Work to restore and renovate historic buildings has continued during the pandemic, even as the economy has suffered through the turbulent ups and downs of the Covid-19 era. Now, 14 of those projects have earned recognition from the Louisiana Landmarks Society as “outstanding examples of restoration or rehabilitation of historic buildings or new construction.”
The society’s 2022 Awards for Excellence in Historic Preservation honored projects completed in Orleans Parish in 2020 and 2021. The winners include an incredible array of commercial, residential and institutional building projects.
“The pandemic put our awards on hold last year,” Sandra Stokes, former president of the Louisiana Landmarks Society and chair of the Awards Committee, said in a press release. “As we resume our program with renewed excitement, we are delighted to award these excellent projects and the teams that have brought them to fruition.”
The Preservation Resource Center also congratulates the winners of the 2022 Awards for Excellence in Historic Preservation.
The following project descriptions were written by the Louisiana Landmarks Society.
Advertisement
1012 Canal Street
Jennifer Taylor; C. Spencer Smith, AIA, Charlotte Smith, Rahul Properties; F.H. Meyers Construction
1012 Canal Street is a well-executed example of an early 20th-century Beaux Arts-style building. Unfortunately, it had suffered from neglect and extensive fire damage in recent decades. As with most of the street’s architecturally significant structures, its upper floors remained unused. While only minor changes had occurred on the upper-level facade, storefront glass with modern metal screening dramatically altered its ground floor. This project, which involved renovation, refurbishment and new construction, revitalized the building by creating a retail space on the ground floor and nine short-term rental units on the upper floors.
1016 Canal Street
Bond Moroch; Impetus; Rozas-Ward Architects; Quarter Holdings
This early 20th-century, mid-block, five-story, mixed-use row building with a prominent Italianate-style façade suffered a devastating fire in January 2016. Before the fire, retailers occupied the first floor, while the upper floors were used for storage. Overseen by Charles Ward of Rozas-Ward Architects, a delicate design-build campaign ensued to revive the site, led by contractor Wesley J. Palmisano, principal of Palmisano, LLC. Located within the Downtown Development District, the damaged façade was restored. The rebuilt interior again houses commercial space on the street level. The upper floors have been transformed into 47 short-term residential units, as well as two rooftop penthouses.
1760 North Rampart Street
1760 N. Rampart Street Holdings; Albert Architecture; MKE Design Build; Zehner & Associates; M-K Engineering; M3 Design Group
This hip-roofed, bricked-between-post Creole cottage in Faubourg Marigny may date to the 1820s. It has experienced many lives, the most recent of which as a church with a steeple added to the roof. The current owner chose to rehabilitate the cottage for new commercial and residential occupants and to help revitalize the neighborhood. The renovation included extensive repair to the exterior and new interior millwork, sills, door and window casings. We congratulate owner Ronal Hawkins, and lead project manager Dan Akerley of Albert Architecture for revitalizing the corner and helping to energize the North Rampart neighborhood.
Farnsworth Apartments, 5355 St. Charles Ave.
Albert Architecture; Landscape Images; Morphy Makofsky, Inc.; Damien Serauskas, PE Pro; Bruce Creighton
Water damaged and languishing, the Farnsworth Apartments, built in 1932, were brought to new life under the guidance of Albert Architecture. Located at the prime corner of St. Charles and Jefferson avenues, the Streamline Moderne, late Deco residential enclave was rehabilitated into nine apartments that retain the building’s historic components while introducing upgrades particularly to kitchens and bathrooms suitable to contemporary living. Apparent from the street and a chief feature within, new metal windows were designed to both replicate the original steel windows and meet current hurricane resistance requirements.
Fidelity Bank Headquarters, 353 Carondelet St.
Ryan Gootee General Contractors LLC; Trapolin-Peer Architects; Roth Law Firm; Fidelity Bank; Morphy Makofsky, Inc.; IMC Consulting Engineers; MacRostie Historic Advisors; Haworth; Knoll; Verges Rome Architects; Where Y’Art Works
Once part of the circa-1850 “Union Row,” 353 Carondelet St. in 1958 joined together two four-story commercial buildings into a single unit by removal of the party wall and with installation of a single Mid-Century Modern slipcover façade. Now housing the headquarters of Fidelity Bank, the period first floor interior spaces were preserved, the second floor was finished as an executive space for seven offices, break-out workspaces, a board room and break room. The third and fourth floors are white box ready for future tenants.
Advertisement
Four Seasons Hotel and Residence, 2 Canal St.
Two Canal, LLC; Woodward Design+Build; Trapolin-Peer Architects; MacRostie Historic Advisors; Cambridge Seven Associates
The International Trade Mart building was designed by Edward Durell Stone in 1964 to serve as the hub of international trade for the Port of New Orleans. The remarkable restoration of the iconic building included the introduction of new materials and techniques to create the luxury hotel and residences, ballrooms and public attractions that include a rooftop exhibit in the former revolving lounge, a panoramic observation deck, extensive landscaped paths and gardens, and dining venues. The World Trade Center was named to the Louisiana Landmarks Society’s 2013 Nine Most Endangered Sites list, making this impressive transformation even more poignant.
Hotel St. Vincent, 1507 Magazine St.
Kupperman Companies; Metro Studio Architects; Impetus; Lambert McGuire Design; Sandstone Companies; First Horizon Bank
Begun in 1861 as one of several charitable institutions built by Irish philanthropist Margaret Haughery, St. Vincent’s housed orphans for more than a century. After closing in the 1970s, the building complex met increasingly challenging times. Following a multi-year rehabilitation led by Kupperman Companies, contractor Impetus/Palmisano and Metro Studio Architects, Hotel Saint Vincent opened in June 2021 as a 75-room hotel. Its rich red brickwork and handsome cast iron verandahs once again grace the streetscape. Amenities include dining areas on the lateral galleries and a modern interior design that complements the property’s historic character.
Museum of Southern Jewish Experience, 1001 Carondelet St.
The Feil Organization; Landis Construction; Duplantis Design Group; Moses Engineers; Museum of Southern Jewish Experience; Gallagher & Associates
Howard Avenue is enjoying new economic life within the early 20th-century buildings that replaced the 19th-century residences that once lined the street renamed for the Howard family in 1889 after construction of the nearby Howard Memorial Library. The circa-1916 building at 818 Howard Ave. now houses, on its ground floor, the Museum of the Southern Jewish Experience, a cultural and educational facility that serves to expand the nearby museum district. Apartments are on the second through fourth floors, with a community space and terrace on the fifth floor.
ONE11 Hotel, 111 Iberville St.
Bandine Land Limited; John C. Williams Architects; Tchoupitoulas Partners; Impetus; Dash Design
One11 Hotel was originally built by the Louisiana Sugar Refining Company in 1884 to process, store and ship sugar. Its endurance as one of the last remaining “New Orleans Sugar District” refinery structures is further assured by the conversion of the structure to an 83-room boutique hotel, touting an unobstructed view from the eighth-floor roof deck of the French Quarter and crescent bend of the Mississippi River. Refined modern finishes juxtapose with the original exposed brickwork, massive iron columns and wooden beams to provide continuity with its industrial past.
Pedesclaux-Lemonnier House, 634 Royal St.
James and Richard Realty Holdings; John C. Williams Architects
With this award, the Louisiana Landmarks Society honors the memory of the late architect and dedicated preservationist Michael Rouchell, project manager for Williams Architects, in the challenging task of repairing and restoring the important Pedesclaux-Lemonnier House at Royal and St. Peter streets. The three-year undertaking has restored the building’s extensive street and courtyard exteriors, strengthened lintels and balconies, repaired shutters and ironwork and begun the renovation of the interior. We congratulate owner James and Richard Realty Holdings for addressing this longstanding need.
Advertisement
Capdau Home for the Aged, 3821 Franklin Ave.
Michael Lee Studio; PCA Investments, LLC, TKTMJ Inc, Lucas and Usner Consulting
A fixture along Franklin Avenue for 100 years, the former Capdau School for decades educated public school children of the Old Gentilly streetcar suburb founded in 1909 by the Edgewood Park Improvement Association. Named for former School Board President Pierre A. Capdau (1864-1919), the three-story, restrained Beaux Arts-style masonry structure remained mostly unaltered during its many decades as a public school. Now combined with complementary onsite new construction, Capdau again serves the public as a “home for the aged,” with 80 affordable apartments for the elderly.
Spyre, 1772 Prytania St.
1722 Prytania, LLC,; Ryan Gootee General Contractors; Bell-Butler Design & Architecture; Daly Sublette Landscape Architects; Batture Engineering; Howell Consultants; NOLA+Design; Felicity Property Company
1722 Prytania, LLC,; Ryan Gootee General Contractors; Bell-Butler Design & Architecture; Daly Sublette Landscape Architects; Batture Engineering; Howell Consultants; NOLA+Design; Felicity Property Company
St. Roch Chapel, 1725 St. Roch Ave.
New Orleans Catholic Cemeteries; H&H Engineering; VGR Construction; Voelkel; Juan Montoya
St. Roch Chapel, erected in 1876, is a small, hexagonal holy space that rises some 30 feet in the midst of St. Roch Cemetery No. 1. Over the years, storms and neglect had caused fundamental damage. In 2017, a four-year interior restoration began on the 324-square-foot nave and vaulted ceiling. Moisture-laden walls were taken down to exposed brick, repointed, re-plastered and painted with breathable lime-based products. A new seamed copper roof and steel attic beams were added. The 11 termite-infested arched window frames were replaced. Water damaged woodwork around the altar was repaired or replaced. The chapel’s ribbed ceiling was repainted in a vivid hue of midnight blue with gold accents, making the chapel once again the distinctive and peaceful space it was built to be.
Vitascope, 623 Canal St.
Quarter Holdings, LLC; Rozas-Ward Architects; Impetus; Batture Engineers & Land Surveyors; Pontchartrain Mechanical; Northside Electric; Historic Tax Credits, Donna and Jonathan Fricker
The three adjoining historic properties at Canal Street and Exchange Place have now unified their architectural features and brought enhanced functionality and new economic life to this corner with two ground-floor commercial spaces, 20 spacious hotel units on the upper floors, and a small penthouse. Named for the country’s first storefront movie theater, which opened in 1896 at the Neo-Classical-style stucco building at 623 Canal St., the Vitascope joins that building on the interior with the Italianate-style building at 629 Canal St. and with the Landmark Venetian Renaissance-style cast-iron façade building at 111 Exchange Place.
