A Plea for Modernism

Hand Crafted Films, DOCOMOMO Louisiana and the Tulane School of Architecture present:

A Plea For Modernism from Evan Mather on Vimeo.

The Phillis Wheatley Elementary School has served the historic New Orleans African-American neighborhood of Tremé since it opened in 1955. Celebrated worldwide for its innovative, regionally-expressive modern design – the structure sustained moderate damage during the storms and levee breach of 2005.  DOCOMOMO Louisiana is advocating for its restoration via adaptive reuse.

A Plea For Modernism [Evan Mather, Hand Crafted Films, 2011] includes interviews with professor John Klingman of the Tulane School of Architecture, architect Wayne Troyer, John Stubbs, vice-president for field projects for the World Monuments Fund and author/actress Phyllis Montana-Leblanc, a former student of Phillis Wheatley.  It was written by Francine Stock and Evan Mather and narrated by actor Wendell Pierce (HBO's The Wire, Treme).

If no action is taken the Phillis Wheatley Elementary School will demolished in Summer 2011. Please take time to sign the petition to save Phillis Wheatley and contact our public officials.

Mayor Mitchell Landrieu, City of New Orleans (504) 658-4900

Superintendent John White, Recovery School District (504) 373-6200

Superintendent Darryl Kilbert, Orleans Parish School Board (504) 304-3520

In taking these steps, we affirm the significance and diversity of our architectural and cultural heritage and our desire to rescue the future from the past.

Francine Stock
president
DOCOMOMO US/Louisiana

New Orleans Regional Modernism is available on the App Store!

DOCOMOMO Louisiana and Tulane University are pleased to present:

 

The New Orleans Regional Modernism app is designed to highlight the significant, threatened and lost modern architecture of New Orleans. It is a project of Tulane University and DOCOMOMO US/Louisiana, a regional chapter of an international committee dedicated to the documentation and conservation of the buildings, sites and neighborhoods of the modern movement.

This location-based app allows you to browse modern buildings in New Orleans by architect, neighborhood, category or status (extant, threatened or razed). Three tour routes have been identified:  St. Charles Avenue Streetcar, Canal Streetcar, and the 2011 Modernism in New Orleans tour led by Francine Stock and Keli Rylance for the Society of Architectural Historians.

We are grateful to Tulane Libraries' Southeastern Architectural Archive, the Tulane School of Architecture's New Orleans Virtual Archive, the New Orleans Public Library's City Archives, and to many students and friends for providing photos. Descriptions of buildings were written by DOCOMOMO members, students in Francine Stock's Regional Modernism class at Tulane School of Architecture, and Karen Kingsley, author of Modernism in Louisiana.

This software was designed and is supported by the Innovative Learning Center, a division of Tulane Technology Services.

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS: Compatible with iPhones and iPads running iOS 4.3+. Requires network connectivity. Please note our first update (coming soon!) will include functionality at iOS 4.2 level to extend the app to iPhone 3 and iPod Touch 2.


To contact the local chapter about this app or to submit a building for inclusion, email: docomomo.neworleans@gmail.com

Please join DOCOMOMO in supporting the preservation of modern architecture.

Francine Stock
Visual Resources Curator, Tulane School of Architecture
President, DOCOMOMO US/Louisiana

Follow DOCOMOMO NOLA:

       

Download the exhibit brochure: DOCOMOMO @ PRC

DOCOMOMO US/Louisiana and the Preservation Resource Center of New Orleans present
SCHOOL'S OUT :: an exhibition of National Register eligible schools facing demolition in New Orleans
Docomomo EXHIBIT Brochure 2011


This exhibition includes contemporary photography by DOCOMOMO members: Emily Ardoin, Anthony Del Rosario, John Klingman and Francine Stock. We are also pleased to present reproductions of architect Charles Colbert's nine presentation boards of the Phillis Wheatley Elementary School.


Preservation Resource Center of New Orleans
923 Tchoupitoulas Street
May 11 - June 15
Monday - Friday
9am - 5pm


Exhibition curated by Francine Stock, Visual Resource Curator at the Tulane School of Architecture and President of DOCOMOMO US/Louisiana
Special thanks to City Blueprint, Florence Jumonville (UNO), Lindsay McCook, Maryann Miller (PRCNO), Keli Rylance and Kevin Williams (SEAA), and Studio Wayne Troyer.


You can download the exhibition guide here.

Download brochure for DOCOMOMO exhibit @ PRCNO

Docomomo EXHIBIT Brochure 2011

SCHOOL'S OUT :: national register eligible schools face demoltion

S C H O O L ' S O U T, originally uploaded by regional.modernism.

DOCOMOMO US/ Louisiana and the Preservation Resource Center of New Orleans present:

SCHOOL'S OUT: an exhibition of photography and architectural drawings of National Register eligible schools facing demolition in New Orleans

Preservation Resource Center of New Orleans
923 Tchoupitoulas Street.
May 11 - June 15, 2011
Monday - Friday
9am - 5pm

exhibition curated by Francine Stock

Phyllis Montana-LeBlanc, daughter of Phillis Wheatley

Saving Phyllis Wheatly School from Karran Harper Royal on Vimeo.

Actress, author and poet Phyllis Montana-LeBlanc was educated at the Phillis Wheatley Elementary School in the Treme. In this phone video from the Hands Around Phillis Wheatley rally, PML reads some of her poetry written since Hurricane Katrina and praises PWES with making her who she is today. PML has been an active voice calling for the preservation Phillis Wheatley. I met her when we both spoke at the HDLC hearing in March. Within days she had started the petition to

SAVE PHILLIS WHEATLEY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL IN NEW ORLEANS! SAY "NO!" TO DEMOLITION

  which now has over 1500 signatures from around the city and across the globe.

Demolition of the Phillis Wheatley Elementary School may indeed be imminent, but her legacy will live on.

Video courtesy of Karran Harper Royal.

DOCOMOMO NOLA :: A Week in the Life

This past spring the members of DOCOMOMO US/Louisiana have been busy bees. We believe we may have peaked in performance this past week, though there is still more activity planned in the near future. My only regret is that I do not have enough time to write about each individual event properly, but offer you this quick recap.

Tuesday April 12: Exhibition planning meeting at The Columns (our favorite satellite office). We will exhibit New Orleans School Designs from the 1950s at the Preservation Resource Center in May. Details to follow.

Wednesday April 13: Preservation Roundtable meeting at the PRC. National Trust President Stephanie Meeks met with local preservation leaders. Thanks to PRC for hosting this important conversation.

Thursday April 14: Society of Architectural Historians annual meeting. I met with David Fixler, SAH preservation officer and president of DOCOMOMO-US/New England and we test drove the route of the Modernism in New Orleans tour. Many thanks to the board of SAH who voted to support the preservation of Phillis Wheatley Elementary School and wrote a letter to Mayor Landrieu.

Friday April 15: DOCOMOMO Roundtable meeting at SAH. Keli Rylance and I led a discussion of some the challenges the chapter faced in the past years, especially problems with the FEMA 106 process. We discussed recent and currently threatened buildings and neighborhoods and how we are adjusting our agenda for the future to focus more on education. Great turn out and  lively discussion.

Saturday April 16: Modernism in New Orleans tour for SAH. Keli Rylance and I led this tour up Canal Street through Mid-City and then over to the Treme to view the Phillis Wheatley Elementary School. We then set out to the Lakefront and walked through one of the garden lanes of Lake Vista to the central park on the levee. The tour culminated with a reception at the house of native architect Albert C. Ledner. We had a fabulous time and hope to lead a similar tour again in the fall.

Sunday April 17: Hands Around Phillis Wheatley. We gathered at noon to express our support for the preservation of this most significant and severely threatened school. Phyllis Montana-Leblanc (a former student, now author and actress) read a powerful poem she wrote for Phillis Wheatley. John Stubbs (Vice President for Field Projects for the World Monuments Fund) reaffirmed the World Monuments Fund support for the cause. John Klingman (architect, author and educator) spoke about the architectural significance of the structure and its relationship to site and climate. Karran Harper Royal (founding member of Parents Across America) suggested we appeal not only to city leaders, but to the state. We will post more information and suggestions for how you can help the cause soon. If you have not already done so, start by signing the petition to

SAVE PHILLIS WHEATLEY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL IN NEW ORLEANS! SAY "NO!" TO DEMOLITION!

Monday April 18: Met with David Robinson of Tulane Technology Services to review the penultimate draft of the New Orleans Regional Modernism iphone app - a collaborative project of Tulane University and DOCOMOMO US/Louisiana. This Thursday April 21, Maryann Miller (PRC) and I will we interviewed at the Columns Hotel at 4 pm by Grant Morris host of It's New Orleans. Come join the Happy Hour party /podcast and get your first glimpse of the app in action.

If you would like to support our activities, please consider becoming a DOCOMOMO US member today.

Many thanks!

Francine Stock
president

DOCOMOMO US/Louisiana