FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:  July 29, 2015

Preservation Resource Center of New Orleans (PRC) Receives the 2015 A. Hays Town Award for Southern Architecture

Southern Living announced the recipients of the 2015 Home Awards, honoring PRC and the “comeback cottages of New Orleans” with its highest honor, the A. Hays Town Award. The A. Hays Town Award recognizes the people and organizations who have dedicated themselves to upholding classic Southern architecture.

Since 2005, the Southern Living Home Awards have saluted Southern architecture and design projects in categories such as “Best New Home”, “Best Exterior Makeover”, “Best Kitchen”, and “Best Community Development”. In 2013, Southern Living added a new distinction to its Home Awards: the annual A. Hays Town Award, in honor of the late 20th-century architect whose designs still stand in more than 1,000 iconic homes in Louisiana and across the South.

PRC’s award-winning accomplishments are featured in the August 2015 issue of Southern Living, with an eight-page spread written by Julia Reed. Reed outlines both PRC’s long-term history in the city and its shorter-term history revitalizing the historic Holy Cross neighborhood of the Lower Ninth Ward, particularly in the 10 years since Hurricane Katrina:

From its inception, what set the PRC apart was its holistic approach. “The PRC looks at the preservation of neighborhoods and culture as well as architecture,” says Jack Davis, a former New Orleans newspaper editor and trustee emeritus of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. “Its objective is to have healthy communities, not just an inventory of old buildings.”

The main thrust of their recovery effort,” says Davis, “has been to get people to live here, to move into neighborhoods that would otherwise be in jeopardy” [emphasis added].

A. Hays Town (1903-2005) was one of Louisiana’s most noted 20th-century architects, whose residential architecture was shaped by his home state’s traditional Spanish, French, and Creole styles. In April 2015, the Foundation for Historical Louisiana nominated him to be listed as a master architect with the National Park Service’s National Register of Historic Places. If the nomination is accepted by the Louisiana National Review Committee and the National Register, any building designed by Town will be eligible for inclusion on the National Register.

Previous recipients of the A. Hays Town Award include Norman Askins (2013) and Russell Versaci (2014).

About Preservation Resource Center of New Orleans (PRC)
Preservation Resource Center of New Orleans (PRC) was founded in 1974 to promote the preservation, restoration and revitalization of New Orleans’ historic architecture and neighborhoods. PRC is a non-profit organization that has restored nearly 1,500 properties citywide and has assisted countless individuals with their own renovation efforts through its outreach and advocacy programs. PRC provides resources and education to convey the economic, cultural and aesthetic importance of historic preservation in New Orleans and throughout the world. For more information about PRC and its revitalization efforts, call 504.581.7032, email prc@prcno.org, or visit www.prcno.org. You can also connect with PRC on Facebook, Twitter (@PRCNO), and Flickr.

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