Preservation Resource Center

Preservation Resource Center The PRC preserves New Orleans’ historic architecture, neighborhoods and cultural identity.
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The Historic District Landmarks Commission has denied a request to demolish the c. 1905 raised-basement house at 1830 Fe...
09/10/2026

The Historic District Landmarks Commission has denied a request to demolish the c. 1905 raised-basement house at 1830 Fern Street in Carrollton.

PRC spoke in opposition to the demolition, agreeing with HDLC staff that the property was not a good candidate for full demolition. Three people spoke against the proposal at the meeting, including a representative from the Central Carrollton Residents Association and an architect who lives nearby said the building was salvageable. The commission also received 18 written comments opposing demolition.

The property is potentially eligible for state and federal Historic Tax Credits, which could offset up to 45% of qualified construction costs. HDLC approval partial demolition to reverse inappropriate alterations to the building, including the enclosed front porch and side addition.

The applicant has indicated that they intend to appeal the decision to the New Orleans City Council.

🔗 Read more about the HDLC's decision and what comes next at https://prcno.org/hdlc-advances-landmark-nomination-for-8133-spruce-street-denies-demolition-of-1830-fern-street/

📸 Courtesy of HDLC

On September 2, the Historic District Landmarks Commission voted unanimously to nominate 8133 Spruce Street for consider...
09/09/2026

On September 2, the Historic District Landmarks Commission voted unanimously to nominate 8133 Spruce Street for consideration as a local landmark. PRC spoke in support of the nomination, along with several neighbors. Stuart Hall School, which acquired the property in May 2026 was also present and discussed potential plans for renovation including the use of historic tax credits.

Designed by notable New Orleans architect H. Jordan Mackenzie in 1911, the stately residence is a standout example of early 20th-century architecture in Carrollton. Its terracotta tile roof, wide wraparound porch, expansive overhanging eaves and multi-story canted bays give the house a distinctive presence at the corner of Spruce and Dublin streets.

Just as importantly, 8133 Spruce Street has retained its historic integrity over the years. We look forward to seeing this remarkable building restored and returned to use.

🔗 Read more about the latest HDLC meeting from our Director of Advocacy & Education, MaryNell Nolan-Wheatley at https://prcno.org/hdlc-advances-landmark-nomination-for-8133-spruce-street-denies-demolition-of-1830-fern-street/

📸 Courtesy of HDLC

Before there were Instagram-famous Carnival costumes, there was Julia Segui Alabau.For generations, Julia’s costume shop...
09/08/2026

Before there were Instagram-famous Carnival costumes, there was Julia Segui Alabau.

For generations, Julia’s costume shop at 318 Bourbon St. helped transform New Orleanians into Carnival kings and queens, jesters, knights, animals, literary characters and just about anything else they could imagine.

But Julia was much more than a talented seamstress. After being widowed for the second time, she chose to keep the business rather than sell it — becoming its sole proprietor and running one of New Orleans’ longest-standing women-owned businesses.

Julia’s shop operated on Bourbon Street for nearly 50 years. Then, in the 1960s, the building was razed to make way for the Royal Sonesta Hotel.

Today, the site looks very different. But Julia’s story — and the role her business played in the history of New Orleans Carnival — remains part of the story of the French Quarter.

Read Within These Walls: Julia Segui Alabau of 835–837 Wilson Drive, by .morlas.shannon in our award-winning magazine, Preservation in Print.

🔗 Read more at https://prcno.org/within-these-walls-julia-segui-alabau-of-835-837-wilson-drive/

Photo: Aerial view of the block bounded by Bienville, Bourbon, Conti, and Royal Streets during construction of the Royal Sonesta Hotel. Courtesy of the New Orleans Historical Collection.

The "Spanish Tinge": A Caribbean Heartbeat on Every CornerThere is a magical pulse in New Orleans that you feel the mome...
09/06/2026

The "Spanish Tinge": A Caribbean Heartbeat on Every Corner

There is a magical pulse in New Orleans that you feel the moment a brass band starts playing on a sunny street corner. What I love most about this music is its deep, surprising roots across the Gulf. Back in 1809, a single migration wave of over 10,000 refugees arrived from Cuba, doubling the population of New Orleans almost overnight. They brought along their songs, Caribbean syncopation, and street-party spirit right as early American music was finding its voice.

At the heart of it all is the tresillo—the three-note cell at the core of the Afro-Cuban clave. Jazz legend Jelly Roll Morton famously said that jazz couldn't exist without what he called the "Spanish Tinge," meaning that habanera pulse—tresillo with a backbeat under it—coming up through the ports. Decades earlier, New Orleans piano prodigy Louis Moreau Gottschalk had lived in Havana, weaving Cuban contradanzas and habaneras into concert pieces that paved the way for ragtime.

Isn't it incredible how history travels through sound? If you ever stand on the sidewalk watching a New Orleans "second line" street parade pass by, the syncopated drum heartbeat you hear is identical to the pulse of Havana’s carnival comparsas. Two cities across the water, dancing to the exact same drumbeat!

Swipe left 👈🏼 and turn up your volume 🔊. Don't miss the explanation by Ned Sublette and the amazing Cuban music by and Síntesis .

Southern Decadence is a New Orleans tradition, but the city’s LGBTQ+ history stretches back generations.One important ch...
09/04/2026

Southern Decadence is a New Orleans tradition, but the city’s LGBTQ+ history stretches back generations.

One important chapter can be found at the historic Dew Drop Inn.

In the 1950s, Patsy Vidalia, the Dew Drop’s beloved emcee and a prominent drag performer, hosted musical acts and drag shows at the legendary Central City venue. Vidalia also held the New Orleans Gay Ball at the Dew Drop every Halloween, making it one of the club’s most popular annual events. The venue’s story offers a glimpse into the LGBTQ+ communities and performers who are part of New Orleans’ rich history.

Read Dee Allen’s Preservation in Print story, “The Historic Dew Drop Inn Comes Back to Life After a Stunning Renovation,” at https://prcno.org/the-historic-dew-drop-inn-comes-back-to-life-after-a-stunning-renovation/

📸 Photo 1: Photograph courtesy of Tulane University, William Ransom Hogan Archive of New Orleans Jazz.

📸 Photo 2: The building is comprised of two early-20th-century residences that club owner Frank Painia joined together in the 1940s, elevating one of the former homes to create a commercial space below. Photograph courtesy of Tulane University, William Ransom Hogan Archive of New Orleans Jazz.

📸 Photo 3: Audiences at the Dew Drop Inn watch a performance by vaudeville entertainer Lollypop Jones in 1952. Photograph courtesy of Tulane University, William Ransom Hogan Archive of New Orleans Jazz.

📸 Photo 4: After an extensive rehabilitation project, the restored façade and signage at the historic Dew Drop Inn once again light up LaSalle Street in Central City. Photo by Charles E. Leche.

What does “tout ensemble” mean?Literally, it means “all together.” But in New Orleans, the idea means so much more.In 19...
09/03/2026

What does “tout ensemble” mean?

Literally, it means “all together.” But in New Orleans, the idea means so much more.

In 1941, the Louisiana Supreme Court used the phrase tout ensemble to affirm that the French Quarter’s significance comes from the whole, not just from individual buildings. The architecture, streets, and character of the neighborhood work together to create something greater than the sum of its parts.

Today, that same idea takes on an even bigger meaning. As the only city selected for World Monuments Fund’s 2026 Irreplaceable America initiative, New Orleans is being recognized as an entire living, cultural landscape. Our neighborhoods, buildings, traditions, craftsmanship, and people are all part of what makes this city irreplaceable.

Tout ensemble. All together. Irreplaceable.

Read “All Together, Irreplaceable” on our website to learn more about the history of tout ensemble and what this idea means for the future of New Orleans.

https://prcno.org/all-together-irreplaceable/

📷 Photo by Chris Granger

Architecture: Rebuilt by Havana.If you’ve ever strolled down Royal Street in New Orleans, you’ve probably marveled at th...
09/01/2026

Architecture: Rebuilt by Havana.

If you’ve ever strolled down Royal Street in New Orleans, you’ve probably marveled at those grand pastel walls and intricate wrought-iron balconies. But here’s a charming piece of history that you may not know: the French Quarter’s biggest secret is that it isn't strictly French! After two catastrophic fires in 1788 and 1794 destroyed most of the wooden town, Louisiana was actually governed directly under the Captaincy General of Cuba in Havana. Spanish administrators stepped in, bringing over Cuban building codes, Caribbean master builders, and tropical design philosophy to reconstruct the city from the ashes.

Instead of traditional wood, builders used fire-resistant pastel stucco, wide arched doorways, and secret, shaded inner courtyards (patios) engineered to catch every cool breeze during suffocating summer months. Those iconic balconies that line Bourbon and Royal Streets were modeled directly after the grand mansions of Old Havana, replacing original French wooden galleries with Caribbean-style ironwork built for tropical living.

Look closely, and you can read the sequence. The oldest balconies in the Quarter are hand-forged wrought iron, worked by local smiths in the Spanish Caribbean manner—the same craft tradition at work in Havana. The famous lacy galleries came later, cast in American foundries in the 1850s: a New Orleans elaboration on an idea that arrived from Cuba. Walking down Calle Mercaderes in Havana and then strolling along Royal Street in New Orleans feels like discovering urban twins, sharing the exact same tropical design blueprint—from secret inner courtyards to grand street-facing balconies.

Isn't it fascinating to see how a craft tradition born across the Gulf still defines the skyline of New Orleans today?

On August 27, 2026, the Preservation Resource Center joined an unprecedented coalition of more than 600 Tribal Nations, ...
09/01/2026

On August 27, 2026, the Preservation Resource Center joined an unprecedented coalition of more than 600 Tribal Nations, preservation and conservation organizations, professional associations, businesses, museums, historical societies, and state and local organizations to deliver an open letter and brief to every member of Congress.

The message is clear: Congress should protect Section 106, strengthen it, and build on 60 years of success.

Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act gives communities a voice in federal decisions that may affect historic and cultural resources. It is an important tool for protecting the places and stories that matter to communities across the country.

Learn more about the coalition, why Section 106 matters, and read the full open letter and brief on our website at https://prcno.org/protect-and-strengthen-section-106/

📷 Courtesy of the Walker Evans Private Collection, Florence Griswold Museum.

What makes New Orleans irreplaceable?For George Long, the answer is a little bit of everything:"Its authenticity, its tr...
08/31/2026

What makes New Orleans irreplaceable?

For George Long, the answer is a little bit of everything:

"Its authenticity, its trees, the River, Lindy Boggs, walking with the Secret Society of St. Anne on Mardi Gras, Napoleon House, the Garden District, Angelo Brocato's chocolate ice, my costume closet, Bayou St. John, the 'tit Rəx parade, Frenchmen Street, and the good ol' days working at WWL in the Quarter with Garland, Angela, Jim, Hap, Nash, Eric, and a big bunch of other amazing people."

That's the thing about New Orleans. Ask what makes it irreplaceable, and the answer might be a place, a person, a tradition, a favorite treat—or a whole group of people who made a particular time in your life unforgettable.

What makes New Orleans irreplaceable to you?

Tell us about a place, tradition, building, neighborhood, person, or memory that makes New Orleans irreplaceable—and why it matters. Your response may help shape future stories, social media posts, public programs or preservation conversations connected to this campaign.

🔗 Share your story at https://prcno.org/get-involved/irreplaceable-new-orleans/
📸's by George Long

If you guessed 2 on this week’s PRC architecture quiz, you’re correct! 🎉This home features a turret, a small tower that ...
08/30/2026

If you guessed 2 on this week’s PRC architecture quiz, you’re correct! 🎉

This home features a turret, a small tower that projects from the main structure of a building. This one is polygonal in shape and topped with a steep, conical roof, adding plenty of character to the home’s exterior.

Turrets were a popular feature of Victorian-era architecture, particularly on Queen Anne-style homes, where asymmetry, elaborate details and dramatic rooflines were all part of the design.

Thanks for playing along! 🏡✨ Want more architecture quizzes? Drop a ❤️ the comments!

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