On Nov. 21, Louisiana’s National Register Review Committee recommended that two Orleans Parish properties, the Sophie Gumbel School at 1771 Nashville Ave. and a private Garden District residence at 1309 Harmony St., be submitted to the National Park Service for listing in the National Register of Historic Places. This came just weeks after the New Orleans Historic District Landmarks Commission, serving in their capacity as a Certified Local Government, decided not to make any recommendation regarding listing the dilapidated City-owned Sophie Gumbel building, since representatives from the mayor’s office voiced concerns that the federal review process triggered by the listing could delay the City of New Orleans’ plans to redevelop the property.
Established in 1966, the National Register is the nation’s official list of significant historic properties. Listing in the National Register has several benefits in Louisiana, including certain protections from federally funded projects, national prestige, and eligibility for financial assistance through the Louisiana Historic Tax Credit, which was recently saved from elimination during the special legislative session for tax reform in Baton Rouge.
Built in 1918 in the English Collegiate style, the Sophie Gumbel Training School was established to educate and provide job training for white girls with intellectual disabilities. Later, it served as an orphanage for white children, before it became occupied by ArcGNO in the 1960s. In 2016, it was struck by lightning and the sprinkler system caused substantial interior damage. Vacant ever since, the building has deteriorated substantially, though it retains architectural integrity overall.
Sophie Gumbel School
Sophie Gumbel School
Sophie Gumbel School
Sophie Gumbel School
Undated early photo of the Sophie Gumbel Training School built in the English Collegiate style. (Tebbe-Knell Inc. photograph, New York, New York, Moise H. Goldstein Office Records, SEAA-004, Tulane University Special Collections, Howard-Titlon Memorial Library, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA.)
The Garden District residence at 1309 Harmony St. was designed using an eclectic mix of styles by local master architect Emile Weil in 1898 and is one of his earliest surviving projects.
To be eligible for listing in the NRHP, a site must be at least 50 years old and must meet at least one of the program’s four main criteria: significant associations with events in history (A) or people (B), distinctive architectural design (C) or archaeological potential (D). In Louisiana, the National Register program is administered by the state Division of Historic Preservation. The review committee – comprised of people involved with or interested in the field of historic preservation – considers nominations and votes on whether the State Historic Preservation Office should recommend them to the National Park Service. In the coming months, NPS will consider all recommended properties and ultimately decide what properties are listed in the National Register.
1309 Harmony
1309 Harmony
