SAVE WHEATLEY SCHOOL! sign and share this petition

Dear friends,

On behalf of DOCOMOMO US/ Louisiana I ask you to consider signing an online petition to save the historic modern Phillis Wheatley Elementary School which is threatened with demolition. This petition was started by Phyllis Montana-Leblanc. PML spoke passionately at Friday's hearing before the Historic District Landmarks Commission in defense of her alma mater, "If you tear down my school, a part of me dies with it."

Unfortunately we have learned that there will NOT be a review before the City Council and an RFP has been issued for the demolition. Apparently since this is a city-initiated (Orleans Parish School Board via Recovery School District) demolition of a city-owned building, the City Council is not required to review the demolition request. Still, we remain dedicated to the call to preserve the Wheatley School which was listed on the World Monuments Fund Watch in 2010. 

We hope to gather more than 2000 signatures and present the petition to Mayor Landrieu and the City Council.

I'm so very grateful to Phyllis for coming forward and reminding me that there is still Hope.
This is truly our midnight hour.

SAVE PHILLIS WHEATLEY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL IN NEW ORLEANS! SAY "NO!" TO DEMOLITION(AUGUST 2011)

If you have already signed and shared the petition with your friends, I extend my heartfelt gratitude.  Please consider joining DOCOMOMO US to help support the documentation and conservation of the building, sites and neighborhoods of the modern movement.

Sincerely yours,

Francine Stock

President

DOCOMOMO US/Louisiana

Oubre and Wagner's South Branch Bank

In December 1962, New Orleans Architect magazine published Oubre & Wagner's new South Branch Bank for the Bank of Slidell, Louisiana. Photographer Frank Lotz Miller's image (above) accompanied the project synopsis. The 260 sq. ft. drive-in occupied a 1.1.-acre suburban lot at the intersection of Highway 11 and Broad Street. Oubre and Wagner Architects developed a two-sided scheme for access to teller windows, with two adjacent walls separating the automotive paths:

"Since most of the site was to be occupied by a flat circulation pattern and the building was to accommodate fast business within a brick and glass enclosure, and consequently, small in volume, it was decided that an umbrella development over the building would be effective for weather-proofing the motorist and for visual effect. . . The low masonry screen walls are to shield on-coming traffic and for a horizontal dimension to the building."

The building has been razed.

Rufus Alldredge Medical Clinic (1964)

Facade detail 2, originally uploaded by regional.modernism.

In 1963 architect Charles Colbert designed this medical clinic building for Dr. Rufus Alldredge as an elevated structure consisting of two units bridged in the rear by a glass enclosed ramp. A rusty pipe grillage creates subtly changing shades and shadows on the front facade. Today the building sits next to an empty lot that once was an Exxon station at the major intersection of Louisiana Avenue and St. Charles Avenue.

[Anthony DelRosario, DOCOMOMO NOLA; photo: Stephanie Day, New Orleans Virtual Archive, Tulane School of Architecture]

Petition to Save Phillis Wheatley School

Dear friends,

On behalf of DOCOMOMO US/ Louisiana I ask you to consider signing an online petition to save the historic modern Phillis Wheatley Elementary School which is threatened with demolition. This petition was started by Phyllis Montana-Leblanc. PML spoke passionately at Friday's hearing before the Historic District Landmarks Commission in defense of her alma mater, "If you tear down my school, a part of me dies with it."

After an hour of reviewing the school's architectural and historic significance, the Recovery School District's defense of their desire to demolish, and public comments, the commissioners moved to a vote.  Commissioner Stephen Peychaud made a motion in support of demolition, which was seconded by Commissioner Emilio Dupre. The motion only received three votes and did not pass. The City Council will review the RSD's request to demolish the Wheatley School soon.

We hope to gather more than 2000 signatures and present the petition to Mayor Landrieu before the City Council review.

I'm so very grateful to Phyllis for coming forward and reminding me that there is still Hope.
This is truly our midnight hour. Please sign the petition and forward to your friends.

SAVE PHILLIS WHEATLEY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL IN NEW ORLEANS! SAY "NO!" TO DEMOLITION(AUGUST 2011)

Sincerely yours,

Francine Stock

President

DOCOMOMO US/Louisiana

HDLC to review RSD's request to demolish the Wheatley School

In 2010 the World Monuments Fund listed the Phillis Wheatley Elementary School to its Watch list.  

Today the school is on a demolition list.

THE NEW ORLEANS HISTORIC DISTRICT LANDMARKS COMMISSION WILL HOLD ITS NEXT REGULARLY SCHEDULED MEETING ON FRIDAY, MARCH 18, 2011 AT 9:30AM IN CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS AT 1300 PERDIDO STREET. THE PUBLIC IS WELCOME.
MEETING STARTING TIME IS 9:30 A.M.

The meeting agenda of the New Orleans Historic District Landmark Commission includes

C. City Initiated Demolitions
1. 2300 Dumaine Street: Orleans Parish School Board, owner; Recovery School District, applicant.

Commission review of the proposal to demolish Wheatley Elementary School

Let your voice be heard.

First Guaranty Bank (1960)

First Guaranty Bank (1960), originally uploaded by regional.modernism.

In 1960 architect John Desmond (1922-2008) designed the First Guaranty Bank In Ponchatoula, Louisiana. Today the building is threatened with imminent demolition. First Guaranty plans to demolish the structure and replace it with a new building.

Lustron House on the auction block

4940 St Roch Avenue, originally uploaded by katrinaevacuee200.

This Lustron House at 4940 St Roch Avenue in Gentilly Terrace is on the list of Louisiana Land Trust properties to be auctioned April 2. Bidding starts at $1000.

To learn more visit the PRC blog: Preservation in the Present.

Join or renew your DOCOMOMO US membership for 2011

For fifteen years, DOCOMOMO US has been at the forefront of the modern architecture preservation movement, and continues today as the resource for advancing education and advocacy about its importance. To maintain this leadership, we rely on the participation of our supporters, members, and advocates from across the nation.

Thank you for your generosity in 2010.  To better manage member benefits and communications with our international counterparts, we are moving towards annual memberships based on calendar year.  Please consider renewing your 2011 membership now to join the national community of architects, historians, designers, planners, preservationists, students, and modern movement enthusiasts dedicated to raising awareness of the importance of modern architecture and landscapes in the United States.
Your membership renewal will apply towards the entire 2011 calendar year.

RENEW ONLINE:
DOCOMOMO US Individual members receive the DOCOMOMO US e-news briefs, discounts to US and regional tours, lectures and events, including the International Conference, discounts on DOCOMOMO US publications, and membership in a regional chapter.
Individual membership: USD 55.00 (via PayPal)

DOCOMOMO US + DOCOMOMO International Individual members receive all DOCOMOMO US benefits in addition to the bi-annual DOCOMOMO International Journal and discounts on all DOCOMOMO International publications. It is not possible to be only an International Member.
Individual membership: USD 140.00 (via PayPal)

See the full list of membership options here: http://bit.ly/joindoco

RENEW BY MAIL: http://bit.ly/joindocoPDF

DOCOMOMO US is increasing its impact!

+Regional working groups and affiliated partners offer tours, lectures, events and opportunities for advocacy across the country

+Local chapters are active throughout New England in New York, Connecticut, New Jersey and Massachusetts, and in Georgia, North Carolina, Florida, Louisiana, Illinois, Texas, California, Washington, and Minnesota. This spring, DOCOMOMO US is happy to welcome Philadelphia to the growing list of national chapters.

+In October 2010, the fourth annual DOCOMOMO US Tour Day reached over 1,000 participants and included twenty three modern architecture tours in fifteen cities across the United States. Planning for Tour Day 2011 is underway!

+DOCOMOMO US produces a monthly e-news brief highlighting current national issues, technical advances, and local efforts related to understanding and preserving the buildings, landscapes, and neighborhoods of the modern movement.

+The DOCOMOMO US website, which includes the DOCOMOMO US Register database of Modern Buildings, is being enhanced and expanded to better serve as an educational resource for our constituents.

Thanks to supporters like you, DOCOMOMO US continues to lead the modern architecture preservation movement in the United States. Thank you for your support, and we hope you will join us to advance the important work of DOCOMOMO US.

Sincerely yours,

 

 

 

 

 

Theodore Prudon
President, DOCOMOMO US

 

P.S. Help us make your membership of DOCOMOMO US as useful and enjoyable as possible by providing us with feedback on your experience.  We kindly request you to take a few moments to fill out this short survey.  Your answers  are very valuable to the organization and our ever-expanding work to preserve of the Modern Movement!

 

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DOCOMOMO US is the working party of DOCOMOMO in the United States. It is a 501(c)3 registered non-profit
organization, a union of regional chapters that share its members’ knowledge of and enthusiasm for the Modern
Movement, promote public interest in it through lectures and walking tours, and organize advocacy efforts to protect
endangered sites and buildings.

DOCOMOMO-US

P.O. Box 230977
New York, NY 10023
United States