The Preservation Resource Center is requesting proposals for the rehabilitation of Perseverance Hall No. 4, located in the jazz complex of Louis Armstrong Park in Tremé.
Perseverance Hall No. 4 was built in 1820 as a masonic lodge for free people of color and is recognized as the earliest masonic hall in Louisiana. The hall played host to early jazz performers, including Sydney Bechet, and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. In the 1980s, Louis Armstrong Park opened around Perseverance Hall and its kitchen dependency building, which dates to 1830. Two other historic buildings were relocated to the park, creating the “jazz complex.” Once managed by the National Park Service, which then donated them back to the City of New Orleans, the complex buildings have remained vacant and unused for several years, leading to significant termite damage.
The City of New Orleans owns the entirety of Louis Armstrong Park, including the jazz complex buildings. The PRC will utilize funding from the state of Louisiana to bring this building back to life. The PRC and the chosen general contractor must enter into a three-way Cooperative Endeavor Agreement with the City of New Orleans. The PRC seeks to facilitate the survival and rehabilitation of the buildings within the jazz complex but has no authority over the use or maintenance of the buildings after this project is completed.
The project, which focuses solely on the rehabilitation of Perseverance Hall, will include replacing termite damaged framing, tuckpointing, replacing windowsills, repairing and replacing gutters and shutters and more. The end goal of the project is to protect the building from future storms, ensure it is climate controlled, and get it into a habitable condition.
The PRC is looking to engage a firm that has significant historic rehabilitation experience to ensure that recommendations consider Secretary of Interior Standards and all best practices.
Proposals are due on January 4, 2024. If you would like to express interest or have questions please contact Michelle Shoriak, MShoriak@prcno.org.
