From the AIA - New Orleans Chapter Office Records, Southeastern Architectural Archive, Special Collections Division, Tulane University Libraries.Friday, February 25, 2011
1950's Lee Circle
From the AIA - New Orleans Chapter Office Records, Southeastern Architectural Archive, Special Collections Division, Tulane University Libraries.
Monday, February 21, 2011
DOCOMOMO US February 2011 E-News Brief
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advocate for the preservation of the 1959 Moore House designed by noted architect Lloyd Wright - the son of Frank Lloyd Wright - in Palos Verdes Estates. The deadline to comment on the environmental impact report (EIR) was December 10, 2010, and the Palos Verdes Estates City Council received over 500 letters from area residents, design professionals, architectural historians, historic preservation organizations and concerned individuals across the country. Release of the final EIR is expected shortly, followed by a vote by the Palos Verdes Estates Planning Commission at a public hearing. 
Much of the American architecture and the urban and landscaping projects built in the 20th Century in Caracas, Venezuela are now Modern Heritage at Risk -- some more acutely than others -- and therefore an important concern to conservationists. To document these structures, Docomomo Venezuela presents American Architects and Planners in Modern Caracas. A work in progress, this comprehensive photo anthology was assembled by Hannia Gomez of Docomomo Venezuela and features stunning then and now images of the city's most significant Modern structures.
Maximiano Atria, secretario general of Docomomo Chile reports on a recent success: news of the final demolition of the ongoing but suspended addition to the marine biology station at Montemar, Chile. The building, designed in 1941 by Chilean architect Enrique Gebhard (1909-1978) and built in two phases between 1941 and 1959, is one of the country's most interesting modern structures.
The Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill "Triangle" region of North Carolina has the third largest concentration of Modernist houses in America -- more than anywhere else except Los Angeles and Chicago. 
Greening Modernism
We have received word from our international colleagues that Journal 43, 
Name this architect and building for a chance to win a prize from the Docomomo archives.Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Early Lake Vista
In the late 1930s, New Orleans architect Douglass V. Freret was commissioned to design a series of homes for the new Lake Vista subdivision. These modest residences were clustered along Egret Street/Hydrangea & Nasturtium Lanes and were "modern interepretations of the Colonial Cottage."
The ten homes were constructed simultaneously, with reinforced concrete foundations, southern yellow pine framing, asbestos shingle roofs and cypress weatherboarding. Exterior paint was comprised of lead and oil, interior finishes were woodwork and enamel.
Images above: "Lake Vista: New Orleans' Famous Lakefront Subdivision Proudly Presents Four Outstanding Examples of Better Living Homes in Ten Splendid New Units." Brochure & Photograph. c. 1940-41. Freret & Wolf Collection, Southeastern Architectural Archive, Special Collections Division, Tulane University Libraries.
Sunday, February 6, 2011
H.T. Shalett Residence (1955)
In 1994 Tulane School of Architecture sponsored a tour, "The International Style in New Orleans" which featured six modern buildings designed by alumni and faculty in New Orleans: Nathaniel C. Curtis, Jr., Arthur Q. Davis, John Lawrence, James Lamantia, Albert C. Ledner, and August Perez, Jr. This is the last of six posts in a series.
H.T. (Monte) Shalett House
15 Tern Street
Architectural Firm: Lawrence, Saunders and Calongne
Principal Architect: George Saunders
H.T. (Monte) Shalett House
15 Tern Street
Architectural Firm: Lawrence, Saunders and Calongne
Principal Architect: George Saunders
Built on a double lot in 1955-56, this spacious home was planned to provide light, privacy, and serenity for the Shaletts and their two active boys. Now one of the sons occupies it with his wife and their two sons. Before the levee was raised in 1987, all rooms on the north side enjoyed a view of the lake.
Of brick and cypress, the fence dividing the house from the street was placed well inside the property line to leave room for magnolia trees outside. The architect’s goal was to create a “controlled environment house”; this is particularly evident in the pool area, which originally had an Oriental look, including a manicured rock garden and sculptured ornamental bushes and trees. Since the original owner was active in civil aviation, the second floor roof can accommodate a helicopter landing pad. A full-sized elevator shaft is besides the “Poodle Tree”. The outside sculpture is by Joe Carmichael, and the Shaletts added the cabana bath house in 1964. The right wing of the home is the adults’ retreat.
Here the shower area and the lighting systems have been modernized by the younger generation, but the chaises longues are original. Now almost forty years old, the carpet, the drapes and all the furniture except the cantilevered glass table were in the house when the Shaletts moved in. The turquoise wall is a composite stone material. The use of structural steel permitted a large ceiling that rises two stories in the living room.
In the boys’ room the exterior brick wall continues, adding a rugged feel. The bathrooms are scaled for children. Because the architect was intrigued by the relationship of exterior and interior spaces, patios framed the family room on two sides. The smaller patio has been converted to a small library. A hidden doorway allowed access to the housekeeper’s suite ( now an office). The dining room furniture is also original. Over the table is a dome intended to increase the feeling of openness. It let in too much heat, however, and was painted over. The rice paper screen fits well with the Oriental style garden outside. Planned for an era when the kitchen was the maid’s domain, the last room on the tour has seen much modernization. Changes, supervised by Albert Ledner, included the removal of a pantry and the introduction of bright colors in the laminated cabinet doors and tiles.
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The International Style in New Orleans, Tulane School of Architecture, 1994, copy by Patty Andrews
photo: Lauren Polhamus
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Mossy-Swartz-Johnson Residence (1956)
In 1994 Tulane School of Architecture sponsored a tour, "The International Style in New Orleans" which featured six modern buildings designed by alumni and faculty in New Orleans: Nathaniel C. Curtis, Jr., Arthur Q. Davis, John Lawrence, James Lamantia, Albert C. Ledner, and August Perez, Jr. This is the fifth of six posts in a series.
Mossy/ Swartz-Johnson House
28 Tern Street
Architectural Firm: Lawrence, Saunders and Calongne
Principal Architect: John Lawrence
28 Tern Street
Architectural Firm: Lawrence, Saunders and Calongne
Principal Architect: John Lawrence
This home, built in 1956-57, reveals the genius of John Lawrence, a former Dean of the Tulane School of Architecture and a proponent of the view that “ good modern architecture is not a set of standard forms... it is an architecture which welcomes the entire range of building materials.” A native of Louisiana, Lawrence incorporated elements of traditional local architecture as well.
Beginning with a fairly small wedge-shaped lot, he created a feeling of spaciousness by aligning the two wings of the home with the edge of the lot and by creating walls of glass that open onto a park-like view that then included Lake Pontchartrain.
Lawrence believed that building facades should not overwhelm a neighborhood. In this case the shape of the lot militated against that excess. From the street only the carport and an iron grille are visible. The carport bears a flat roof, a hallmark of International-Style inspired buildings.
Each of the two wings has a different function and feel. The cozy bedroom wing includes two baths with their original tiles and fixtures and the two bedrooms with glass walls. The utilities, housed at the other end of the wing, form a separate unit. In the larger wing, dedicated to public life, interior walls are partitions that do not obstruct the view of the roof, which seems to defy gravity, rising to 18 feet. A bank of skylights enhances the openness. Storage space lines the bedroom hall, dining room and kitchen. The Decorative elements are subtle and carefully chosen. Molding, of either wood or plaster, is absent. Doors are generally unadorned; exceptions include the sliding door between the den and the entrance hall and the metal grille work. The massive fireplace and its matching coffee table, of Travertine marble, were designed by Lawrence.
The home complements the owners furniture and art collection dating to the Art Deco period, the 1940’s through 1960’s, and the contemporary era.
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The International Style in New Orleans, Tulane School of Architecture, 1994, copy by Patty Andrews
photo: Lauren Polhamus
Friday, February 4, 2011
Leonie Galatoire Residence (1966)
In 1994 Tulane School of Architecture sponsored a tour, "The International Style in New Orleans" which featured six modern buildings designed by alumni and faculty in New Orleans: Nathaniel C. Curtis, Jr., Arthur Q. Davis, John Lawrence, James Lamantia, Albert C. Ledner, and August Perez, Jr. This is the fourth of six posts in a series.
Galatoire / Tampira House
11 Park Island Drive
Architect: Albert C. Ledner
This home blends antique and contemporary, delicate windows and massive curving surfaces. Mrs. Galatoire spent much of her life collecting components from buildings slated for demolition, and the architect took up the challenge of incorporating them into a coherent home.
The entry drive and courtyard are paved with cobblestones from the site of the International Trade Mart, and the courtyard features an antique three-tier iron fountain in a reflecting pool. Arched fan doors from the Garden District home of Josephine Louise Newcomb serves as the entrance.
Mrs. Galatoire’s collection of windows from the Good Shepherd Convent (built in 1866 at Bienville and Broad Streets for the care of delinquent girls) includes the arched windows that form the front of the house and eleven stained glass ceiling fixtures. To the right of the entryway is a guest suite. The bath features a Portuguese carved door dating to the mid-eighteenth century, collected from the home of Archbishop John Shaw. Bronze faced window benches with antique tiles from the Shaw house are seen in the bedroom, living room and television room.
Stone is important in this home. The downstairs floor is white marble, and several bathrooms include marble as well. The circular wall behind the dining room and living area is of granite. The curving lines of the building are particular striking as the balcony passes through the arched windows upstairs. Equally compelling is the view of Bayou St. John. The back stairway is also an exercise in curves. It spirals tightly, and the newel post is a series of stacked balls.
Mrs. Galatoire’s eclectic tastes are evident in the kitchen: the cooking island, crafted from a single brass column, was once the service counter of a downtown bank. An antique door of glass and metal is from Spain.
More recent owners have added a memento from another chapter in New Orleans history: the Floating Leaves from the 1984 World’s Fair Wonder Wall, designed by Kent Bloomer of the Yale Art Department.
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The International Style in New Orleans, Tulane School of Architecture, 1994, copy by Patty Andrews
photo: Francine Stock
Thursday, February 3, 2011
St. Pius X Catholic Church (1966)
In 1994 Tulane School of Architecture sponsored a tour, "The International Style in New Orleans" which featured six modern buildings designed by alumni and faculty in New Orleans: Nathaniel C. Curtis, Jr., Arthur Q. Davis, John Lawrence, James Lamantia, Albert C. Ledner, and August Perez, Jr. This is the third of six posts in a series.
St. Pius X Catholic Church
6666 Spanish Fort Blvd.
Architects: Burk & Lamantia Architects, Inc.
Designing Architect: James Lamantia
6666 Spanish Fort Blvd.
Architects: Burk & Lamantia Architects, Inc.
Designing Architect: James Lamantia
Designed in 1963 and dedicated in 1966, this church is noted for its striking roof, rising in orchestrated planes from almost ground level to more than 75 feet above the church floor. The three lower vaults follow the aisles to entrances, and the two massive vaults shelter the seating areas. To create a feeling of space without too much height, the architects used low walls that support the enormous roof, creating a vortex of space that surges upwards.The selection of materials was important in creating an elaborate structure on a modest budget. The roof is of Terne, carbon steel coated with tin and lead. the confessionals and organ chamber are walnut-faced plywood, and the pews are of red oak; both were designed for this church. The infrastructure is of reinforced concrete resting on the piers flanking the entrances, with precast concrete panels forming the walls.Interior decoration is sparse. The doors, of simple narrow vertical panels, are of bronze over a hollow core. The architects specified the shape of the central altar, but details of its construction are unknown. Blueprints called for a tall, simple railing to surround the baptistry at the back of the church. The Stations of the Cross, by Dom Gregory Dewitt, were added after the dedication.Stained glass windows incorporating geometric shapes, with red and blue dominating in the wall windows and yellow in the steeple window. The latter faces north so that the light is neutral and cool. The windows were probably produced by the Emil Frei studio in St. Louis.
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The International Style in New Orleans, Tulane School of Architecture, 1994, copy by Patty Andrews
photo: Lauren Polhamus
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
St. Frances Xavier Cabrini Catholic Church (1963 - 2007)
In 1994 Tulane School of Architecture sponsored a tour, "The International Style in New Orleans" which featured six modern buildings designed by alumni and faculty in New Orleans: Nathaniel C. Curtis, Jr., Arthur Q. Davis, John Lawrence, James Lamantia, Albert C. Ledner, and August Perez, Jr. This is the second of six posts in a series.
St. Frances Xavier Cabrini Catholic Church
5550 Paris Avenue
Architect: Curtis & Davis
Designing Architects: Nathanial Curtis, Arthur Q. Davis, Hamilton Frederick, Sidney Folse, and Seymour Evans
The International Style in New Orleans, Tulane School of Architecture, 1994, copy by Patty Andrews
photo: Karen Gadbois
St. Frances Xavier Cabrini Catholic Church
5550 Paris Avenue
Architect: Curtis & Davis
Designing Architects: Nathanial Curtis, Arthur Q. Davis, Hamilton Frederick, Sidney Folse, and Seymour Evans
Designed in 1963, this church is one of the earliest examples in New Orleans of a new trend in religious architecture: a circular, amphitheater orientation that brings all members of the congregation closer to the altar than did the traditional nave.
This square building is subdivided by three barrel vaults supported by ribs. Two of these vaults shelter the entrances, and the third leads to the baptistery. All three “ float” above the fiberglass roof without resting on it. The core building is of reinforced concrete, and hidden within the ribs are the air conditioning ducts. Materials are simple, and the excitement is generated by the forms. The central spire rises 80 feet, adding to a feeling of light, and the architects applied the gold leaving lining it. Note the interlocking crosses in the reredos (made of iron, brass and mahogany) and on the brick exterior facade.
The stained glass windows were produced by the same company that created the windows in the Chartres Cathedral in France, following guidelines supplied by Curtis & Davis. Those lining the vaults add to the airiness of the church, and the three at the ends of the vaults replace traditional rose windows. Their theme are the Dove, the Trinity, and the Ten Commandments.
The baptistery, although a separate room, is clearly an integral part of the church when seen from the chancel. The architects designed the baptistery railing, with its fish design, and the font is of Carrara marble.
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NOTE: FEMA determined St. Frances Cabrini Church was eligible for the National Register of Historic Places. However, the Archdiocese of New Orleans' desire to demolish the structure won out over calls for its adaptive reuse on the new Holy Cross campus. This historic modern church was razed in 2007.
NOTE: FEMA determined St. Frances Cabrini Church was eligible for the National Register of Historic Places. However, the Archdiocese of New Orleans' desire to demolish the structure won out over calls for its adaptive reuse on the new Holy Cross campus. This historic modern church was razed in 2007.
The International Style in New Orleans, Tulane School of Architecture, 1994, copy by Patty Andrews
photo: Karen Gadbois
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Grace Episcopal Church 1956
In 1994 Tulane School of Architecture sponsored a tour, "The International Style in New Orleans" which featured six modern buildings designed by alumni and faculty in New Orleans: Nathaniel C. Curtis, Jr., Arthur Q. Davis, John Lawrence, James Lamantia, Albert C. Ledner, and August Perez, Jr. This will be the first of six posts in a series. We'll start our tour on Canal Street.
Grace Episcopal Church
3700 Canal Street
Architects: August Perez, Jr., and Associates
Principal Architect: Andrew Schneider
The building on our tour today is the third home of Grace Episcopal Church and was designed in 1953 to replace the structure in the 1500 block of Canal Street.* It reflects numerous compromises between the traditionalist building committee and the more modern architects, backed by Father Sherwood Clayton.
The floor plan for worship areas, offices and classrooms were the architects’ first consideration, and the brick exterior followed. The tower is about 60’ high. In the church, the narrow nave enhances a feeling of height, and the materials- oak and unadorned plaster- are in keeping with 1950’s decorative ideas. Brought from the earlier church, the pipe organ is behind the reredos, with its simple geometric design.
The architects designed the red marble altar, the iron gates with their clustering of geometric shapes in groups of three, and the stained glass windows. The windows, of abstracts shapes, create “ribbons of light” and we will see this form in the other two churches on tour today. Payne & Co., of New England, created the windows. The immense murals were designed in 1954 or 1955 by John McCrady (1911-1968) of New Orleans. A parishioner of Grace Episcopal Church, McCrady also painted the Communion Mural, incorporating the marble altar, Father Clayton, and replicas of his own hands into it. Funds for the Ascension Mural were not available until 1973, when Alan R. Flattmann painted the mural following McCrady’s sketch. McCrady developed the paint, a special mixture of oil paint and wax to reduce glare. The mural walls, actually double panels with a space between to minimize climatic stress, were coated with a special plaster.
The adjacent St. Matthias Memorial Chapel includes the altar from the downtown church and windows that were possibly executed by the Emil Frei studio of St. Louis.
3700 Canal Street
Architects: August Perez, Jr., and Associates
Principal Architect: Andrew Schneider
The building on our tour today is the third home of Grace Episcopal Church and was designed in 1953 to replace the structure in the 1500 block of Canal Street.* It reflects numerous compromises between the traditionalist building committee and the more modern architects, backed by Father Sherwood Clayton.
The floor plan for worship areas, offices and classrooms were the architects’ first consideration, and the brick exterior followed. The tower is about 60’ high. In the church, the narrow nave enhances a feeling of height, and the materials- oak and unadorned plaster- are in keeping with 1950’s decorative ideas. Brought from the earlier church, the pipe organ is behind the reredos, with its simple geometric design.
The architects designed the red marble altar, the iron gates with their clustering of geometric shapes in groups of three, and the stained glass windows. The windows, of abstracts shapes, create “ribbons of light” and we will see this form in the other two churches on tour today. Payne & Co., of New England, created the windows. The immense murals were designed in 1954 or 1955 by John McCrady (1911-1968) of New Orleans. A parishioner of Grace Episcopal Church, McCrady also painted the Communion Mural, incorporating the marble altar, Father Clayton, and replicas of his own hands into it. Funds for the Ascension Mural were not available until 1973, when Alan R. Flattmann painted the mural following McCrady’s sketch. McCrady developed the paint, a special mixture of oil paint and wax to reduce glare. The mural walls, actually double panels with a space between to minimize climatic stress, were coated with a special plaster.
The adjacent St. Matthias Memorial Chapel includes the altar from the downtown church and windows that were possibly executed by the Emil Frei studio of St. Louis.
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* The Texaco Building (Claude E. Hooton, 1951) is on the site of the former Grace Episcopal Church at 1501 Canal Street.
* The Texaco Building (Claude E. Hooton, 1951) is on the site of the former Grace Episcopal Church at 1501 Canal Street.
The International Style in New Orleans, Tulane School of Architecture, 1994, copy by Patty Andrews
photo: Colm Kennedy, Tulane School of Architecture New Orleans Virtual Archive
photo: Colm Kennedy, Tulane School of Architecture New Orleans Virtual Archive
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