THE KATRINA HERITAGE RESCUE FUND
The devastation inflicted by Hurricane Katrina severely damaged the foundations and buildings that celebrated a rich history, centuries of culture and diversity bringing together influences from France, Africa, the Caribbean and Spain – and has placed the safeguard of that heritage in peril.
French Heritage Society’s “Katrina Heritage Rescue Fund” campaign has raised nearly $200 000 to date after launching our to help bring a sense of community and cultural life back to New Orleans after the devastation in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Collaborating with the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the Preservation Resource Center of New Orleans, the French Ministry of Culture and the French Consulate in New Orleans, we have sponsored restoration projects to address community and private residential needs to bring back to life the Treme district, most notably, with functioning community and cultural services, as well as private houses that will encourage further restorations and enable more residents to return to the area.
For the French heritage in particular, some of the last vast traces of the French presence, its architecture, culture, language and way of life face the very real threat of being lost forever. New Orleans’ cultural status as one of the world’s most unique cities is alone worthy or a major effort to preserve that rich tradition. The city of New Orleans, along with the Gulf Coast, is listed on the National Trust’s list of the 11 most endangered sites in the US.
Major contributions have been made to this on-going campaign by our Chapters in Northern and Southern California, Dallas, Philadelphia, Palm Beach and Paris, as well as les Vieilles Maisons Françaises delegates throughout France, the Florence Gould Foundation and private donors.
Restoration projects include:
In addition to major historic monuments such as the Old Ursuline Convent, New Orleans’Treme quarter is the focus of our efforts to help this still devastated city recover her architectural treasures along with the sense of neighbourhood and community that existed before the ravages of Katrina scattered the city’s inhabitants across the country. This quarter, near the Vieux Carré, has profound French roots. The oldest urban African-American neighborhood in the US, Treme was initially settled by free people of color and remains an important center for African-American culture. It also features the Louis Armstrong Park and Congo Square and has been home to legendary jazz musicians.
$ 50,000 The African-American Museum. Situated in the Treme quarter, home of the oldest
urban African-American community in the US, the Museum’s restoration will revive this important
cultural center as a meaningful focal meeting point for its residents. Passebon Cottage,
representative of a typical mid XIXth century Creole Cottage, is part of the museum.
$ 30,000 Saint Augustine Church, recently saved from closure, has long served as a unifying “gathering point,” representing the heart and soul of the community. It suffered $ 400 000 in wind damage. Built in 1841 by and for free men of color, under French architect Jacques de Pouilly, who also constructed the Cathedral of Saint Louis in New Orleans, the church attests to the community spirit of Treme’s African-American population.
$ 30,000 Private houses. As Treme was one of the areas in New Orleans where French was spoken for the longest period, the French cultural and historic roots are strong. A number of private houses are receiving restoration grants that highlight the diverse architectural styles: Creole Cottages, Shot Gun Houses and brick constructions. Two residences have been identified by the Preservation Resource Center of New Orleans: a Creole Cottage on Barracks Street, and a brick house on Treme Street. The Maria Sgna Durette Creole Cottage is being restored in conjunction with the National Trust.
$ 30,000 The Edgar Degas House will receive a grant to restore the elegant appearance which Degas himself enjoyed during his stay in New Orleans. In the restoration process, the structure, which was partitioned in the early 20th century, will be reunited. Built in 1852, the only known home or studio of Degas in the world that is open to the public, the mansion belonged to Degas’ maternal relatives (his mother, Marie Céleste Musson, was a Creole born in New Orleans), prominent cotton brokers in the city.
$ 10,000 - Old Ursuline Convent, the oldest building in the Mississippi River Valley, completed in 1752, it is also the longest surviving example of the French colonial period in the United States. One of New Orleans' most prestigious French monuments, it is known as the “treasure of the archdiocese.”
$ 22,000 -The Sydney and Walda Bestoff French Sculpture Garden of the New Orleans Museum of Art. In the cultural realm, a grant was awarded for the five-acre sculpture garden which suffered $ 2 million in damage in the wake of Katrina. Among its impressive collection, the garden features works by French sculptors Jacques Maillol, Auguste Renoir, Antoine Bourdelle, Jacques Lipchitz, etc.
$ 20,000 Laura Plantation (Vacherie) More than two years after a devastating fire nearly destroyed the historic manor house dating from 1805, and despite further hardship after Katrina, Laura Plantation has risen from the ashes and stands restored in all her vibrant Creole colors. The painstakingly accurate restoration of the 17,000 sq/ft.structure, recently completed, utilized over 35,000 board feet of centuries-old cypress and pine.
Links:
Contribute to the “Katrina Heritage Rescue Fund”
The National Trust for Historic Preservation
The Preservation Resource Center of New Orleans
Article about the Maria & Signora Durette House