Shop on Julia Street 

Alive with Local Artwork 

By Danielle Del Sol 

THE LOUISIANA Craft Guild, 

whose store in Lafayette was voted 

one of Southern Living’s top 16 

places to shop in the South, has 

opened an eclectic new store on 

Julia Row in New Orleans’ thriving 

Lafayette Square area, just a few 

doors from PRC’s former headquarters. 

The shop is bursting with 

whimsical work made by regional 

and statewide artists. 

The Guild’s Board uses strict 

specifications to choose what 

artwork can be sold in the store, ensuring 

high quality in the selection. 

For example, the pieces must be 

three-dimensional and artists have 

to prove their commitment to the 

community to be eligible. 

It’s a stringent vetting process, 

but the results are exciting: The 

Louisiana Craft Guild shop on Julia 

is vibrant and colorful, and overflowing 

with art, jewelry and furniture. 

Every piece is unique. During my 

recent visit to the shop, the west 

www.prcno.org 

wall displayed a friendly alligator 

made of bottle caps, followed by a 

row of beautifully painted cardigans. 

Overhead hung a chandelier made 

from multicolored wine bottles. 

“You can come in here 10 days 

in a row and see something different 

every time,” says Meg Hall, the 

Guild’s managing director. In addition 

to the storefront on Julia, the 

shop also has a back gallery packed 

with pottery, soaps and sculptures. 

“People are surprised at how affordable 

our prices are,” Hall says. “And 

our customers are supporting local 

artists — incredibly talented artists.” 

The Louisiana Craft Guild shop is 

located at 608 Julia St., and is open 

from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday. 

All purchases are tax-free because 

they are one-of-a-kind, original 

works of art on sale in a Louisiana 

Cultural District. The store is open 

during the First Saturday art walks 

each month, with wine and snacks 

from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. 

Footwear • Clothing • Monogramming • Toys • Infants 

www.Haases.com 

Haase’S 

Serving New Orleans Since 1921 

8119-21 Oak Street • New Orleans LA 70118 

504-866-9944 

New Exhibit and Sale at PRC 

PRC is exhibiting a series of mixedmedia 

architecture portrait studies 

featuring drawing, painting and 

2D and 3D collage techniques 

by 10- to 12-year-old 

students from McDonough 

32 and Behrman Elementary 

schools working under 

the guidance of artist Ryan 

S. Ballard.. The artwork 

is filled with New Orleans 

imagery and symbols. The 

proceeds will support future 

children’s art projects, and 

20 percent will go directly 

to the students to encourage 

their budding arts 

careers. For more information, 

contact Ryan Ballard 

at 504.301.8201 or visit 

www.ryan-ballard.com. 

As soon as the exhibit 

was hung, visitors were taken by the 

pieces. The work will be on display 

and for sale (a portion of sales benefits 

the PRC) through April at the 

PRC, 923 Tchoupitoulas St., from 

9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Friday. A 

reception will be held on Friday, 

April 2 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. 

“Green Double Gallery” 

Mixed media on hardboard by Joy Hays and 

Ryan S. Ballard 

$400 


Top to bottm: HBO filmed a scene for its upcoming drama 

series, Treme, on location at the Preservation Resource Center 

on Jan. 14. The interior of Executive Director Patty Gay’s office 

was converted into a Midtown Manhattan talent agency. 

Here, the crew is putting finishing touches on the set.; Exterior 

of PRC building during HBO shoot at PRC; Armstrong Park is 

mostly fenced off to visitors now.; Backstreet Cultural Museum; 

Lil’ Dizzy’s Café, 1500 Esplanade Ave., is a relatively recent 

addition to Tremé, but owner Wayne Baquet’s family have run 

restaurants in New Orleans for more than half a century. 

Photo by Mary Fitzpatrick 

Photo by Mary Fitzpatrick 

Real Time in Tremé 

Text and photos by Katie Walenter 

HBO HAS BEEN FILMING all over New 

Orleans the past few months, especially downtown 

in the Quarter, Marigny and Tremé neighborhoods. 

One can hardly go a day without seeing the Hollywood 

trucks parked at main intersections, thick 

power cables lining the streets while crews set up 

locations and extras wait around. HBO is here for 

more than film tax credits. In April it will premiere 

a new drama series called Tremé created by David 

Simon and Eric Overmyer. The fictional show will 

follow the lives of musicians and locals post-storm 

while also exploring the actual political, economic, 

and cultural climate of the city in the months after 

Katrina. The show will feature cameos by notable 

New Orleanians as well as the talent of local musicians 

and artists, including Allen Toussaint, Dr. 

John, Troy “Trombone Shorty” Andrews, and both 

Rebirth and Tremé brass bands. 

The real Tremé is known as one of America’s 

oldest African American and Creole neighborhoods, 

but it is also one of New Orleans’ oldest 

neighborhoods in general. During the city’s 

earliest years the Company of the Indies operated 

a brickyard near Claiborne Avenue and what was 

then called Bayou Road (now Governor Nicholls 

Street). This became plantation land, which was 

Sidney’s Saloon, 1200 St. Bernard Ave., run by Kermit Ruffins 

has a kitchen and a stage for live music. 

later acquired by Claude Tremé through marriage 

and was incorporated by the city as Faubourg 

Tremé in 1812. The HDLC delineates Tremé’s 

borders as Rampart Street, St. Bernard Avenue, 

Broad Street and Orleans Avenue. Evidence of 

the settlement of this faubourg is found in the 

numerous existing Creole cottages dating from 

the 1830s and townhouses from the 1840s, which 

housed immigrants, free people of color and both 

black and white refugees from Saint-Domingue 

(now Haiti and the Dominican Republic). More 

ornamental shotguns and larger houses were constructed 

in the late-19th century. 

But Tremé is renowned for far more than its 

great architecture. As the neighborhood developed, 

African American and Creole culture, food 

and music thrived. Second lines and jazz funerals 

were a regular part of life. Brass bands and jazz 

came of age. Mardi Gras Indians formed tribes. 

The community, as in so many New Orleans’ 

neighborhoods, strengthened through the sharing 

of food, the practicing of faith and the celebration 

of music. Some of the most famous musical 

innovators came of age or lived in Tremé, such as 

Alphonse Picou, Kermit Ruffins, “Uncle” Lionel 

Batiste, Louis Prima and Henry Ragas, to name a 

few. Residents of Tremé have traditionally been 

artists, musicians, artisans, entrepreneurs, activists, 

teachers and other socially conscious people. 

The neighborhood is also home to religious, 

I-10 over Claiborne Avenue 

educational and cultural institutions from times 

past and present, including the newly rehabbed 

Joseph A. Craig Elementary School (1423 St. 

Philip), which opened in 1927 as the first new 

school building constructed for African American 

children in New Orleans; St. Augustine Catholic 

Church (1210 Governor Nicholls) built as the 

city’s first racially integrated church in 1841; the 

Backstreet Cultural Museum (1116 St. Claude), 

which houses exhibits on Mardi Gras Indians, 

jazz funerals and social aid and pleasure clubs; 

the New Orleans African American Museum (at 

1418 Governor Nicholls, in the former Meilleur- 

Goldthwaite mansion) housing changing exhibits 

with the mission of protecting, preserving and 

promoting the history, art and communities of African 

Americans in New Orleans and the African 

Diaspora; the Candlelight Lounge (925 N. Robertson), 

where local musicians continue to play; 

and of course restaurants like Dooky Chase’s and 

Willie Mae’s Scotch House. These places have 

been anchors in the community for generations. 

This house received a facelift from a Historic Building 

Recovery Grant Program 

Architecturally and culturally, Tremé began 

a slow decline during the 1960s when 12 blocks 

of homes were razed for the eventual construction 

of Armstrong Park, which today is mostly 

fenced off to the public. Also during this time 


egan the construction of I-10 along the former 

oak tree-lined Claiborne Avenue, which damaged 

much of the spirit and aesthetic of that corridor. 

Still magical places remain, such as Ernie K-Doe’s 

Mother-in-Law Lounge at 1500 Claiborne Ave., 

where the late Antoinette K-Doe’s daughter, Betty 

Fox, keeps the place running. 

Unfortunately poorly planned development 

projects weren’t the only factors in Tremé’s 

decline. Hurricane Katrina deeply affected Tremé. 

Although flooding was minimal due to Tremé being 

built on a higher ridge of land, many residents 

and musicians were not able to return and many 

businesses were shuttered. Old Tremé traditions 

are being threatened in others ways as well. It was 

once the usual for neighbors and musicians to 

informally gather on stoops playing music late into 

the night — which would often spur spontaneous 

dance parties in the street. These informal jam sessions 

are fewer in number now. Even second lines 

and jazz funerals, though still frequent, are at risk 

of fading. The elders are working to hand down 

the traditions but it is up to the new generation to 

keep their culture strong. 

Despite all these obstacles, there are tremendous 

signs of vitality throughout the neighborhood. The 

few restaurants, bars, clubs, museums, churches and 

social clubs that remain are filled with steadfast 

people who are committed to Tremé. The Historic 

Faubourg Tremé Association, a quality of life neighborhood 

organization that formed post-Katrina, 

is very active in the neighborhood, planting trees 

and organizing clean-up sessions. It has a mission 

to “support the architecture, culture and history of 

Tremé, while fighting crime, blight and grime.” A 

tour of the neighborhood reveals more beautiful 

rehab projects than one can count. 

The very existence of an HBO series named 

Untitled, 1962, oil on canvas. 

Creole cottage in Tremé 

after Tremé illustrates how powerful, magnetic and 

essential the neighborhood is to the heart of New 

Orleans. Residents and musicians from Tremé 

certainly recognize that fact. Benny Jones, Sr. of 

the Tremé Brass Band says that people are excited 

by the presence of HBO and that it makes them 

hopeful that locals and businesses will return. The 

larger hope is that the neighborhood will recapture 

some of its old swagger and swing. 

Top to bottom: Larger-scale townhouses at 1301-1313 Governor 

Nicholls St. built in the 1840s; St. Augustine Church; 

Calvary Spiritual Church (1229 St. Philip) in disrepair; Large 

Creole cottage, circa 1830s, on 1300 block of St. Claude Ave.; 

The late Antoinette K-Doe (in pink) and others outside 

the Mother-in-Law Lounge during the Black Men of Labor 

parade in 2005 a few months after Hurricane Katrina 

Joan Mitchell 

in New Orleans 

March 31 - June 30, 2010 

Three exhibitions bringing together the 

major bodies of Joan Mitchell’s work. 

Newcomb Art Gallery 

Works on Paper 

www.newcombartgallery.tulane.edu 

New Orleans Museum of Art 

Paintings 

Contemporary Arts Center 

Prints www.newcombartgallery.tulane.edu 

Remembering Joan Mitchell 

SYMPOSIUM April 9 - 11, 2010 

www.joanmitchellinneworleans.org 

Organized in collaboration with the Joan Mitchell 

Foundation and Cheim & Read Gallery, New York. 

www.prcno.org 


Blight Fight in Tremé 

By Constance Adler 

WHEN NAYDJA Domingue Bynum drives 

through her neighborhood in the Tremé she 

looks with the eyes of a seasoned renovator of 

old houses. In much the same way that copy 

editors lose the ability to read with simple enjoyment 

because they can only see typographical 

errors wherever they go, so too is Naydja 

struck with a form of “renovator’s blindness.” 

She can’t drive down a street in New Orleans 

without seeing the lone house in need of 

improvement. To allow an old Creole home 

to fall into shabbiness is tantamount to moral 

failure in Naydja’s eyes. We pass what looks 

to me like a regular building. Naydja calls out: 

“Look at that! Right there. That house could 

be beautiful. Instead, look at it. Those people 

have no shame.” I get the impression she wants 

to stop the car and make a citizen’s arrest. But 

we keep driving. 

Under the umbrella of their company, Doby 

Properties, Naydja and her husband Adolph 

currently own 37 properties. All of these 

arrived in the Bynums’ hands as “starving 

children” before Naydja and Adolph nourished 

them back to health. Naydja refers to the 

buildings they have restored as their “children” 

because old houses are demanding, vulnerable, 

deceptive in their neediness, and because Naydja 

and Adolph can’t resist them. The couple, 

married in 2000 met because Naydja was 

looking for advice on a house she was planning 

to buy and renovate. She was acquainted 

with Adolph as an expert on the subject. “We 

started dating, and on Saturdays, we’d go 

around looking at houses,” says Naydja. It was 

Adolph’s vision was to put his money into 

the houses as a form of seeding renewal 

to attract other homesteaders. Gradually 

house-by-house, neighborhoods come back 

from despair and abandonment. 

Neighbor Gladys Marigny renovated the former Joe’s Cozy Corner at 

the same intersection. 

renewal to attract other homesteaders. Gradually 

house-by-house, neighborhoods come back 

from despair and abandonment. 

“You see this street now,” Naydja says, standing 

in front of the Robertson Street house, one 

of the last in this block to undergo renovation. 

“You feel pretty safe now, right That wouldn’t 

have been true a couple of years ago. A guy 

was shooting drugs in the street. Somebody 

died over there. Now look how nice it is.” The 

Bynums’ unofficial partners in urban renewal 

are the other homeowners on Robertson 

Street, most of whom have recently purchased 

properties there. Another assist came from 

This building on the corner of Ursulines and North Robertson 

streets once belonged to musician Alfonse Picou. 

Ursulines Street in Tremé has had many famed residents 

including Homer Plessy and African-American philanthropist 

Tommy Lafon. 

old houses that brought them together and 

keeps them together too, it seems. 

The newest member of the Bynums’ extended 

“family” is a double on North Robertson 

Street. They already own two houses at 

the corner of Robertson and Ursulines streets 

and another one in the middle of the block. 

They have worked to help revitalize this 

Tremé street. “Here we have what we call a 

‘blight fight,’” says Naydja. By that she means 

to accomplish something on this block that 

her husband did years earlier on St. Claude 

Avenue, a block from St. Augustine Church 

(where the Bynums live now): buy up a whole 

row of broken-down houses and fix them. 

“When I renovate a house, I have to feel my 

wife and I could live here, when it’s finished,” 

Adolph says. “That’s the quality I want.” 

Adolph’s vision then, as now, was to put his 

money into the houses as a form of seeding 

The Bynums aren’t afraid to tackle badly blighted buildings. 

Parkway Partners who donated the young 

Crepe Myrtles. “It sets a softer, more amenable 

feel on a street to have trees,” says Adolph. 

“A lot of us are helping this corridor,” Naydja 

confirms. 

When this latest house came up for sale, the 

Bynums thought they were done with adopt- 


she picks through the remains of 

the old kitchen. “We thought we’d 

get this stable, then we’d sit down 

and figure out which child is starving 

and who is just hungry.” 

The child has a good chance 

of being well fed, judging by 

the polished renovation in the 

Bynums’ other house on the same 

street. All it takes is time. Naydja 

estimates this could be finished in 

six months if they power through 

to the end. That would be hard to 

imagine for most, but not for her. 

We are standing in the front parlor 

that doesn’t look like a parlor. 

There are large portions of floor 

missing and remnants of chipped 

doors, rusted mantle pieces, the 

detritus of a suffering old house. 

“I know it’s a raggedy sucker 

now,” Naydja allows. “But this 

house is going to be fabulous 

when it’s done.” She points 

toward the exposed rafters in the 

attic. “Look at all the beautiful 

wood up there.” 

Sure enough, there it is — the 

saving grace that only Naydja 

could see. 

Another Bynum project on North Robertson finished to the highest standards. 

ing needy “children.” Once again, 

they couldn’t resist. The price was 

too good. So in they went. Now 

eight dumpsters later, with the 

gutting done, the house is down 

to its bones (“good bones” says 

Adolph) and shifting the process 

toward replacing what had been 

lost to termites and water damage. 

“We thought when we got this 

house, we’d secure it. Put a roof 

on it. Gut it. Clean it up. And 

don’t do anything with it just 

yet,” says Naydja. “Now, do you 

see any of that happening” She 

points to the house, which teems 

with a dozen men — the Bynums’ 

work crew — hammering, ripping, 

sawing and then hammering more. 

The original footprint and front 

façade with its double-screen 

doors remain the same, but the 

century-old house now has a new 

roof. The original pitch is unchanged, 

and the old ridge caps 

and crowns will be restored. New 

sills and joists have replaced what 

the termites ate. New piers have 

secured the structural integrity. 

The floorboards are coming up, 

while new framing for interior 

walls is going in. The house has 

unusually wide interior doorways, 

so the few remaining interior 

doors will be restored (because 

they’re the only ones that fit) and 

the Bynums will have reproductions 

made to replace the antique 

wide doors that have been lost. 

It is, in short, a shell of a building 

on its way toward becoming 

a real house again. This is more 

than the Bynums had planned for 

this timetable because they have 

other buildings in a similar state 

of disarray. 

“We have got to get this child 

off the payroll,” Naydja remarks as 

talk & tapas 

Sip sangria and learn something! 

A new lecture series at the French Market about the cultural, 

architectural, culinary & musical history of the French Market. 

April 24th: Bruce Boyd Raeburn 

Ph.D., Curator, Hogan Jazz Archives, 

discusses “Jazz Secrets of Lower Quarter” 

Talk is free. Tapas and dinner menu 

available during the lecture. Bar 

open with delicious red and white 

sangria and additional beverages. 

www.galvezrestaurant.com 

The Bynums have renovated or built new all but one of the homes in the 1200 block of St. 

Claude where they live. 

www.prcno.org 

Galvez Restaurant, 

Atrium room, in Dutch 

Alley, “where Dumaine 

Street meets the River”. 

Convenient parking 

behind the restaurant 

along the river in the 

French Market parking lot 

maps & directions at www.FrencHmarKet.org 


Solutions 

Thinking Small in a Big Way 

EDITOR MARY FITZPATRICK TALKS WITH ROBERTA GRATZ. 

JANE JACOBS’ HEIR, urban 

critic, author of The Living City 

and Cities Back from the Edge, and 

New York native Roberta Gratz 

bought a shotgun in Bywater 

after Hurricane Katrina and now 

spends part of the year in New 

Orleans. Her latest book, The 

Battle for Gotham: New York in the 

Shadow of Jane Jacobs and Robert 

Moses, will be published in April. 

For many years you literally 

walked the streets of New York 

and observed what works and 

doesn’t work for The New York 

Post. What are some characteristics 

of a vital city block 

Pedestrians, human-scale buildings, 

street parking and slow traffic, 

dense housing, neighborhood 

shops, public spaces and institutions 

all integrated and close to 

the sidewalk make for livable and 

memorable communities. 

And that enduring urban ambiance 

doesn’t rejuvenate overnight when 

it is lost, as you point out in your 

writings, lectures and books. 

Absolutely not. It takes committed 

citizens, local shops, and small 

entrepreneurs starting new businesses 

to piece-by-piece turn a block around 

and create genuine, sustainable revival. 

Beware the magic bullets promised 

by budget-busting mega-projects and 

massive public investment. 

Such as 

Look at Detroit. Casinos, stadiums, 

corporate towers — every sort 

of conventional, formulaic standalone 

solution for a dying city has 

failed to bring downtown back from 

the edge. On the other hand, there 

are committed downtowners who 

are converting lofts and starting 

small businesses. This positive incremental 

movement is happening 

without much notice despite city 

policies, and it is the only hope for 

Detroit’s regeneration. 

What about the argument that 

Coors Stadium revitalized downtown 

Denver 

It’s simply not true. LoDo and 

Laramie Square predated the stadium 

and because of their success the 

stadium was better designed and well 

integrated into the neighborhood, 

but only because of the citizen-generated 

revival that had happened. 

And by the way, this is also a typical 

example of the government and 

developers claiming the credit. 

In all your research have you ever 

come across a mega-project that 

caused the rebirth of a city center 

It doesn’t happen. Period. The 

only thing that stadiums, cultural 

centers and enclosed malls do is 

generate momentum for more big 

projects that are visitor, not citizen, 

oriented. Truly sustainable regeneration 

first requires individual 

investment and the commitment of 

many individuals and businesses. 

In terms of New Orleans, for 

example, do you mean that the big 

projects, such as the casino and 

the aquarium, have piggy-backed 

on the success of the citizen leaders 

who revived the French Quarter so 

many years ago 

Yes. The process has worked before 

in New Orleans and no reason for 

it not to work again. Citizen efforts 

saved the Quarter in the ’20s and ’30s 

(mostly women) and then revived 

the Lower Garden District in the 

’60s, ’70s and ’80s. I am starting a new 

book that will focus on the regeneration 

of New Orleans after Katrina. 

It’s only recently that preservationists 

have gotten over the stigma, if 

that’s what it is, of “little old ladies 

in tennis shoes.” 

Preservation is a precursor for 

positive change. Preservationists 

lead the way. The “big project” guys 

follow and take the credit, but they 

would fail without the combined 

effect of the gradual, progressive 

and enduring change created by 

forward-thinking preservationists. 

You call this piece-by-piece approach 

“urban husbandry.” In New 

Orleans, Magazine Street is an 

especially good example, and there’s 

also the preservation-first neighborhoods 

of Faubourg Marigny, Algiers 

Point, and your new home, the Bywater. 

How is Bywater an example 

of urban husbandry 

You can see the strength of the 

neighborhood and the respect 

neighbors have for the existing 

built environment. The Bywater 

Neighborhood Association is excellent 

at promoting the care and 

management of the community. 

Slowly, organically and modestly, 

Bywater has regenerated itself as a 

mixed-use, thriving district. Local 

people, local businesses. I walk my 

dog Sasha and see property in all 

the stages of life — upgraded, for 

sale, neglected, restored. We pass 

an assortment of coffee houses and 

galleries. A farmers’ market has 

sprouted up nearby, but we still 

need small grocery stores. Bywater 

is full of innovative residents, 

including lots of artists. 

What is a favorite anchor in Bywater 

for you 

I love the Alvar branch of the 

public library right by my house. 

The local foot traffic in and out of it 

is tremendous. It’s intimate and has 

a really good staff. 

The city’s library master plan calls 

for centralizing services into hubs in 

the future. Is this another example 

of a misguided oversized initiative 

Keller Williams Realty New Orleans congratulates 

Ricky Lemann 

Top Producer 2009 

Gambit Weekly’s Best Male Real Estate Agent 2009 

It’s a non-urban solution to an 

urban challenge. Centralizing anything 

is not a good idea. 

What have you seen in studying cities 

back from the edge that would 

be inspiring for New Orleanians 

after Katrina 

First, I’ve been knocked out by 

the dedication of people in this 

city. The passion here has to do 

with the unique history, the social 

and familial networks and New 

Orleans’ integrated diverse nature. 

I actually came here because I 

wanted to observe, experience 

and write about the impressive 

citizen-driven regeneration 

after the storm. I can compare 

it to South Bronx 30 years ago, 

which was like Dresden after 

the War. Finally, people had had 

enough, and they took back their 

neighborhood. It was grassroots, 

building-by-building, block by 

block, neighborhood by neighborhood. 

There was no real govern- 

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Roberta Gratz with her dog, Sasha, in her Bywater home. Barcelona coffee table (foreground), 

Bill Katavalos’ classic 3-legs leather sling chair (left). Gratz is sitting in a Frank arm 

chair designed by company founder Frank Gratz in the 1930s, next to an Ulrich Franzen 

floor lamp (right), Stephen Goldsmith grid table/sculpture stand in front of lamp. All pieces 

but Goldsmith table are in Gratz’s Archive Collection. In the background, “Life Interrupted” 

oil painting by New Orleans artist Sandra Morris. 

ment money until the citizen 

momentum was recognized by city 

officials. The power brokers and 

big retailers didn’t invest in the 

area until they saw the market 

created by individual residents 

and small businesses. Then they 

wanted to come in and change it 

to fit their own agendas. Doesn’t 

that sound familiar 

After Katrina, the big money never 

arrived and the grandiose ideas 

never got off the ground — mass 

teardowns to make space for elevated 

modular housing, the riverfront 

lined with upscale condos, Loyola 

Avenue converted to a jazz park, 

Donald Trump’s tower for the third 

and fourth home market. In your 

opinion we fortunately dodged the 

magic bullet 

Big project developers do not 

define their interests in terms of 

city revitalization. The citizens of 

New Orleans do. When times are 

bad, big projects plummet. And 

times have gotten bad everywhere. 

Where would the current 

economy have left those half-built 

highrises When you look at some 

of those plans thrown around after 

the storm, you can say that no 

money was good news. 

You see our city as both cautionary 

and inspirational 

New Orleans after Katrina was 

an example of government at its 

worst and the American people 

at their best. The barn-raising 

instinct took over. After the storm, 

there has been no more interesting 

or more alluring city than New 

Orleans for a student of grassroots 

urban revival or a young person 

looking for the next compelling 

Prague. Citizens must remain 

vigilant and confident that their 

instincts are best. 

Roberta Brandes Gratz will deliver 

the second annual Jane Jacobs 

lecture sponsored by The New 

Orleans Institute at CityWorks on 

Thursday, April 29, 1632 Oretha 

Castle Haley Blvd. 6 p.m. with 

reception to follow. Her latest book 

will be available in April from Nation 

Books. She can be contacted at 

www.robertabrandesgratz.com. 

Photo by Katie Walenter 

The Battle for Gotham: 

New York in the Shadow of 

Jane Jacobs and Robert Moses 

In her most provocative 

work, acclaimed urbanist Roberta 

Brandes Gratz — voted 

one of Planetizen’s Top 100 

urban thinkers — challenges 

conventional wisdom on how 

cities authentically regenerate. 

Through the lens of the clashing 

visions of postwar urban 

renewal and highway building 

czar Robert Moses and urbanist 

author and activist Jane Jacobs, 

Gratz examines the fall and 

remarkable comeback of New 

York City and demonstrates, as 

well, how this story parallels that 

of many American cities. Gratz 

argues that the city reached its 

lowest point after decades of 

destructive Moses projects and 

began an organic regeneration 

with Moses’ demise and the cessation 

of his sweeping projects 

that wiped out so much of the 

city. New York’s turn around, she 

illustrates, began with the local 

citizen-led efforts reflecting the 

urban philosophy of Jacobs. 

Gratz, a longtime friend and 

colleague of Jane Jacobs, draws 

on her own personal story of 

growing up in New York and 

Jacobs’ and her many hours of 

previously unpublished conversations 

to show that where 

Jacobsian principles took root, 

mostly among people (Gratz 

calls them “instinctivists”) unaware 

of Jacobs’ writing, the city 

at large rebounded organically. 

The strongest neighborhoods 

today are those untouched by 

Moses; the weakest most in 

need of help today are those he 

rebuilt. 

Roberta Brandes Gratz is an 

award-winning journalist and urban 

critic, lecturer and author of 

The Living City: Thinking Small in 

a Big Way and Cities Back from the 

Edge: New Life for Downtown. She 

is widely celebrated for coining 

the term “Urban Husbandry” and 

illustrating how urban regeneration 

really works in actuality, not 

theory. Gratz was appointed by 

Mayor Michael Bloomberg to the 

New York City Landmarks Preservation 

Commission in February 

2003. Her articles have appeared 

in the Wall Street Journal, New 

York Times Magazine, The Nation, 

Daily News, Planning Commission- 

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Legends 

The Beat on the Street 

By Constance Adler 

Photo by Katie Walenter 

BY THE TIME nine o’clock rolls 

around on a recent Wednesday 

night at the Candlelight Lounge 

on North Robertson Street, the 

Tremé Brass Band has already been 

warming up the crowd. Not that the 

crowd needs warming. They know 

what they came for. Owner Leona 

Grandison’s birthday feast at the 

back — with no fewer than nine 

mountainous trays of food including 

a whole turkey, dirty rice and 

chicken, mac and cheese, eggplant 

and shrimp stuffing — is certainly 

an enticing draw to this Tremé club. 

But let’s be honest. The gentleman 

in the dapper checked coat and the 

brown felt derby is the one to see. 

While band leader Benny Jones, 

Sr. on snare drum, Kenneth Terry 

on trumpet, Cedric Wiley on saxophone, 

Jeffrey Hills, Sr. and Julius 

McKee on tubas and Chris Klein 

on trombone lay down some of that 

warming trend, “Uncle” Lionel 

Batiste, who just made 78, patrols 

the dance floor with sublime care. A 

glittering crucifix rests on his neatly 

knotted tie. He balances a drink in 

each hand. His spine never wavers; 

his derby doesn’t budge. His lower 

half, on the other hand, moves like 

the devil. He concludes his dance 

with a risqué flourish, pointing his 

own index finger at the audience 

from a surprising vantage point. 

Having worked the packed house 

of regulars and newcomers alike — 

the median age tonight appears to 

be about 25 — Batiste picks up his 

bass drum and resumes his place 

next to Jones, where they hold the 

beat for the other musicians. With a 

full wall of brass behind him, Terry 

roars into a funked-up version of 

the old standard, “Lord, Lord, Lord, 

You Sure Been Good To Me.” Later 

the band plays “Happy Birthday” for 

Leona Grandison, only they make it 

sound like a funeral dirge, another 

specialty of the Tremé Brass Band, 

which has been playing that supple 

blend of new and traditional New 

Orleans music since 1995. 

The next day, Benny Jones tries 

to explain how his band draws in 

so many listeners who hadn’t even 

been born yet when most of his 

band’s repertoire was popular. “Oh, 

I think they don’t have anything 

www.prcno.org 

better to do on a Wednesday night,” 

he says. Maybe so. Or maybe something 

else. 

Jones started drumming at age 12, 

and now at 65 his resumé includes 

the Olympia Brass Band, the 

Tuxedo Brass Band, the Storyville 

Stompers, the Pinstripe Brass 

Band, and the list goes on. He also 

founded the Dirty Dozen Brass 

Band. All that while, Jones considered 

himself a musician on the side. 

He was driving a truck full-time. “I 

had a fair amount of kids, four kids, 

and I had to bring the money home. 

They were in school, some college, 

and when kids start getting to be 

teenagers, the cost of living goes 

up.” About the time that he retired 

from his truck-driving job, Jones 

also pulled together the Tremé Brass 

Band. “My idea was to keep a good 

traditional New Orleans band on 

the street.” That last part about “the 

street” is the operative phrase here. 

Jones saw many of the traditional 

brass bands taking their music out 

of town. Something was missing. 

He saw a need. “I formed the Tremé 

Brass Band, so we’d always have 

music around the city for parades 

and jazz funerals,” says Jones. 

Indeed, the Tremé Brass Band is a 

prominent feature at these events 

that are part socio-spiritual ritual, 

part performance art, and essential 

to our city’s unique character. 

Jones’ band is so well aligned 

with this culture that the producers 

of the HBO series Tremé lately filming 

in New Orleans, which depicts 

the post-Katrina lives of musicians, 

have featured the Tremé Brass Band 

in an episode revolving around 

a jazz funeral. In 2006, the band 

received an NEA National Heritage 

Fellowship, a grant provided “to 

recognize outstanding practitioners 

of traditional art forms.” This was a 

whole lot more than what Jones had 

envisioned as his retirement project. 

Now, the band gigs a few times a 

week and also gives educational 

performances at the Jazz National 

Historic Park. “The main thing we 

want to do is teach the young kids 

the traditional music.” 

Both Jones and Batiste grew 

up in the Tremé, and both have 

been drumming since they were 

“Uncle” Lionel Batiste and Benny Jones, Sr. pose with their drums at the Spotted Cat on 

Frenchmen Street. In 2009, PRC honored Batiste with an award at its Ladies in Red gala. 

kids. Jones’ father was the drummer 

Chester Jones, Sr., yet the 

younger Jones makes clear that he 

is self-taught. He picked up the 

snare drum when he was about 12 

years old, played what he heard, and 

before too long he was an Olympian 

with Harold Dejan. Batiste says 

his first drum was an overturned 

washtub. One day he sat on his 

front stoop and listened to the band 

practice at the nearby Joseph A. 

Craig School. Batiste started pounding 

on his washtub in time with the 

music. The teacher stuck her head 

out the window and summoned the 

child into school. She gave him a 

bass drum and put him in the band. 

“By me being so short and slim,” 

Batiste says, “when I had the drum 

strapped on me, they had another 

fella who would hold up the drum 

for me. I was 13 years old.” Since 

then, Batiste has his drums customized. 

A typical bass drum is too wide 

for his narrow build, so his drums 

all have to be cut down by about 

a foot. “See, it would be too far 

for my arm to get around,” Batiste 

says, demonstrating when he’s fully 

suited up. “I still get a pretty deep 

sound from it.” 

This Carnival season marked a 

brief crisis for Batiste at the Krewe 

Du Vieux parade. One of his drums, 

it appeared, was stolen. “After the 

parade, I set the drum down, and 

a fella was supposed to watch it for 

me ’cause I was going into the john. 

The john couldn’t fit me and the 

drum,” explains Batiste. “When 

I came out I discovered the drum 

was gone and he also.” The alarm 

went out over WWOZ, and the 

blogosphere crackled with angry 

commentary and pleas for help. 

Some Batiste fans wished special 

tortures in hell for the perpetrator. 

A few days later, Batiste got an 

anonymous phone call from a guy, 

asking where he could return the 

drum. Batiste told him to bring it 

to the Palm Court where he had 

a gig that night. The guy didn’t 

show up. While Batiste waited at 

the Palm Court, he got a call from 

his daughter, saying that the lost 

drum had appeared at his home. 

Mystery solved, more or less. These 

two drummers have chosen to take 

the generous view that it must have 

been a case of mistaken identity. 

“Lot of drums there that look the 

same,” says Jones. “Somebody 

picked it up by mistake.” 

Jones and Batiste have been 

around long enough to have played 

just about every song there is so 

many times, they could just about 

play them in their sleep. So you’d 

think it might be hard for them to 

pick a favorite. Jones pops right out 

with his: “ ‘When the Saints Go 

Marching In.’ I love it because it’s 

a New Orleans tune. We came up 

with that song.” 

Batiste picks the Paul Barbarin 

composition “Second Line” as 

his favorite. It’s not hard at all to 

persuade him to sing a few bars. He 

warms his soft voice a little first: 

“Dee, dee, dee, dum … When you 

hear that beat, you know it’s the 

second line. Old and young you 

meet, they’re heading in the street 

to join the Dixie Band. Young man 

[Batiste points to his own chest]. 

Old man [He hooks a thumb at 

Jones, who laughs.] Everybody 

wants to join the second line.” 


Featured Book from PRC Store 

By Danielle Del Sol, Preservation in Print intern 

PRC Executive Director Patricia 

H. Gay has an essay featured in 

How to Achieve A Heaven on Earth 

(Pelican Publishing Company, 

2010). This collection of essays, 

compiled and edited by New Orleanian 

John E. Wade II, places her 

work in fine company. The book’s 

101 essays are written by President 

Barack Obama, former Vice President 

Al Gore and media mogul Ted 

Turner, among others. Writing on 

what they know, these mammoths 

of mind and action tell, in three 

pages or less, why the issues they 

care about are vital to a peaceful, 

successful and happy population, 

a cleaner world and a sustainable 

future. 

Gay’s essay, “Preservation 

Complements Prosperity: The 

New Orleans Example” eloquently 

espouses the ideals with which 

Gay has been leading the PRC for 

the past 30 years. Preservation, 

she says, is a vital component to a 

city’s economy, culture and quality 

of life. Think of the world’s most 

tourist-friendly destinations: Do 

they lack historic neighborhoods or 

monuments What about the most 

exciting cities in which to live: Are 

there any devoid of historic homes 

or charming downtowns Preservation 

of a city’s historic structures is 

the common characteristic of the 

most interesting and exciting cities 

in the world. Leaders and residents 

of Paris, Rome and Boston, for 

example, know that to support the 

economy of the future, they must 

preserve the past. 

Gay uses New Orleans — one of 

the world’s most exciting cities in 

which to live and visit — as a case 

study. She specifically details how 

the preservation of the Vieux Carré 

has, for decades, bolstered New 

Orleans’ economy and quality of 

life. While many may assume it’s an 

“economic hardship” to preserve 

old buildings, she argues that the 

exact opposite is true: Retaining 

the original structures and flavor 

of a city pays dividends in tourism 

dollars and attracting residents, 

which fuels industry across the 

city. In New Orleans, Gay says, the 

Vieux Carré’s success has kept the 

city’s tourism industry, the local 

economy and the vitality of surrounding 

neighborhoods alive. 

Gay makes one point clear: Make 

preservation a priority, and there 

are no losers. Developers will still 

have plenty to do with renovation 

and reuse and residents and visitors 

will benefit as well, economically, 

culturally and otherwise. 

So how do you achieve heaven on 

earth Maybe, Gay hints, the infrastructure 

is already there. It just 

needs a fresh coat of paint. 

A copy of the book can be purchased 

at PRC or online at www. 

heavenonearth.org. 

As published in How to Achieve A Heaven on Earth 

Preservation Complements Prosperity: 

The New Orleans Example 

By Patricia H. Gay 

CITIZENS OF CITIES can learn 

from each other, and New Orleans 

has an example par excellence for 

other cities to consider. The lesson is 

simply this: Tremendous long-term 

economic, cultural and sociological 

benefits accrue when the historic urban 

plan and built environment are 

preserved. Put another way, it is not 

an economic hardship to preserve 

historic buildings. The opposite is 

true. 

The evidence is quite apparent 

and obvious for all to see, in the 

thriving Vieux Carré, the original 

1718 city of New Orleans. The 

ultimate goal was to build a beautiful 

city, defined by standards that had 

evolved over thousands of years and 

remain true today. That is exactly 

what happened. Within a few decades 

visitors were remarking on the 

unique charm and beauty of the city, 

as they still do today. 

Since 1936, New Orleans has 

officially protected its original city, 

the Vieux Carré, an area of approximately 

85-square blocks with 

2,000 properties. While the area is 

dense, with most buildings having 

common walls, most of the buildings 

are one, two and three stories. To 

repeat, it has not been an economic 

hardship to preserve these buildings. 

The Vieux Carré anchors one of the 

strongest tourism industries in the 

United States, one that is important 

to the city and the state. 

But certainly the benefits go beyond 

tourism. In assessing economic 

impact of the tourism industry, one 

should count not only the number 

of visitors and dollars spent; because 

the area is attractive to visitors, it 

is also attractive to business investment 

and prospective residents. The 

culture and quality of life of a place, 

something visitors seek out, is a 

major determinant in decisions to locate 

a business or residence. Visitors, 

residents, business investment — all 

are attracted to areas that are visually 

appealing and culturally interesting, 

and authentic and unique. This is 

accomplished through preservation 

and protection of a historic area. 

Tourism is not an industry to 

ignore. It is said that tourism is the 

largest industry in the world. The 

competition is great, but a city can 

compete by preserving at the very 

least a portion of its historic built environment, 

ideally by also adopting a 

city plan that includes historic preservation 

as a key element, requiring 

development that is sensitive to its 

context and that reflects the identity 

of the area. 

Tourism, of course, as with any 

industry, must evolve appropriately 

and only complement what is there 

to enjoy, preserve and protect. The 

adage “Don’t kill the goose that laid 

the golden egg” is appropriate when 

pursuing tourism development. 

Careful planning and strong enforcement 

of regulations are called for. 

For example, preserving the Vieux 

Carré was so economically successful 

that by the 1960s the entire area was 

on the verge of becoming a collection 

of hotels, certainly not what 

visitors came to New Orleans to see. 

Legislation was passed that prohibited 

any additional hotel development 

in the Vieux Carré. Was this 

an economic hardship for the city 

Not in the least. The integrity of the 

Vieux Carré was preserved, and there 

soon was major hotel development 

outside the area. There is also the 

threat of cultural degradation in order 

to attract visitors. Measures can 

be taken to avoid this problem as 

well. The pressure is still on, in spite 

of successful legislation, to make 

exceptions and to lower standards, 

yet many understand the importance 

of maintaining the Vieux Carré as an 

authentic tourist attraction, as opposed 

to a resort or theme park. 

There could be no stronger visual 

statement about a community than 

that reflected in well-preserved historic 

commercial and residential areas: 

The statement is loud and clear 

that here is a place that is thriving, 

where people care and are civically 

involved. The opposite is true 

when new buildings, inappropriate 

in scale and design, detracting from 

the surrounding environment, are 

erected in the place of the authentic. 

Often demolition takes place simply 

because of the argument that, for 

example, construction of a 10-story 

building will “generate jobs.” This 

thinking only reflects an understanding 

of the short-term — generally 

such buildings are obsolete within 

a few years, and their construction 

has destabilized and even destroyed 

the area around them — and fails to 

consider the tremendous economic 


potential of appropriate economic 

development. Had the historic 

buildings in the Vieux Carré been 

replaced, there would be no tourism 

industry in New Orleans today; 

worse, the city would have no heart, 

no identity, and would have lost 

even more of its urban populations 

in other neighborhoods. 

Which leads to the most important 

point: Vitality of the heart of 

the city is essential to the quality 

of life of its residents. If the heart 

has been destroyed, surrounding 

neighborhoods begin to languish 

and decline. The “broken window” 

theory takes effect, as house after 

house, street after street, and entire 

neighborhoods are destabilized 

and abandoned. By assuring the 

preservation of the Vieux Carré, 

New Orleans, unlike so many other 

American cities, has seen its older 

neighborhoods resist typical urban 

decline and even thrive with their 

own unique identities and loyal residents. 

In fact, this has been a major 

factor in the recovery effort in New 

Orleans, post-Katrina. Evacuated 

residents were determined to come 

home to their unique neighborhoods 

and rich cultural heritage. 

Many historic areas are run down 

and in need of revitalization measures. 

Cities should take heart. It is 

worth every incentive and every bit 

of other public assistance to preserve 

a historic area. Proof is in the Vieux 

Carré, which in fact was very much 

in decline when the legislation was 

passed to preserve it in 1936. Worse 

began to happen to urban historic 

areas across the country after 1945, 

when federal programs involved 

federally funded demolitions and 

subsidized suburban development 

that caused urban populations to 

decline. First, protection is essential 

to avoid loss of irreplaceable historic 

building stock and neighborhoods, 

but that was not enough. In the 

National Preservation Act of 1966 

provisions were made for a review 

process, for incentives and for the 

development of preservation programs, 

which have reversed urban 

decline in many cities. For example, 

a federally funded overhead expressway 

that would have walled off the 

Vieux Carré from the riverfront was 

stopped as a result of this legislation. 

More needs to be done, but the most 

important point is that strategies 

have worked and in no case were not 

worth it. While success often brings 

new problems, a civic consciousness 

that older neighborhoods generate 

is the best platform from which to 

address these problems. 

Examples abound around the 

world where cities that have protected 

their historic built environments 

enjoy prosperity and a rich quality of 

life. Yet with the advent of globalism 

and the pressures of short-term 

“economic development” trends in 

many countries, cities are very much 

threatened with the loss of identity 

and culture and with destabilization 

that inappropriate new construction 

generates. New Orleans presents a 

special case study, having established 

protection of its original city with 

positive results. It is documented 

that the Vieux Carré is today critical 

to the economy of the city. Not 

so easy to quantify but even more 

important is the positive impact 

on older neighborhoods and the 

perpetuation of the city’s rich culture 

that is recognized around the world 

but means the most to its residents. 

The same benefits would accrue to 

any city willing to take this path to a 

richer future for all of its citizens. 

From How to Achieve a Heaven 

on Earth, edited by John E. Wade, II, 

2010. Used with permission of the publisher, 

Pelican Publishing Company, Inc. 

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New Orleans on Film 

Blaze 

By Alex Lemann 

Photo courtesy of the Louisiana State Museum 

BLAZE (1989) opens around the time of the 

Korean War, as a young girl from rural Maryland 

leaves home in her best dress to pursue a career as 

a singer. Pressed to come up with a snappy stage 

name, she calls herself Blaze Starr, bursts out on 

stage, and is crushed to learn that the audience 

of soldiers would rather just see her take off her 

clothes than hear her sing. Blaze complies, and 

her career as a stripper is born. Blaze (Lolita 

Davidovich) quickly forgets her desire to become 

a singer, but her ambition remains, and before 

long she heads for New Orleans because, as she 

puts it, she “heard there’s a better class of people 

down there, cause of the French and all.” Moving 

to Bourbon Street is certainly good for Blaze; soon 

she meets and captures the heart of Earl Long, and 

finds herself catapulted into the world of politics. 

That this represents a move toward a “better 

class of people” is, for Blaze at least, a foregone 

conclusion. Long (Paul Newman) is at the tail 

end of his political career, and he is old, grouchy, 

caustic and gloriously eccentric. Long, it seems, 

has made a pastime of rolling down Bourbon 

Street in the governor’s limousine, making his 

way from one strip club to another in search of his 

next dalliance. All the strippers know him well; 

they are accustomed to receiving a mink coat for 

his attentions. 

The central appeal of the film is Newman’s 

portrayal of the governor. Long wears cowboy 

boots in bed “for traction,” lives in a tumbledown 

shack surrounded by rusting car parts, and, during 

a moment of impotence, chides a certain member 

of his anatomy for laziness: “you’re on the government 

payroll!” Long is determinedly in love with 

Blaze, and the growing public scandal, combined 

with outrage over his progressive attitudes towards 

desegregation, drives him to the brink of insanity. 

Although Blaze features no lost architectural 

treasures, it does offer a portrait of Louisiana 

politics that is at once quaint and fascinating. 

Long has hit the term limit for governorships, 

so he decides to run for lieutenant governor on 

a ticket with one of his old cronies as governor. 

When the crony wins the governorship he will 

promptly resign, getting Long around the law that 

forbids him from being “elected” governor. We are 

therefore treated to scenes of Long’s motorcade 

making its way across the state. Long stops in 

every town, heads for the general store, and begins 

buying things and distributing them to the people, 

growling “vote Long” under his breath. This is 

politics conducted by overweight men smoking 

cigars in back rooms, by family dynasties and 

political machines, and loyalties fortified by steady 

streams of patronage. 

Although the political advisors keep her out 

of sight, Blaze quickly develops an acute political 

sense of her own (she even asks her mother to 

pray for heavy turnout in the middle parishes), 

and manages to help Long survive the machinations 

of various plotters. Still, Blaze remains 

something of a mystery: fiercely loyal, doggedly 

supportive, but perhaps never truly in love. As 

the film draws to a close, Blaze leaves Louisiana 

behind and moves back to Maryland, grown up 

and perhaps a bit world weary but still without her 

mink coat. 

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The Hottest Blaze in Burlesque 

By John Magill, Curator/Historian, The Historic New Orleans Collection 

WHEN LOUISIANA Governor Earl K. Long 

died of a heart attack in 1960, the first five 

blocks of Bourbon Street — one of that governor’s 

favorite haunts — was topping out its 

days as a world-class venue for exotic burlesque 

shows. While such entertainment was considered 

risqué then, by today’s permissive standards 

it pales in comparison. Arguably, though, Bourbon 

Street’s modern reputation grew up in the 

’50s — the time depicted in the film Blaze as it 

recounts the affair between Long and Bourbon 

Street dancer Blaze Starr. 

Blaze Starr arrived on the street in the late 

1950s. Fannie Belle Fleming in her earlier life, 

she was born in 1932 in rural West Virginia to 

Lora Evans and Goodlow Mullins — the name 

Fleming was a later addition. In 1948, at age 

16, she moved to Washington, D.C., where 

she met Red Snyder who as her manager 

encouraged her career as an exotic dancer and 

helped christen her Blaze Starr. They parted, 

and Blaze moved to Baltimore where she headlined 

at the Two O’Clock Club. Her national 

reputation took off in February 1954 when she 

was included in an Esquire article “B-Belles of 

Burlesque: You Get Strip Tease with Your Beer 

in Baltimore.” This notoriety prompted her to 

begin appearing in other cities. 

Already a recognized center of exotic dancing 

Bourbon Street was a logical stop for Blaze. She 

ended up at Sho-Bar, 226-28 Bourbon St., which 

might have been destiny, since she and the club 

shared something in common — she left West 

Virginia at about the same time Sho-Bar opened. 

Sho-Bar’s address represents Bourbon Street 

in another phase of its long history before 

the nightclub scene. In 1854, when property 

developer Judah Benjamin sold the property to 

Miss Harriett E. Hooke, the site was occupied 

by a one-story six-room Creole structure. Soon 

it was replaced by a townhouse with a massive 

two-story cast-iron balcony. At that time upper 

Bourbon Street was not lined with clubs and 

bars, but many fine residences. They were not 

necessarily built in the Creole manner with passageway 

entrances and ground-floor businesses, 

but frequently in the Anglo-American style 

— strictly residential with fine entranceways. 

Many, like the former Sho-Bar, still survive and 

today as one glances at the upper floors above 

the clubs and bars an idea can be had of how 

the mid-19th-century residential street once 

looked. In some cases the stately doorways even 

remain intact, which is not the case at the 

former Sho-Bar — revealing the elegant beginnings 

of these large substantial buildings. 

Blaze Starr had a lot of company on Bourbon, 

since during the ’50s and ’60s there were 

a number of dancers. Among the names were 

Linda Brigett, Alouette Leblanc the Tassel 

Twirler, Rita Alexander the Champagne Girl, 

Lilly Christine the Cat Girl, Evangeline the 

www.prcno.org 

Oyster Girl, Kalantan the Heavenly Body 

and Saloma the Turkish Delight who was an 

earlier Sho-Bar veteran. Bourbon was a glittering 

neon strip where tourists and locals alike 

put on their Sunday best to visit a nightclub 

district that stretched about five blocks from 

Iberville Street beyond the backdoors of Canal 

Street’s department stores. Advertisements for 

clubs appeared not only in tourist guides but 

also in the weekend amusement pages of The 

Times-Picayune, and afternoon States-Item. 

Bourbon Street as we know it was born 

out of Prohibition. By the mid-1920s, raids 

shuttered speakeasies and the old honky-tonk 

Tango Belt around Iberville Street faded away. 

With the end of Prohibition in 1933, Bourbon 

Street was already emerging as the new nightclub 

center with clubs that served entertainment 

and food like Count Arnaud’s Maxim’s 

— which dated to 1925 — El Toro and La 

Lune among others. With World War II, New 

Orleans became as a major military center, 

and servicemen were drawn to the bright neon 

world of Bourbon Street. 

Bourbon Street flourished, becoming a bit 

tawdry, a bit risqué, a bit flashy, but a lot of 

fun. It was no less a product of its day, as other 

cities had similar areas, including Washington, 

D.C., and Baltimore where Blaze got her start. 

The acts may have been considered risqué but 

were not X-rated and the best of the performers 

were considered artists. 

There were always gimmicks, and Blaze 

Starr with her red hair, voluptuous body and 

enthusiasm had her own from the start. She 

danced with a panther that helped remove her 

clothes, but when the panther died, she took on 

its role getting down on all fours and snarling 

at the audience. She was nicknamed “Miss 

Spontaneous Combustion,” and “The Hottest 

Blaze in Burlesque” undoubtedly prompted 

by her act that included a prop couch rigged 

up to smolder and burst into flames while she 

stripped. In 1956 this sofa was used in the film 

Buxom Beautease. In 1960 she appeared in the 

flick Blaze Starr Goes Wild — half a century 

before Bourbon Street gained adverse notoriety 

as a site for Girls Gone Wild videos. Blaze Starr’s 

fame along with that of Bourbon Street spread 

far and wide as her involvement with Earl Long 

became known. It was press fodder and entered 

the living rooms of America through the pages 

of widely read magazines like Life, and via 

nascent network television newscasts. 

Blaze soon left the Crescent City returning to 

Baltimore to eventually buy the Two O’Clock 

Club. She retired in the 1980s and for a while 

took up designing and selling jewelry. 

Bourbon Street had a seamier and 

steamier side peopled by B-drinkers, prostitutes, 

pimps and petty criminals. In the 

’60s District Attorney Jim Garrison became 

Clockwise from top left on opposite page: from top left on 

opposite page: Sho-Bar, 226-28 Bourbon St. circa 1950s (HNOC 

Vieux Carré Survey); La Lune on Bourbon at St. Ann was a 

post-Prohibition nightclub with a Latin beat. It was later Pete 

Fountain’s club, and since about 1970 has served as various 

gay clubs including today’s OZ. (HNOC Vieux Carré Survey); 

Bourbon Street at Bienville circa 1950s looking toward Canal 

Street (HNOC # 1979.325.4873) 

intent on cleaning this up resulting in raids and 

arrests in the high profile vice campaign. Soon 

the world beyond Bourbon was changing with 

looser sexual morays and expanding X-rated 

entertainment. The Quarter was also changing, 

as college students on break and hippies became 

common fixtures. New clubs featured Go-Go 

girls in white vinyl boots dancing in cages while 

places serving pitchers of beer catered to the 

college crowd. Burlesque and exotic dancing 

were a dying breed on Bourbon Street and have 

come to look quaint and old fashioned when 

compared to today’s nude clubs. 

Sho-Bar still survives as a strip club. In the 1980s 

it moved to 325 Bourbon St., the former Gunga Den, 

and more recently moved to the 500 block of Bourbon. 

226-28 Bourbon is now Déjà Vu Showgirls. 

Blaze, and its era of half a century ago, represents 

a time in the evolution of upper Bourbon Street. 

It has become one of the most legendary and bestknown 

streets in the world. Named for the French 

ruling family at the time of the city’s founding — 

not American whiskey as many visitors mistakenly 

think, although it might fit the street’s present image 

— Bourbon has indeed been a street of steady 

change. Many of its 19th-century buildings survive, 

but their uses have changed dramatically. Before 

the Civil War it was a rich and fashionable residential 

street. A century later it was a bright neon strip 

noted for fleshy entertainment. A half-century after 

that its reputation is exaggeratedly that of one of 

the most X-rated spots in America. Upper Bourbon 

accounts for less than half of the narrow street’s 

length, since beyond the clubs Bourbon quickly 

becomes a more pristine and quiet residential street 

harking back to its earlier days. 


PRC in Action 

Federal Budget Cuts Threaten Historic Preservation 

By Theresa Conrad 

In these tough economic times, 

everyone understands the necessity 

of budget cuts, but we need 

to be careful not to do long-term 

damage in exchange for short-term 

savings. National Trust for Historic 

Preservation President Richard Moe 

calls Save America’s Treasures “the 

country’s most significant preservation 

effort in over 40 years,” and the 

proposed 2011 budget has provided 

no money for funding, effectively 

shutting the program down for the 

foreseeable future. 

Save America’s Treasures is the 

nation’s only bricks-and-mortar 

grant program and is one of the 

federal government’s most successful 

tools for preserving the places that 

tell America’s story. Over the past 

10 years, Save America’s Treasures 

has worked to restore more than 

1,100 structures and collections in 

every state in the nation, including 

$2.8 million in funding to Louisiana 

for projects ranging from cemetery 

stabilization to preserving historic 

Fort Pike and restoring the Grand 

Opera House of the South. Nationally, 

Save America’s Treasures’ 

collection includes such iconic 

objects as the Star Spangled Banner 

and the Founding Fathers’ Papers, 

historically and architecturally 

significant structures, including the 

Acoma Pueblo, Lincoln Cottage, 

Taliesen, and the Conservatory 

of Flowers, as well as the autobiographical 

homes of Edith Wharton, 

Mark Twain, Louisa May Alcott, 

Harriet Tubman and Captain Frederick 

Pabst. 

But saving these historic treasures 

is only one part of the program’s 

benefits. The Save America’s Treasures 

program required a one-to-one 

match, so that every federal dollar 

invested must be matched by one 

private dollar, successfully leveraging 

dollars from corporations, 

foundations and individuals in a 

prime example of a public-private 

partnership. There has been a push 

to create more of these types of 

partnerships, so why would you 

want to de-fund such a wonderful, 

working, proven example 

The program also contributes to 

the economy through job creation. 

It is estimated that Save America’s 

Treasures has added more than 

16,000 jobs to state and local 

economies and given that these 

projects are typically 20-40 percent 

more labor intensive than new construction 

they employ a variety of 

craftspeople, not simply handymen. 

At a time when supporting sustainable 

communities and job creation 

are top priorities for Congress and 

the Administration, it is tragically 

shortsighted to overlook — or even 

cripple — the power and potential 

of historic preservation programs 

such as these. 

Save America’s Treasures is an 

integral part of the Historic Preservation 

Fund (HPF), and elimination 

of the project would result in 

a 30 percent across-the-board cut 

to federal historic preservation. 

In fact the HPF has never been 

fully funded. Despite that it has an 

authorized annual budget of $150 

million, it typically only receives 

one-third to one-half that amount, 

Breaking News 

The federal historic tax credit is a highly efficient job creator — accounting 

for the creation of 1.8 million new jobs over the life of the 

program, according to the “First Annual Report on the Economic 

Impact of the Federal Historic Tax Credit,” which was done by Novogradac 

& Company for the National Trust for Historic Preservation. 

The report, released in March, found that historic tax credits 

generated jobs more efficiently than other stimulus options and the 

study concludes that the economic activity leveraged by the historic 

tax credit returns more tax revenue to the U.S. Treasury than the 

cost of implementing the program. The report, the first to ever to 

comprehensively examine the economic impact of the federal historic 

tax credit, also underscores the need for additional legislation 

to strengthen the federal credits. To read the complete study, visit 

www.preservationnation.org/issues/community-revitalization/jobs 

even though their funds come from 

Outer Continental Shelf oil leases, 

not taxpayer dollars. 

Ultimately, Save America’s 

Treasures is a program that gives 

back far more than it receives, both 

to the economy and to our nation’s 

heritage. Please take a few moments 

to contact your representatives and 

tell them to fight to make preservation 

a priority. Visit http://tinyurl. 

com/SATContactForm. 

Stimulus Package vs. 

Save America’s Treasures: Jobs Created 

One of the main goals of the nearly trillion-dollar stimulus package was 

to put Americans back to work, and there’s no question that there have 

been jobs created — but at what cost 

Donovan Rypkema, principal of PlaceEconomics and president of Heritage 

Strategies International, has crunched the numbers and his findings 

are shocking: On average, jobs created by the Save America’s Treasures 

program outstripped those created by the stimulus at a rate of 11 to one. 

Louisiana, for example, has received $2.5 billion as part of the federal 

program, which has led to the creation of 11,359 jobs — at a cost of 

$220,950 each. Save America’s Treasures program, by contrast, received 

$1,792,081 in federal funds, which was then matched (and exceeded) by 

$1,916,645 in private dollars. These funds created 105 jobs at a cost to 

the government of $17,037 per job. The cost of the stimulus-created jobs 

was 13 times that of those from Save America’s Treasures. 

That’s exactly the sort of dollar stretching we need in these cost-conscious 

times. 

Operation Comeback Director Pam Bryan, Saints quarterback Drew Brees, and 

historic building specialist Aimee Charbonneau 

THE NEW ORLEANS SAINTS quarterback Drew Brees and his 

wife, Brittany, are the New Orleans’ Ambassadors for the Prince of 

Wales’ Foundation for the Built Environment’s Rebuilding Communities 

Program. On Feb. 15, Drew Brees visited 2404 St. Ann, an Operation 

Comeback property under renovation, to meet the 21 apprentices and 

observe their carpentry, brick masonry and plaster work. In the apprentice 

program, the students were taught architectural and urban design 

principles while observing indigenous building styles. This program aims 

to build capacity, from student to future master craftsperson, establishing 

essential life skills required not only in New Orleans, but also worldwide 

in a market facing a critical shortage of traditional building crafts. 

Photo by J.R. Portman 


For 

Sale 

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Imagine moving into a completely 

renovated 3-bedroom, 2-bathroom 

historic home with over 1,500 square 

feet of space, right where the Industrial 

Canal meets the “Mighty Mississippi.” 

This home sits on a double 62’ x 101’ 

lot. Enjoy the beautiful view of the 

river, canal and downtown. Watch the 

sun rise and set at the levee. The house, 

fondly called the “tree house” has an interesting 

story to tell. This is a must-see! 

Once you visit, you’ll be in love! All of 

this and more is offered at $199,000. 

1338-40 Arts St. 

There is approximately 4,000-square 

feet of space in this building, prominently 

situated on a corner in the 

New Marigny neighborhood. With 

vision and tender loving care this 

property can be returned to its 

original beauty, and can be used as 

a residence, a business or both since 

it contains commercial as well as 

living areas. Many of its shutters and 

other original architectural exterior 

features are still intact, and is offered 

at $95,000. 

405 St. Maurice St. 

Originally built in the early 1900s, 

this unique renovation designed by 

Wayne Troyer can be yours. Enter 

through a private courtyard, and with 

a 30’ x 104’ lot you still have a back 

yard for entertaining. This twobedroom, 

two-bath, 1,200-square-foot 

home is located in historic Holy Cross 

and has all the modern conveniences 

of a brand new home, but with the 

charm and character of old New 

Orleans. By purchasing this wonderful 

renovation, you can be a part of 

bringing back our city. 405 St. Maurice 

is being offered at $150,000. 

6215 Dauphine St. 

Move into this 1,331-square-foot, 

two-bedroom, two-bath home that 

has been rebuilt with many of the 

materials salvaged from the original 

collapsed structure. Sitting on a 30’ 

x 113’ lot, this wonderful reconstruction 

by Operation Comeback offers 

lots of space to entertain with a back 

porch and a side gallery. Located in 

historic Holy Cross, this house feels 

like an old home that’s new again. All 

of this can be yours at $174,500. 

938 Lizardi St. 

Come home to this wonderfully 

renovated shotgun with off-street 

parking and an outer building that 

can be used for storage or as a garage. 

This Arts and Crafts-style shotgun is a 

720-square-foot home with 1 bedroom 

and 1 bathroom on a 30’ x 114’ lot. 

Many properties on this block are 

being renovated with the assistance 

of Preservation Resource Center. This 

perfect starter home may have grant 

money attached, and it is being offered 

at $110,000. 

5204 Burgundy St. 

This property was renovated through 

a partnership with Preservation 

Resource Center and the Louisiana 

Technical College as a learning site 

for the students of LTC’s carpentry 

program. It is a 1,162 square-foot, 

3-bedroom, 2-bathroom home on a 

32’ x 64’ lot. Much of the original 

wood flooring was intact and restored, 

as were as the original front 

doors. There is new berber carpet in 

the master bedroom. This property 

can be a wonderful family home in 

historic Holy Cross, and is offered at 

$139,500. 

Grant Money Available 

Why pay rent when you can own a 

home in an historic neighborhood A 

qualified buyer can get up to $35,000 

in grant money toward the purchase 

of a qualified property in two of New 

Orleans’ historic neighborhoods. 

Operation Comeback has more than 

20 properties to be renovated in either 

Holy Cross or Tremé. Several floor 

plans are available for single-family 

homes and doubles. Plans will include 

historical features with modern 

conveniences such as central heat and 

air, new plumbing and electrical, tiled 

bathroom floors, roomy kitchens and 

wood floors wherever possible. You can 

Live in a Landmark and your monthly 

payment may be less than rent. 

217 N. Salcedo 

This 1,260-square-foot single shotgun 

Arts and Crafts house, on a 26’ x 102’ 

lot, is waiting for renovation. It has 

two bedrooms and one bath, with lots 

of room for entertaining. There’s a 

large kitchen/dining room area, and 

a very large room that can be used as 

either a den or third bedroom. The 

house features indoor laundry, plenty 

of storage, a fenced yard and is close 

to public transportation. If you are a 

first-time homebuyer, you may qualify 

for an FHA renovation loan. This 

property is being offered at $50,000. 

Please contact Lisa Ross at (504) 636-3078 or 

lross@prcno.org for information on these and other 

exciting historic homes offered by Preservation 

Resource Center. PRC is located at 923 Tchoupitoulas St. 

in New Orleans’ Warehouse District. 

www.prcno.org 


PRC in Action 

Preparing for a Lifetime 

of Community Involvement 

By Sarina Mohan 


welcomed the eighth grade class of Dr. King 

Charter School for the January 9th exhibit opening 

of “My City, My Home,” which showcases the 

remarkable work accomplished by the students 

as part of a pilot program established and led by 

PRC’s Education and Outreach Department. 

Students were eager to show off their knowledge 

about the history, culture and architecture 

of New Orleans to their teachers and especially 

to the staff of the PRC, including Executive Director 

Patty Gay, and a reporter from The Times- 

Picayune. The students viewed architectural 

images formerly unfamiliar to them and shouted 

out which houses were shotguns or Creole cottages, 

how many bays each house had, which 

windows were double-hung, frieze or dormers, 

and who lived in neighborhoods such as the Irish 

Channel and Tremé when they were founded. 

The exhibit demonstrated the students’ newfound 

understanding of a much broader principle 

than just architecture or local history. In order to 

complete the project, they engaged in a small-scale 

community planning exercise, learning what elements 

and amenities a community needs to be successful 

and how those features 

should be laid out. The group 

discussions mirrored those that 

have become essential to the 

rebuilding of New Orleans 

in recent years. In constructing 

their model homes, two 

students debated the pros and 

cons of raising a home on stilts 

vs. keeping the house at its 

original height. PRC’s hope is 

that gaining these skills early 

will prepare the students for 

a lifetime of community involvement 

as preservationists 

and informed citizens. 

CLASSIC DINING 

Redefining the NO 

neighborhood restaurant 

Dinner Monday - Saturday 

Lunch Thursday and Friday 

6100 Annunciation Street 

THE LEGACY CONTINUES. 


PRC in Action 

Alternative Spring Break Brings 

College Kids to Help Rebuild 

By Alyssa Provencio 

IMAGINE LYING on a beach, 

enjoying a cool drink and working 

on your tan, surrounded by openair 

bars, clubs and amazing parties. 

This is the vision that many 

college students would describe as 

the perfect spring break vacation. 

However, this year, over 900 

students will volunteer with PRC’s 

Rebuilding Together New Orleans 

(RTNO) and receive an entirely 

different experience. 

For Jacob Murdock, a student at 

University of Nevada-Las Vegas, 

volunteering during his spring 

break was something he didn’t 

have to think about twice: “I feel 

that my time can be better spent 

in another community, making a 

difference. We can often become 

sheltered and it is good to learn 

about the world around us.” 

Thousands of college students 

across the country are opting out 

of the traditional (or perhaps 

stereotypical) sunny trips to the 

beach, and instead are joining the 

growing Alternative Spring Break 

trend. Alternative Spring Breaks 

are volunteer trips organized 

by colleges, universities, charitable 

organizations and religious 

organizations. These trips give 

college students the opportunity 

to participate in organized public 

service and relief efforts. 

While New Orleans has always 

been a popular tourist destination 

for students, Hurricane 

Katrina gave them a new reason 

to visit: to lend a hand. Not only 

do visitors get the benefits of the 

cultural experiences that New 

Orleans has to offer, they are also 

able to give back to a community 

in need. Students participate in 

philanthropic activities such as 

tutoring children, working with 

the elderly, teaching English to 

immigrants or registering voters. 

Perhaps the most popular Alternative 

Spring Break activities 

in New Orleans are those that 

involve manual labor, such as 

repairing houses and schools and 

clearing away debris from stormdamaged 

neighborhoods. 

They are so popular, in fact, 

that RTNO started booking groups 

a year in advance for spring break 

and were full by January. There 

are no official numbers on how 

many spring breakers have spent 

their vacations in New Orleans 

since the storm, but we know that 

without them we would not have 

accomplished as much as we have 

thus far. While services such as 

plumbing and electric are done by 

licensed professionals, a majority 

of work done on completed homes 

by RTNO has been by volunteers. 

From painting and landscaping to 

carpentry and flooring, there are 

many ways for volunteers to share 

their talents. 

For Jon Skvarka, RTNO 

program manager, his college 

spring break was life changing. 

2419 Chestnut Street 

Double-gallery sidehall in cream 

Garden District location. 

Three bedrooms/ 2.5 baths. 

Formality meets livability. 

Gorgeous trim & handsome floors. 

Extensive recent renovations. 

Walk to parades and restaurants. 

Primo condition. $825,000 

Carmen L. Duncan, CRS, ABR 

“Your Real Estate Resource” sm 

RE/MAX N.O. Properties 

Direct: 504-865-9397 • Cell: 504-452-6439 • RE/MAX: 504-866-7733 

www.yourrealestateresource.net 

“My story is a good example of 

how a spring break service week 

in New Orleans can impact your 

life. I came down in the spring 

of 2006 and saw the devastation 

first hand. That experience is 

why I have lived in and worked 

for New Orleans the past three 

years,” says Skvarka. 

While PRC has hosted spring 

break volunteers for many years, 

the program really took off in 

2006. Since then, Rebuilding 

Together has hosted many repeat 

volunteers. “My sophomore year 

of college, I wanted to come help 

rebuild because I wanted to be 

active in post-Katrina reconstruction. 

It was as real as you could 

get — a natural disaster on U.S. 

soil that the U.S. government 

wasn’t adequately addressing,” 

says Anastasia Korolkova, a City 

University of New York senior. 

“Looking back, however, I think 

New Orleans helped me more 

than the other way around. I am 

still inspired by the teamwork that 

made it happen. I am very grateful 

to New Orleans.” 

Korolkova isn’t the only volunteer 

who claims that New Orleans 

has had a profound effect on 

them. Although the city’s distinct 

food and music are certainly memorable, 

it’s the personal stories of 

tragedy and triumph that inspire 

the students to keep coming back. 

Michelle Lackie, associate 

director of Immersion Experiences 

at Hillel, the Foundation 

for Jewish Campus Life says, “The 

spirit of New Orleans is incredible. 

Year after year we see New 

Orleanians proud of their home, 

even when frustrated, but committed 

to bringing it back. The 

energy is infectious.” 

www.prcno.org 


Believe in New Orleans - Invest in PRC 

! 

Enroll in our 

Monthly Giving Program 

Giving to the PRC just got easier! 

Sign up for our monthly giving program and 

designate any amount to be automatically charged to 

your credit card on or around the 5th of every month. 

Select the Monthly Giving Program below 

or enroll online at www.prcno.org 

Join the prestigious Heritage Club for just $25 a month. 

Membership Benefits 

Preservation in Print subscription 

Discount on PRC tours, selected events and retail items 

Advance notice of PRC workshops and events 

Use of PRC library 

Invitation to PRC Annual Meeting 

PRC is grateful to Renaissance Publishing, LLC for generously providing 

a subscription to New Orleans Home & Lifestyles to all PRC members 

Membership Form 

q❑ YES, I want to be a PRC member! 

q❑ YES, I want to volunteer. 

________________________________________________________________________________ 

Name 

________________________________________________________________________________ 

Address 

________________________________________________________________________________ 

City, State, Zip 

________________________________________________________________________________ 

Phone 

________________________________________________________________________________ 

E-mail 

Payment Method: ❑ Check ❑ MasterCard ❑ Visa ❑ AMEX 

________________________________________________________________________________ 

Card # 

Exp. Date 

Membership Categories: 

General 

q❑$35 Friend (first-time members, students, seniors & neighborhood groups) 

q❑$40 Individual (discounts for one) 

q❑$60 Dual (discounts for two) 

q❑$100 Household (discounts for four) 

Heritage Club 

q❑$250 Preserver (discounts for four, plus special invitations and listing in 

Preservation in Print) 

q❑$350 Restorer (same as above, plus one free Holiday Home Tour ticket) 

q❑$500 Conservator (same as above, plus one additional free Holiday Home Tour ticket) 

q❑$1000 President’s Circle (same as above, plus one free Julia Jump ticket*) 

Monthly Giving Program: 

Automatically charged to your credit card on the 5th of each month 

q $25/month Heritage Club 

q $100/month President’s Circle 

*Please request at least two weeks prior to event. 

Enclose payment information and mail to: 

Preservation Resource Center 

923 Tchoupitoulas Street, New Orleans, LA 70130 

Of the total amount of your dues, $17.50 is for your subscription to Preservation in Print. 

Minimum dues are $35 per year. The portion of your contribution that exceeds $17.50 is taxdeductible 

to the fullest extent of the law. 

TRIBUTES AND 

MEMORIALS 

February 2010 

In Honor of 

Gary Kueber 

By 

Caroline Mowry 

In Memory of 

Dione Harmon 

By 

Patty and Will Andrews 

HERITAGE CLUB 

MEMBERS 

(from New Orleans unless otherwise stated) 

February 2010 

Mr. Sean M. Barnett – Reston, VA 

Mr. and Mrs. Frank Bruno 

Mr. and Mrs. Carlo Capomazza 

Mr. Richard C. Colton, Jr. 

Dr. and Mrs. David H. Coy 

Mr. and Mrs. Charles B. Davis 

Ms. Katherine DeMontluzin 

Mr. and Mrs. R.E.E. DeMontluzin III 

Eskew+Dumez+Ripple 

Dr. Ricardo Febry and Mrs. Helen Baffes-Febry 

Mr. and Mrs. Charles F. Gay, Jr. 

Mr. Frederick J. Graboske – Rockville, MD 

Mrs. JoAnn F. Greenberg 

Ms. Alison B. Harada – Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, JAP 

The James R. Moffett Family Foundation 

Mr. and Mrs. David W. Jeffrey – 

Eureka Springs, AR 

Mrs. Nancy Tervalon King – Houston, TX 

Mr. and Mrs. Herman S. Kohlmeyer, Jr. 

Mr. and Mrs. David J. Krebs 

Thank You 

Ms. Catherine Ladnier – Greenwich, CT 

Mr. and Mrs. John LeBourgeois – Swarthmore, PA 

Mr. and Mrs. J. Thomas Lewis 

Mr. and Mrs. Peter E. Moss II 

Dr. Pat O’Brien 

Ms. Sara S. Orton 

Redeemer Presbyterian Church of New Orleans 

Mr. and Mrs. Peter Ricchiuti 

Mr. and Mrs. James C. Roddy 

Mrs. Evald L. Skau 

Ms. Laura Stewart – Plaquemine, LA 

Mr. Peter M. Trapolin 

Mr. and Mrs. John C. Trebellas – 

Williamsburg, VA 

Mr. and Mrs. Franz M. Vogt 

Mr. and Mrs. Robert P. Wailes 

Tina Freeman and Philip Woollam 

Mr. Linton L. Young – Palo Alto, CA 

NEW MEMBERS 

(from New Orleans unless otherwise stated) 

February 2010 

Ms. Muriel S. Alugas 

Mr. Sean M. Barnett – Reston, VA 

Mrs. Leslie Bland – Houma, LA 

Ms. Christina Bollo – Seattle, WA 

Mr. James Borsos – River Ridge, LA 

Ms. Lauren Boyd 

Mr. Frank C. Curie – Metairie, LA 

Ms. Stephanie Dreher – Biloxi, MS 

Ms. Julie Ernst 

Mr. Robert G. Freeland 

Ms. Sheila Gomez 

Mr. John Hembling 

Ms. Susan Klein 

McKendall’s Realty 

Ms. Jacquelyn Morton 

Mr. Joel G. Myers 

Ms. Catherine Poudin 

Mr. Gaither Pratt 

Ms. Beverly Splane 

Ms. Laura Stewart – Plaquemine, LA 

Dr. and Ms. Charles B. Street 

Mr. Jeremy Thomas – Springfield, MO 

Mr. Jake Yunker 

Celebrate with a 

“History You 

Can Live In” 

t-shirt 

Members 

receive 20% off 

all items at the 

PRC Store 


Thank you to our Major Donors 

Annual Major Donor support includes gifts to PRC programs, general operations and fundraising events. 

French Colonial 

($50,000 and above) 

The 1772 Foundation 

Avon Foundation 

Chevron 

City of New Orleans – CDBG 

Entergy Services 

Enterprise Community Partners, Inc. 

Fannie Mae 

Greater New Orleans Foundation* 

Hearst Magazines 

The Helis Foundation* 

Home and Garden Television 

International Bridge, Tunnel and 

Turnpike Assoc. Foundation 

The Joe W. and Dorothy Dorsett Brown 

Foundation* 

Lowe’s 

MercyCorps 

Jim and Catherine MacPhaille 

Christine A. Miller 

National Basketball Players Foundation, INC. 

National Trust for Historic Preservation 

New Orleans Saints 

Order of Malta Hurricane Relief Fund 

Qatar Treme Lafitte Renewal Project 

Rebuilding Together, Inc. 

The Salvation Army 

Sears Holdings 

Seattle Seahawks Charitable Foundation 

State of Louisiana – 

Office of Cultural Development 

The Starbucks Foundation 

Surdna Foundation 

United Way for the Greater New Orleans Area 

George Q. Whitney Estate 

Creole 

($25,000-$49,999) 

Broadmoor Improvement Association 

Carol M. Jacobsohn Foundation 

Clein/Lemann Esperanza Fund 

Mr. and Mrs. H. M. Favrot, Jr.* 

Folgers Coffee Company 

Al and Tipper Gore 

Hearst Corporation 

Louisiana Disaster Recovery Foundation 

Procter & Gamble Fund 

Reily Foundation* 

Richard Meier Foundation 

RosaMary Foundation 

Shell Exploration & Production Company 

Siemens Corporation 

Wyeth Pharmaceuticals 

Greek Revival 

($15,000-$24,999) 

American Express Company 

The Broadmoor Community Development Corp. 

Capital One, N.A. 

CHASE Bank 

Clif Bar Family Foundation 

Commonwealth Business Media 

Deutsche Bank Americas Foundation 

Eugenie and Joseph Jones Family Foundation 

New Orleans Neighborhood 

Development Collaborative 

Popular Mechanics 

Time Warner, Inc. 

Union for Reform Judaism 

Gothic Revival 

($10,000 - $14,999) 

Amica Mutual Insurance Company 

BACCO 

Belle Alliance Plantation 

Mr. and Mrs. John Bertuzzi 

Ms. Iris Brooks 

Dr. Allen Calabresi & Dr. Rebecca Lillis 

Ella West Freeman Foundation 

Mrs. John D. Guthrie* 

Habitat for Humanity International 

Important Gifts, Inc 

Jerome S. & Grace H. Murray Foundation 

Jesuit High School 

Junior League of New Orleans 

Mr. Kevin M. Kelly* 

Lawrence B. Dale Family Foundation 

Mrs. Lois H. Lazaro* 

Dr. R. Dale LeBlanc and Mr. Hal Williamson* 

Ms. Willa Lewis and Mr. Edward Moulin* 

Mary E. Peters and Robert W. Polchow 

Foundation 

Drs. Matt and Linda McElveen 

Mr. and Mrs. Michael Mislove 

Saks Fifth Avenue 

Mr. and Mrs. Geoffrey P. Snodgrass* 

Wells Fargo Foundation 

Italianate 

($5,000 - $9,999) 

Adams & Reese LLP 

Mrs. Jack R. Aron* 

Bisso Towboat Co., Inc. 

Amanda Burden 

Daniel and Alicia Bythewood 

Dr. Mark M. Cassidy and Dr. Hosea Doucet* 

Fidelis Underwriters, Ltd./ 

Mr. and Mrs. H. E. Brown, Jr. 

The Craig B. Tate Foundation 

Entergy New Orleans, Inc. 

Freddie Mac 

Katherine and Tony Gelderman* 

Goldring Family Foundation 

The Gumbo Foundation* 

Gustaf Westfeldt McIlhenny Family Foundation* 

Harrah’s Casino 

Iberia Bank 

International Council of Shopping Centers 

Foundation, Inc. 

Christel and Keene Kelley* 

Latter & Blum 

Mr. Paul J. Leaman, Jr.* 

Mr. William McKenna 

M.S. Rau Antiques 

Newsweek Budget Travel Inc.* 

Mr. and Mrs. Randy Opotowsky* 

Reily Foods, Inc. 

Mr. Mark A. Ricard* 

Rubenstein Communications, Inc. 

Laura and Sonny Shields* 

Mr. and Mrs. Stephen Sherrill* 

Shields, Mott and Lund, LLP 

Sotheby’s International Realty, Inc.* 

The Timothy D. Letter Memorial Foundation 

Trinity Episcopal Church, VML 

Gail and John Wall 

Whitney National Bank 

Second Empire 

($2,500 - $4,999) 

A Friend of PRC* 

AT&T-New Orleans 

Muffin and Luis Balart* 

Baptist Community Ministries 

Ms. Cathie Black 

Mr. and Mrs. John G. B. Boyd* 

Cahn Family Foundation* 

Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth A. Carroll* 

Coaxum Enterprises, Inc. 

Sybil M. and D. Blair Favrot Family Fund* 

Mr. and Mrs. Walter C. Flower III 

Mr. and Mrs. Jay L. Gershman 

Give With Liberty 

Mr. and Mrs. John J. Graham* 

Dr. and Mrs. Scott Habetz 

Mr. Alex T. Hunt, Jr.* 

Jones Walker 

Kanner & Whiteley, LLC* 

Linda and Gordon Kolb 

Liberty Mutual Insurance 

Mignon Faget Ltd. 

Michael W. Murphy II 

National Alliance of Preservation Commissions 

Ms. Ann Nichols* 

Mr. and Mrs. Charles S. Reily* 

Patty and Doug Sacks 

Henry and Peggy Schleiff 

Janet and Leonard C. Tallerine* 

Susan Thomson-Rutland* 

Ms. Tina Freeman and Mr. Philip Woollam* 

Landmark 

($1,000 - $2,499) 

A Friend of PRC 

Mr. and Mrs. Herschel L. Abbott, Jr. 

Rep. and Mrs. Neil C. Abramson 

American College of Obstetricians & Gynecologists 

Ms. Jimi K. Andersen* 

APC Workplace Solutions 

Mr. and Mrs. John Argenti 

Azby Fund* 

Bahl & Gaynor 

Mr. and Mrs. F. McNaughton Ball, Jr.* 

Mr. and Mrs. Michael J. Bell 

Mr. and Mrs. E. V. Benjamin III 

Thomas M. Benjamin & Sallee A. Boyce 

Mr. and Mrs. Napoleon Benoit 

Mr. and Mrs. Ben Benton* 

Mr. and Mrs. John Bertuzzi 

Mr. Kelsey Biggers 

Ms. Betty K. Bird* 

Janie & Elbert Blackmon 

Bremermann Designs 

Mr. and Mrs. Ralph O. Brennan* 

Mr. and Mrs. Robert W. Brown 

Mr. and Mrs. Frank Bruno* 

Mr. and Mrs. Adolph F. Bynum, Sr. 

Mr. and Mrs. Carlo Capomazza 

Basi and Michael Carbine 

Mr. and Mrs. John F. Carrere, Jr.* 

Susannah and Thomas Carrier 

Mr. and Mrs. Tony Carter* 

Mr. and Mrs. Dick Cashin 

Mr. Tod Chambers 

Mr. and Mrs. Walter F. Chappell III* 

Cheim & Read 

Mr. and Mrs. William K. Christovich* 

Coats Rose 

Congregation B’nai Israel 

Mr. Richard C. Colton, Jr. 

Mr. and Mrs. Don Cornwell 

Mr. and Mrs. Courtney C. Crouch, Jr.* 

Mr. and Mrs. Valeton J. Dansereau* 

Mr. and Mrs. David Darragh 

Beth Rudin DeWoody 

Mrs. Kay L. Dore* 

Downtown Development District 

Mr. Stephen Drucker 

Mr. and Mrs. Steve Dumez 

Easter Seals of Louisiana 

Karen and Ollie Edmunds 

Ernst & Young LLP 

Eskew+Dumez+Ripple 

Sara Essex 

Eugenia & Albert Lamar Fund* 

Mr. and Mrs. Conway Farrell* 

Mr. Thomas B. Favrot* 

Frances and Calvin Fayard 

F.B.T. Film Credit LLC 

The Fertel Foundation 

First Bank & Trust 

First National Bank of Commerce 

Anjele and Tim Fischer 

Mr. and Mrs. Vaughan Fitzpatrick 

Mr. Ronald L. Fleming 

Mrs. Richard Fowler 

Foxtrot Touring Corporation 

Mr. and Mrs. John A. Frazee 

Fricker Historic Preservation Services, LLC 

Mr. Andrew Fry 

Mrs. Anne B. Gauthier* 

Mr. and Mrs. Charles F. Gay, Jr.* 

Goldman, Sachs & Co. 

Mr. and Mrs. William J. Goliwas* 

Mr. and Mrs. Mason Granger 

Mr. and Mrs. John D. Gray* 

Mr. David A. Greenberg* 

Mrs. JoAnn F. Greenberg* 

Mr. and Mrs. Parker Griffith* 

Mr. and Mrs. James O. Gundlach* 

Hackett Cummins Construction Co., Inc. 

Dr. and Mrs. Stephen W. Hales 

Halliburton Employees 

Mr. and Mrs. Stephen A. Hansel* 

Mr. and Mrs. Harry Hawks 

Mr. and Mrs. Paul M. Haygood 

Jeff and Stephanie Haynes 

Mr. and Mrs. Richard L. Hecht 

Ms. Caroline Hirsch and Mr. Andrew Fox 

Mr. and Mrs. Philip N. Hodges 

Honeywell Hometown Solutions Employees 

Mr. and Mrs. Arthur W. Huguley III* 

The Inn on Bourbon 

Mr. and Mrs. Clyde H. Jacob III* 

The James R. Moffett Family Foundation* 

Ms. Trica Jean-Baptiste 

Mr. Thomas Jeffris* 

Jensen Builders, Inc. 

Juliet Home Furnishings* 

Mrs. Amanda Jones 

KFK Group 

Mr. and Mrs. Sanford B. Kaynor 

Anne Kennedy and Peter Nadin 

Mr. David J. Kipin 

Knights of Pythias 

Mr. and Mrs. Herman S. Kohlmeyer, Jr 

Mr. and Mrs. David Kreinik 

Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence E. Kurzius* 

Mr. Dan A. Kusnetz 

Landis Construction Company LLC 

Mr. and Mrs. Merritt Lane III 

LaPorte, Sehrt, Romig & Hand 

Mr. and Mrs. Dennis P. Lauscha* 

Mr. Brian E. Lawlor and Ms. Eleanor DeCoursey* 

Mr. and Mrs. Ted Le Clercq 

Mr. & Mrs. J. Thomas Lewis Fund* 

Liberty Bank & Trust Co. 

Lifetime Entertainment Services 

Dr. and Mrs. E. R. Lupin 

M. Carbine Restorations, Ltd. 

Mrs. Paula L. Maher* 

Manafort Family Foundation 

Marrero Land & Improvement Assoc., Ltd* 

Mr. and Mrs. John F. Marshall* 

Mr. and Mrs. Robert T. Mazur* 

Mr. and Mrs. John M. McCollam* 

Metro Disposal 

Miami Corporation* 

Cara and King Milling 

Ms. Gail Monaghan 

Mrs. Avis O. Moore* 

Mr. and Mrs. James J. Morse, Sr. 

Morgan Stanley 

Mr. and Mrs. Clarkson P. Moseley* 

Mr. and Mrs. Grover E. Mouton III 

Mr. and Mrs. Charles W. Nelson* 

Mr. and Mrs. Michael T. Oakes* 

Octavia Fund 

Omega Psi Phi 

Mr. and Mrs. J. Marshall Page III* 

Ms. Angele M. Parlange 

Patrick F. Taylor Foundation* 

Mr. and Mrs. Richard Presutti 

Ms. Jonelle Procope 

Mr. and Mrs. Edmund E. Redd 

Mr. and Mrs. Clarke Reed 

Julia Reed and John Pearce 

Renew New Orleans Foundation* 

Ms. Bryce W. Reveley and Mr. Alan Caspi* 

Mr. and Mrs. George Reynolds* 

Mr. and Mrs. Peter Ricchiuti* 

Mrs. Francoise B. Richardson 

Dr. and Mrs. Kearny Q. Robert III 

Mr. James A. Robinson 

Mr. and Mrs. James C. Roddy* 

Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin M. Rosen 

Rosenthal and Jacobs Foundation Fund* 

Ms. Melanie M. Roth* 

Mr. David Schonfeld 

Securities Service Network Inc 

Mrs. William A. Slatten 

Ms. Michele L. Smith and Mr. David Weinberg 

Mr. H. Paul St. Martin III 

Steeg Law Firm, L.L.C. 

Ms. Patricia Strachan 

Mrs. Harold H. Stream, Jr. 

Dr. and Mrs. Roger L. Stroud* 

Dr. and Mrs. Richard L. Strub* 

Susan Magrino Agency 

Ms. Mary L. Sweat and Mr. Tom Gault* 

Mr. and Mrs. Jack W. Thomson* 

Time Inc. 

Mrs. Catherine B. Tremaine* 

Mr. and Mrs. William E. Trotter III 

Mr. and Mrs. Ralph W. Tryon* 

Mr. John G. Turner and Mr. Jerry G. Fischer* 

Mr. and Mrs. George G. Villere* 

Margie and Sandy Villere 

Deborah A. Vinson 

Capt. and Mrs. Paul Vogt 

Waggonner & Ball Architects* 

The Wailes Family Foundation* 

Waldemar S. Nelson and Co., Inc. 

Waters, Parkerson & Co., Inc. 

Dr. and Mrs. David Weill* 

Amb. and Mrs. John G. Weinmann 

Mr. and Mrs. Philip B. Weymouth III 

W F Reilly Foundation 

The Wheless Foundation* 

Mr. and Mrs. Frank Whiteley* 

Michael and Robin Wilkinson 

Ms. Grace M. Williamson* 

Mr. and Ms. Louis Wilson 

Ms. Catherine Witry and Mr. Todd Riche 

Yeates & Yeates Architects LLC 

Mr. and Mrs. George V. Young* 

Mr. Linton Young* 

Youth Development Association 

* Indicates a member of President’s Circle 

www.prcno.org 


Kioskby Katie Walenter 

PRC 

Homebuyers’ Workshop 

Tuesday, April 13 

The workshop’s theme is “203(k) Rehab Mortgages.” 

The workshop will enable homeowners 

to finance the purchase and renovation of a 

home using a single loan. Joe Uzee, vice president 

of Gulf Coast Bank and Trust, will explain 

how to utilize this tool to purchase and renovate 

a home in a historic New Orleans neighborhood. 

Plus “Properties for Sale” in a historic 

neighborhood TBA. 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. PRC, 923 

Tchoupitoulas St., free and open to the public. 

For more information, contact Suzanne Blaum 

at sblaum@prcno.org or 504.636.3399. 

Renovators’ Happy Hour in Tremé 

Thursday, April 15 

The bracketed double shotgun house at 2404- 

06 St. Ann St. is currently under renovation by 

PRC’s Operation Comeback and features many 

original details, from clawfoot bathtubs to 

molding and mantles. The renovations to the 

house are being done in partnership with The 

Prince of Wales’ Building Crafts Apprentices 

program, which offers building craftspeople the 

opportunity to advance their design knowledge 

and experience in traditional and sustainable 

building crafts including plasterwork, ironwork, 

millwork and masonry. $7 general admission, $5 

for PRC members. 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. 

Call for Renovators’ Happy Hour 

House Submissions 

Nominate a renovation-in-progress of your 

own (or someone else’s) located in a historic 

New Orleans neighborhood being restored 

with preservation in mind. Starting in April and 

going through October, the PRC hosts on-site 

monthly Renovators’ Happy Hours. Attendees 

hear about the history, trials and triumphs of 

renovators and learn about the neighborhoods. 

For more information, contact Suzanne Blaum 

at 504.636.3399 or sblaum@prcno.org. 

New Orleans 

Mapping Louisiana Communities 

Workshops 

Wednesday and Thursday, 

March 31 and April 1 

Anyone interested in mapping their community’s 

demographics is invited to attend an introduction 

to GIS and community analysis. Two 

workshops will be offered, one in Baton Rouge 

and one in New Orleans. Baton Rouge: March 

31, Hyatt Place Baton Rouge. New Orleans/ 

Metairie: April 1, New Horizons Computer 

Learning Center. Nonprofit discount is available. 

For details and to register, visit http://www. 

nur-online.com/ 

Plant Sale 

Saturday, April 3 

Parkway Partners, 1137 Baronne St., holds a 

spring plant sale featuring Louisiana irises and 

other water-loving plants. 10 a.m. Saturday. For 

details, call 504.620.2224 or visit www.parkwaypartnersnola.org. 

New Orleans History Lecture 


Louisiana State Museum presents its “Second 

Thursdays” lecture series. Free and open to the 

public. 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Cabildo in Jackson 

Square. For details, call 504.568.8215. 

At Home in the Vieux Carré 

Friday, April 16 

Vieux Carré Property Owners, Residents and 

Associates (VCPORA) hosts a series that offers 

attendees a glimpse inside a different private 

French Quarter residence on the third Friday 

of every month from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. 

The residence for April is 1019 St. Philip St. 

Admission is $5 for VCPORA members, $10 for 

non-members. Light refreshments are included. 

For more information, email info@vcpora.org or 

call 504.581.7200. 

Old Algiers RiverFest 

Saturday-Sunday, April 17-18 

The sixth annual Old Algiers RiverFest pays 

homage to traditional jazz during a two-day 

festival featuring music, local cuisine, arts and 

crafts and children’s activities. Free admission. 

11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday-Sunday at the levee 

near the Algiers Ferry terminal. For more information, 

visit www.oldalgiersriverfest.com. 

Bywater Neighborhood 

Association’s Annual Home Tour 

Sunday, April 18 

The Bywater Neighborhood Association holds 

its annual home tour featuring eight homes focusing 

on the Chartres/Bartholomew area. The 

tour starts at 3919 Chartres St., where tickets 

can be purchased for $12 from noon to 4 p.m., 

and ends at Vaughan’s Lounge (725 Lesseps St.). 

Annual Jane Jacobs Lecture 


Roberta Brandes Gratz will give the second annual 

Jane Jacobs lecture sponsored by The New 

Orleans Institute at CityWorks, 1632 Oretha 

Castle Haley Blvd., 6 p.m. Thursday. Reception 

and book signing to follow for Gratz’s latest 

work, The Battle For Gotham: New York in the 

Shadow of Robert Moses and Jane Jacobs. 

Chairs Exhibition 

Through November 2010 

The Southeastern Architectural Archive at 

Tulane presents an exhibition called Chairs: 

125 Years of Design, illustrating the aesthetic, 

cultural, societal and technological changes that 

have impacted modern chair design. Admission 

is free. Open 9 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to 5 

p.m. Mondays-Fridays at Jones Hall, 6801 Freret 

St., Room 300. Call 504.247.1806 for details. 

The New Orleans School of Art & 

Craft Offers Classes 

Ongoing 

The newly opened New Orleans School of Art & 

Craft offers a wide range of courses, workshops 

and classes on everything from metalsmithing 

and bookbinding to puppet-making and drawing. 

Separate classes are designed for children, 

youth and adults. Classes will be held at 3620 

Royal St. Parking available. For details and a 

complete schedule, visit www.NolaArtAndCraft. 

com, call 504.944.7900 or email nolaArtand- 

Craft@aol.com. 

Oak Street on Oprah’s List 

New Orleans’ Oak Street has been named No. 

12 on Oprah’s 100 Things That Are Getting 

Better list, which says that “historic Oak Street 

is back in action” and singles out businesses 

including Ace Hardware, Maple Leaf Bar, 

Jacques-Imo’s and Blue Cypress Books. Oprah 

also talks up the annual Po-Boy Preservation 

Festival. Congratulations to Oak Street. 

Louisiana 

Cypress Sawmill Festival 

Friday-Sunday, April 9-11 

The Cypress Sawmill Festival celebrates its 20th 

year featuring professional lumberjack shows, 

chainsaw carving, a cypress sawmill display, 

numerous tournaments, live music, arts and 

crafts, car show, street fair, rides and games, 

and food and drink vendors. The event will be 

held at Kemper Williams Park in Patterson. Visit 

www.cypresssawmill.com for details. 

Bayou Teche Black Bear and 

Birding Festival 

Friday-Sunday, April 16-18 

The Bayou Teche Black Bear and Birding Festival 

will hold its annual celebration in downtown 

Franklin during peak migration. The event 

features music and food, arts and crafts, and 

educational activities for both adults and children. 

Seminar topics will focus on bears, birds 

and local habitats such as coastal Louisiana and 

the Atchafalaya Basin. 

Visit www.bayoutechebearfest.org for details. 

National 

Pascagoula River Nature Festival 

April 17-24 

The Nature Festival runs from April 17-24 

throughout Jackson County, Mississippi. Visit 

www.pascagoularivernaturefestival.com for 

details. 

Landing D’Iberville Arts & 

Crafts Festival 


The 1699 Historical Committee presents is first 

annual Arts & Crafts Festival in downtown 

Ocean Springs, Miss. from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday. 

Free admission. Visit www.oceanspringschamber.com 

for details. 

Markets 

Circle Foods Fresh Market 

Thursday, April 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 

The Downtown Neighborhood Market Consortium 

sponsors a market every Thursday from 2 

p.m. to 5 p.m. in the Circle Food Store’s parking 

lot (North Claiborne and St. Bernard avenues). 

The market features fresh produce, dairy, seafood 

and baked goods. Contact sarah@dnmc. 

org for details. 

Upper Ninth Ward Farmers Market 

Saturday, April 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 

The market features local produce and seafood 

every Saturday from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. in the 

courtyard of Frederick Douglass High School 

(Pauline Street and St. Claude Avenue). 

Freret Market 


The Freret Market takes place on the first 

Saturday of every month from noon to 5 p.m. 

at the corner of Freret and Napoleon. The 

combination farmers/art/flea market features 

100 vendors selling unique products, live 

music, community resources, a kid’s zone, dog 

adoptions and food from local restaurants. For 

more info, visit www.freretmarket.org, email 

freretmarket@gmail.com or call 504.638.2589. 

Broad Flea Market 


Broad Flea focuses on providing a mix of 

handmade fashions, crafts using recycled or 

salvaged materials, artwork, bicycles and more. 

Vendors also include community organizations 

and nonprofits. The flea market takes place 

at 300 N. Broad St. at Bienville (in the former 

Robert’s parking lot) from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on 

the second Saturday of every month. Visit www. 

broadcommunityconnections.org/markets/ 

broadflea.html for complete details. 

Sankofa Marketplace 


The Sankofa Marketplace takes place the 

second Saturday of every month in the Lower 

Ninth Ward and features fresh produce, live 

music, community resources, health screenings, 

crafts for sale and more. The market is located 

at the corner of Caffin Street and St. Claude 

Avenue from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Call 504.232.3239 

or visit www.sankofamarketplace.org for details. 

Art Gumbo Market 


Houmas House Plantation hosts a market every 

third Saturday of the month featuring work 

by Louisiana artists, crafts, plants and more. 

Houmas House is located at 40136 Hwy. 942 in 

Darrow. Call 225.473.9380 for details. 

Bywater Art Market 


Bywater Art Market showcases work in a range 

of media by local artists. The market is held 

every third Saturday of the month from 10 a.m. 

to 4 p.m. in Markey Park, 3300 Royal St. For 

details, email bywaterartmarket@aol.com or 

call 504.944.7900. 

Elysian Fleas Marigny Market 


Elysian Fleas offers a spicy New Orleans mix of 

vintage, junk and antiques, upcycled designer 

fashions, fine jewelry and crafts, food and drink 

from top New Orleans chefs, and outrageous 

live entertainment. Sponsored by Old New 

Orleans Rum, Abita Beer and the Faubourg 

Marigny Improvement Association, and presented 

by Artist Inc., Elysian Fleas will be held 

on the third Saturday of every month in the 

courtyard next to the Michalopoulos Studio at 

527 Elysian Fields on the corner of Chartres St. 

from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Contact cree@gmail.com 

for more information. 


Marigny Life 

Tremé Under the Bridge 

Marketplace 


Come enjoy covered shopping at the Tremé Under 

the Bridge Marketplace located on North 

Claiborne Avenue between Governor Nicholls 

and Ursuline streets under the I-10 Expressway. 

Featured at the market: fresh seafood, produce, 

art, crafts, shoes, apparel, purses, snowballs, 

prepared foods and much more. Tremé Brass 

Band performs. The market is held every third 

Saturday of the month from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. 

Contact www.i-c-d.org for details. 

Arts Market of New Orleans 


The arts market showcases the unique wares 

and products from local artisans from 10 a.m. to 

4 p.m. at Palmer Park (corner of Claiborne and 

Carrollton) on the last Saturday of each month. 

www.prcno.org 

Bayou Road Fresh Market 


The Bayou Road Fresh Market takes place the 

fourth Saturday of every month next to the St. 

Rose of Lima Church, 2545 Bayou Road, from 

8 a.m. to noon. For dates, times and locations 

of the many markets affiliated with the Downtown 

Neighborhood Market Consortium, call 

504.482.5722 or visit www.dnmc.org. 

Ocean Springs Fresh Market 

Saturday, April 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 

The market features organic produce, plants, 

prepared foods and more. Every Saturday from 

9 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the L & N Depot parking lot 

in front of the Ocean Springs Chamber of Commerce 

in downtown Ocean Springs, Miss. For 

details, visit www.oceanspringschamber.com. 

Meeting Dates 

Bywater Neighborhood Association: April 13 

City Council: April 1, 15 

Faubourg Marigny Improvement Association: April 19 

Mid-City Neighborhood Association: April 5 

Neighborhood Conservation District Committee: April 5, 19 

Historic District Landmarks Commission: April 9 

CBD Historic District Landmarks Commission: April 9 

City Planning Commission: April 13, 27 

Vieux Carré Commission: April 20 

Send Kiosk information to PRC, Katie Walenter 

923 Tchoupitoulas St., • New Orleans, LA 70130 

e-mail: kwalenter@prcno.org or Fax: 504/636-3073 

PRC Salvage Store 

Featured Item of the Month 

Stained Glass Window 

New Orleans is well known for its ornate and original architecture, many details of which 

date from the Victorian era. From the Victorian mansions of the Lower Garden District 

to the Victorian-detailed shotguns in the French Quarter, this era influenced much of 

New Orleans’ visual appeal, including the prevalence of stained glass windows. These 

beautiful windows remain grandiose focal points in many of the homes throughout the 

city today. The PRC Salvage Store has an attractive stained glass window for sale that 

would be a unique addition to any home and undoubtedly a great conversation starter. 

This 5’ x 7’ window contains five captivating panes of geometric stained-glass designs 

that would truly illuminate any home for $1800. 

Visit the PRC Salvage Store for a wide variety of reusable 

architectural items, building materials and other rare finds. 

Store hours are 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday-Saturday 

2801 Marais St. • New Orleans • 504.947.0038 

What Resonates 


The other day I was watching a program called “Craft in America” on PBS’s 

WLAE. An artist mentioned Mexican Tree of Life sculptures, and it was then I 

finally realized what that colorful old thing I love so much sitting on my mantel 

is. I bought it at a garage sale in Bywater a few months back for $5 — $4 

more than the asking price because I felt like paying only $1 would have been 

stealing. My sculpture is actually a vibrant candelabra decorated with traditional 

stars, flowers and birds, in this case owls. It has been broken and glued 

back together in more places than I can count but this seems to add to its 

folksy beauty. In many cultures there is a widely held sentiment that beauty is 

mankind’s connection to the divine. I see that in this oddly spiritual sculpture, 

which you’d think with all its bright colors and nature imagery couldn’t possess 

such eerie power. In New Orleans there are the usual early signs of spring — 

Japanese plum tree blossoms, rainstorms, the return of humidity — and my 

Tree of Life sculpture brings my mind to the nature outside, depicting how all 

life, and all energy, is connected. 

My next-door neighbors, who have very green thumbs, planted their herb 

garden a month ago and last week bought a young tree to replace the camellia 

bush that died over the winter. They instinctively know when it is time to plant 

things. I don’t know much about gardening though I am eager to practice and 

learn. I think of myself as a nature communer; by my definition, someone who 

wanders around listening to the intimate communication of trees. I also am 

receptive to messages from rocks, animals, small children and people particularly 

lonely. The universe vibrates with life at all times, but it is during spring 

that I am most receptive. People often think of spring as a time of rebirth and 

awakening, and it’s obvious why. Baby birds hatch, trees open, insects sing. 

There’s a reason brides and grooms marry in June. We take cues from nature as 

to how to operate our lives. 

After the excitement of a New Year, a lull sets in during the late winter 

months. Spring is what revives us. For me, spring is ultimately a time of deep 

exploration. As soon as the weather warms, I feel hypnotized by the air of 

possibilities born of buzzing life and fragrance. My favorite scent in the world 

is sultry jasmine, so pervasive and yet always invigorating on my twilight walks 

in Marigny. As of yet, I’m still waiting for that tiny white flower to bloom. Still, 

the familiar desire to get on my bike and ride aimlessly through Marigny and 

Bywater has already taken hold. I wander down to the Press Street tracks and 

shuffle around. I’ve also made dates with friends to photograph wild flora and 

scavenge for junk treasure. It is the shared spirit of all nature that’s calling me. 

If you’ve ever visited a forest and felt enveloped in peace by majestic oaks or 

earthy pines, that’s the spirit of nature. Similarly, put a rock to your ear and a 

low hum emanates, like from conch shells but this is not the ocean speaking. 

Rather it is the ancient earth; a voice buried by time and dug up many eons 

later. Metallic and musky like unwashed bodies. 

As humans we are fortunate to be able to listen — not separate from but 

part of nature — and to be transformed by what we hear. It is from this magical 

vantage that I experience where I live: a place where the buildings speak 

just as loudly as the dirt and the river’s pull magnetic; where heritage and history 

are embraced, and a community of spirits remain. 

2010 April • Preservation in Print 37 

photo by James Thiebaud

Each office independently owned and operated. 

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504.523.1553 

David Abner Smith 

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www.sothebysrealty.com 504.944.3605 

INC. 

Witherspoon Construction Company, Inc. 

OVER 25 YEARS 

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WITH PROJECTS FEATURED IN 

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Metropolitan, New Orleans Magazine, Preservation Review, 

Southern Accents, Southern Living and others 

P.O. Box 750367 


CHARLIE BAKER 

Associate Broker 

RE/MAX 

AFFILIATES 

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CELL: 504-994-3951 

OFFICE: 504-834-3221 

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cbaker@charlesmbaker.com 

www.charlesmbaker.com 

671 Rosa Ave (Suite 100) 

Metairie, LA 70005 

RETURN, REBUILD & 

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A Licensed Realtor in Louisiana, USA. 

Each Office Independently Owned & Operated 

899-4008 

899-1798 FAX 

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GRI, CRS 

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Up to: 

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Call or email for details 

J. Gregg Collins 

6226 Marquette Pl. 

$899,000 

Stunning home 2 blocks from 

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yard and pool. Gleaming 

oak floors, stunning windows, 

fabulous family room with 6 

sets of French doors, library, 5 

bedrooms plus playroom, 4.5 

baths, 4332 sq ft, garage, 

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phone 504.616.7535 • fax 504.838.9555 

jgreggcollins@msn.com 

Office: 866-2785 

Cell: 236-6834 

e-mail: info@lettyr.com 

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601 Poydras Street Suite 100 


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ted.nusenow@iberiabankmortgage.com 

Renovate with 

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A nonprofit serving the Greater New Orleans area since 1976 

4528 Freret St., NOLA 

38 Preservation in Print • April 2010 www.prcno.org 

Before 

After

Exquisite Grand Center Hall 

2228 St. Charles Ave. 

National Historic Registered home located in the Garden District with 

gallery across the front and veranda in the rear with large sweeping 

lawns. Chef’s professional gourmet dream kitchen with limestone floors 

and horned marble counter tops. Featuring Wolf, Sub Zero and Asko 

appliances. Elegant large rooms with magnificent architectural detail. 

Decorator showcase climate controlled wine cellar and tasting room. 

Seven fireplaces with six being restored to vent-less gas. Five zoned 

HVAC systems, Top of the line security system. First floor has also been 

totally renovated with 2 bedrooms, bathroom, family room, kitchen and 

utility room. Attention to detail at its best, and perfect for entertaining! 

Key lot with gated driveway and parking access from Philip St. Offered 

at $2,992,500 by Francher Perrin Group. www.francherperrin.com 

Bryan Francher 251-6400 

UPTOWN 

7934 Maple St. (504) 861-7575 

GARDEN DISTRICT 

1820 St. Charles Ave. (504) 891-6400 

Grandest home on St. Charles Ave. 

New Price! 

This impressive Richardsonian Romanesque Revival mansion 

is by far the most imposing home in New Orleans. 

Made with the finest of materials. Exquisite blue sandstone 

exterior, tile roof, ornate plaster details throughout. Every 

amenity. Private gated grounds by landscape architect Rene 

Fransen. Terraced patio with fabulous heated pool, hot tub. 

Built-in 3 car garage. Architectural gem. One of a kind offering. 

Eleanor Farnsworth 891-1142 

1563 Webster 

Fabulous location 3 blocks from Audubon Park, ½ block to 

St. Charles Ave. This lovely Mediterranean style home has 

3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms a bonus room currently used as 

an exercise room and an enclosed sun room. The modern 

spacious kitchen flows to the dining room and living room 

for easy entertaining. Architectural features include cove 

ceilings, stain glass and more. Low maintenance exterior 

features include a Rainbird automatic watering system. 

Downstairs is the guest quarters or an income producing 

2 bedroom apartment. Cynthia Riggs 504-701-5893 

MAJESTIC NEO-CLASSIC ON AUDUBON PARK 

Exposition Blvd. elegantly restored, historic 5 bdrooms/4.5 

baths, 6249 s.f., center hall 3-story. Grand rooms w/views, 

high ceilings, wood floors, 4 fireplaces, chef’s kit, luxury 

master suite, playroom, lovely pool, guest hse/apt, garage. 

Call Eileen Wallen 504 250-5656. 

2315 Chestnut Street 

Location, location, location! Not your typical Garden 

District mansion, this brick, one-story forty year old 

3000 sf “cottage” is all about easy living. With an 

exceptionally well-designed floor plan, this is a real gem 

waiting for a buyer with imagination! 4 bedrooms/3 ½ 

baths. Enormous den with vaulted ceiling. Well suited 

to today’s casual lifestyles. Lovely pool and patio. 

Gated parking. Offered at $649,000. Call Isabel 

Sanders 615-1401 or Katherine Gelderman 884-3527 

Under Contract 

526 Madison St. 

Unit 1B 

Perfect Pied-de-Terre 

nestled near Jackson 

Square. 2 Bedrooms, 

and 2 Baths. Lavishly 

furnished and offered 

at $415,000. Call Susan 

Mizell @ 504.439.0444 

or visit www.susanmizell.com for more details about this 

charming home. 

Park Side Paradise • 345 Broadway 

Located steps from Audubon Park, in one of New Orleans’ 

most prestigious neighborhoods, this gracious residence 

showcases the finest amenities at every turn. Luxuriously 

appointed throughout, with over 4,900 square feet of classic 

understated elegance. Kitchen w/ premier stainless appliances, 

cabinetry & countertops. French doors from den 

lead to garden oasis w/ sparkling pool. A vast master runs 

the width of the residence & features a balcony offering tree 

top views. Three additional bedrooms & bath complete the 

second level and a guest suite is situated on the third, adding 

additional privacy. Truly a distinctive property for a distinctive 

lifestyle. Offered @ 1,199,000 Contact Brett @ 453.2277 for 

a private showing appt. 

723 Hillary - $449k 

Commercial Opportunity in the Maple St. Business Corridor 

A wonderful historical beauty for your dream business to call home. 

The open, two story floor plan provides you with a flexible and versatile 

commercial and residential scheme. It features six generous size 

rooms for office, gallery, conference room with oak & heart pine floors, 

11 ft. ceilings, balcony, 1.5 baths, a full commercial kitchen with top of 

the line equipment and a separate 375 sq. ft. detached building for 

studio, storage or garage. Approx 2443 sq. ft. Key Lot Size: 30x120 

Hillary, 10x60 Maple. Zoned B-1. Call Maria Zuñiga-Lott at 377-7574 

or visit www.mariaknowsnola.com 

SOLD! 

1025 Webster St./$700,000 

Craftsman style in perfect setting - Walk to Audubon Park, 

streetcar, universities! Single to suit large scale living needsor-gracious 

home with income. Rare detached 2 car garage 

w/wonderful studio-office up. Just restored aesthetics - main 

house upstairs has double sided fireplace, wood floors, casement 

windows & box seats, gracious formal rooms, superb 

kit-den with companion breakfast room. Two distinct basement 

areas; media-game & laundry rooms used with main houses + 

additional 1 bdrm/1 bath rental apartment-or-connects as one 

larger space. Linda Babineaux 957-8014 

1724 Peniston Street 

Attractive corner lot property steps from the returning local 

favorite Martin’s Wine Cellar & Mardi Gras Parade 

Route on St. Charles Ave. An Impressive 2BR/2BA home 

with an open kitchen featuring top grade appliances. 

Gorgeous wood floors, high ceilings and a handsome 

fireplace make you want to call this home! This fantastic 

property offers storage, lush landscaping and the 

convenience of off street parking. Graciously offered at 

$395,000. Joshua Walther 504-717-5612, www.joshuawalther.com 

 

2227-2229 Constance Street, New Orleans 

4BR/2BA Multi-Family, 2 units $229,000 

Well maintained Irish Channel owner occupied double. This home is 

close to both downtown and uptown and is located within 2 blocks from 

lively Magazine Street. This home has the original architectural details 

you have been looking for and they are ALL INTACT. Each side is 1041 

sq. ft and has open double parlors separated by arts and crafts bookcases, 

2 bedrooms, enclosed sun porches, functional kitchens and 1 

bathroom on each side. Call Katie Witry at 919-8585. 

www.prcno.org 


Non-Profit Org. 

U.S. Postage 

PAID 

New Orleans, LA 

Permit No. 1001 

923 Tchoupitoulas Street 


www.prcno.org 

Nothing tastes better than Langenstein’s seafood 

Since we opened our doors in 1922 , we’ve taken pride in providing 

our loyal customers with only the freshest, highest quality seafood 

available anywhere. This time of year, our selection of great seafood 

choices is just terrific — so come in today and take home something 

special to cook tonight! 

• Fresh redfish, trout, tilapia, catfish, salmon, rainbow 

trout, tuna, swordfish, flounder, sea bass and more 

• Fresh oysters, shrimp and sea scallops 

• Fresh boiled crawfish 

• Live Maine lobsters 

We can cater 

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Please talk to one of our friendly seafood specialists about new ideas and recipes for 

baking, grilling, roasting or steaming your favorite seafood selections! 

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899-9283 

Mon - SAt 8 - 7 

SUn 9 - 6 

www.langensteins.com

Historic Mandeville and Covington - Preservation Resource Center

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