Historic Preservation Excellence

by

LLSlogopreservation-award

Louisiana Landmarks Society
Awards for Excellence in Historic Preservation

LLS announces the inaugural Louisiana Landmarks Society Awards for Excellence in Historic Preservation. These awards will honor projects completed in Orleans Parish (outside of the French Quarter) in 2012 or 2013 that represent outstanding examples of restoration or rehabilitation of historic buildings, as well as new construction in a historic district.Nominations for the 2014 Awards may be submitted from individuals, companies, or organizations. Nominations should be submitted via a nomination form on the LLS website starting today. The deadline for nominations is January 15, 2014. Of particular interest are projects which:

  • Demonstrate that historic preservation can be a tool to revitalize older neighborhoods
  • Show that historic preservation is “green” and sustainable
  • Support the cultural and ethnic diversity of the preservation movement
  • Are creative examples of saving a historic building
  • Involve properties that utilized various federal or state tax incentive programs
  • Represent new design that is appropriate to historic neighborhoods

“It is important to recognize the extraordinary investment of time, money, effort, and attention to detail that is required to create projects that stand out in a city known for historic preservation,” said Elliott Perkins, executive director of the Historic District Landmarks Commission.The Selection Committee includes representatives from Louisiana’s State Historic Preservation Office, New Orleans and CBD Historic District Landmarks Commissions, Tulane School of Architecture and the Louisiana Landmarks Society.

“We are excited to be able to continue this important awards program, and to inaugurate it in 2014, marking fifty years since Louisiana Landmarks Society saved the Pitot House,” said Walter Gallas, LLS Executive Director.

The 2014 Louisiana Landmarks Society Awards for Excellence in Historic Preservation winners will be presented at a luncheon on April 9, 2014.

We encourage you to nominate projects you may know, and to spread the word. Questions can be sent to info@louisianalandmarks.org or by calling 504.482.0312.

NOMINATE A PROJECT

If you have a project to nominate for the 2014 Awards, please submit your project before January 15, 2014.
NOMINATE A PROJECT

LLS ELSEWHERE
CLICK HERE TO SHARE THIS WITH YOUR FRIENDS

What Makes a Neighborhood Great?

by

photos by Charlie London

Good places promote sociability
These are the spots where you run into people you know, where you take friends and family when you want to show them the neighborhood. These places become the heart and soul of the neighborhood because they offer people many different reasons to go there.

Good places have lots of things to do
The places people love most are the ones where they can pursue a variety of activities.

Good places are comfortable and attractive
They beckon you to come visit. Flowers, comfortable benches with a nice view, and attractive lighting all make you feel this is a place you want to come to often.

Good places are accessible
These places are clearly identifiable from a distance, easy to enter when you get closer, and it is simple to understand how you use them.

Good places capitalize on the Power of 10
Think of the 10 most important places in your neighborhood. It could be the main shopping street, a park, playground, an interesting shop, a library, post office etc. Zoom in and think about one of these places and try to write down ten fun or useful things you can do there. The Power of 10 is the simple but important idea that the more things there are to do in a place, the more beloved and central that place will become in your neighborhood.

Good places are inspired by the people who live there
The big question is, of course, how do you begin to create the good places that every neighborhood craves? What process can you use to build spots where people want to hang out? Long experience has shown us that bottom-up rather than top-down strategies to create or revitalize public spaces work best. This approach is based on the simple idea that the people who live in a neighborhood are the world’s experts on that particular place. Any project to improve things should be guided by the community’s wisdom, not the dictates of professional disciplines. This is the most important lesson about making great neighborhoods we have learned in 30 years of work.

This article is from the Project for Public Spaces.