After working for 50 years to protect and revitalize New Orleans’ most iconic sites, two beloved local nonprofits – the Preservation Resource Center of New Orleans (PRC) and Save Our Cemeteries (SOC) – are proud to announce that they have joined forces to have even greater impact. Save Our Cemeteries has become a department of the Preservation Resource Center, where its mission work – restoring tombs, advocating for cemetery protections, teaching owners how to care for their tombs, inspiring visitors with tours, and educating the public on the history of New Orleans’ beautiful cemeteries – will be rebooted.
“It is an exciting time for the Preservation Resource Center as we add ‘historic cemeteries’ to the list of sites we will place a keen focus on preserving, and we are honored that the esteemed Save Our Cemeteries organization has come under the PRC umbrella,” said Aulston Taylor, Board President of the Preservation Resource Center. “Expect exciting developments over the coming months as our PRC staff works to revitalize the historic mission work of SOC, which has been a cornerstone to our city’s preservation efforts.”
Both groups were founded as 501(c)3 nonprofits in 1974 and by similar constituencies. The PRC was founded by neighborhood advocates and members of the Junior League of New Orleans, with the mission of preserving and revitalizing New Orleans’ historic buildings and neighborhoods. Mary Louise Christovich, also a Junior League leader at the time, founded Save Our Cemeteries to save the wall vaults at St. Louis Cemetery No. 2. The mission of the nonprofit later expanded to advocate for the approximately 42 historic cemeteries citywide, doing work to help improve the sometimes dire conditions at local cemeteries.
Save Our Cemeteries dissolved as an independent nonprofit in late February 2025 to become part of the PRC.
“This merger will give Save Our Cemeteries even more resources to fulfill its original mission of education, preservation, and restoration,” said Sally Asher, former president of Save our Cemeteries. “We are excited to work with the Preservation Resource Center to continue to grow and strengthen our dedication to our city’s cemeteries.”
Asher will continue to be active in SOC’s work moving forward as she joins the PRC board and leads a cemetery advisory committee. The PRC will seek a full-time department director to run operations in the weeks to come.
The Preservation Resource Center will kick off a celebration of the merger on Sunday, April 6 at Metairie Cemetery’s 24th annual Run/Walk Through History, an event where hundreds of runners and walkers traverse the iconic Metairie Cemetery for a truly unique race experience. The fundraiser will benefit Save Our Cemeteries’ work at the PRC. Celebrations will continue at the PRC’s Annual Meeting on May 21, where Asher will give a talk on the history and current state of New Orleans’ historic cemeteries. The event is free and open to PRC members.
Tours of Metairie Cemetery, St. Louis No. 3, St. Roch, and other historic cemeteries, led by Save Our Cemeteries tour guides, are already available for booking most days; click the link below for more information and book your tour today!
