The Vieux Carré: Landmark Historic District

By Kate Simister

As research coordinator for French Quarter Citizens for Preservation, I was asked to look into the fact that the French Quarter is designated as a LANDMARK historic district, rather than just an historic district, and that this fact seems to work to our disadvantage as far as jurisdictional issues are concerned. It seemed of value to document what I learned as a result of my research for all the membership, not just the Board. And so begins what I hope will be a series of articles that reveal some answers and, I expect, will raise more than a few questions about why things are the way they are as relates to the French Quarter (or, to be historically accurate, the Vieux Carré).

Let me start by discussing the significance of being designated as a NATIONAL HISTORIC LANDMARK (NHL). The stated purpose for the designation is to identify and register those places that "possess exceptional value or quality in illustrating and interpreting the heritage of the United States" to ensure their protection. It is the historical significance for understanding the development of the nation as a whole, rather than just state or local historical significance, which distinguishes a landmark from other nationally registered historic places. While there are over 70,000 properties listed in the National Register of Historic Places, of those, less than 2,500, or 3%, have been designated as landmarks.

According to the on-line brochure for the NATIONAL HISTORIC LANDMARKS PROGRAM (www.cr.nps/nhl/publications/bro1.htm), once land- marks are designated the National Park Service commits to assist in the preservation of these properties through the National Historic Landmarks Assistance Initiative. The mission of the Assistance Initiative includes ensuring the long-term preservation of National Historic Landmarks and building partnerships between the National Park Service, state and local governments, and individuals (and, presumably, also local organizations of individuals) to enhance the protection of the designated landmarks.

Reading this, it seems intuitively obvious that receiving a National Historic Landmark designation should have greatly improved the level of protection that would be afforded the Vieux Carré, however, the perception among some individuals is that the result has been the opposite. In fact, I was initially reassured that the Vieux Carré Historic District was listed in the National Historic Landmarks Watch List. But that feeling immediately evaporated when I looked up the Vieux Carré data sheet (via http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/) and discovered the only condition identified for the district being on the Watch List was Formosan termite infestation!

Apparently tourist infestation as well as encroaching commercialism and entertainment venues are not considered a serious threat. Although deterioration is identified as the major threat to National Historic Landmarks in general, other identified threats include "commercial and residential development pressure, inappropriate alterations and vandalism" that "destroy the historic character of National Historic Landmarks and their ability to commemorate and tell important stories". This would certainly seem to be consistent with the problems being experienced in the Vieux Carré and worthy of also being identified as a threatening condition in addition to the termites. The 2002/2003 report to Congress is due to be issued shortly, however, perhaps something can be done to get this apparent oversight corrected before the next report is issued in 2005.

Interestingly, the Natchitoches Historic District was also on the Watch List for Louisiana properties, along with the Homeplace Plantation House and Port Hudson. It was also noted that the African House, Yucca House and Prudhomme- Roquier House in the Natchitoches Historic District received matching grant funding in the amount of $250,000 in 2000. When looking for differences between Natchitoches and New Orleans that might account for our sister city's success in obtaining the grant money and support for their preservation activities, one factor that came to light was that Natchitoches has a Certified Local Government representing their interests.

What is a CERTIFIED LOCAL GOVERNMENT (CLG)? It is any local government certified by the State Historical Preservation Office (SHPO) as meeting the following five eligibility requirements:

1. Enforces appropriate state or local legislation for the designation and protection of historic properties;
2. Has established an adequate and qualified historic preservation review commission by local legislation;
3. Maintains a system of survey and inventory of historic properties;
4. Provides for adequate public participation in the local historic preservation program, including the process of recommending properties to the National Register;
5. Satisfactorily performs the responsibilities delegated under the National Historic Preservation Amendments Act of 1980

According to the National Park Service's CERTIFIED LOCAL GOVERNMENT PROGRAM (www2.cr.nps.gov/clg), the benefits to local governments from participating in the CLG program include eligibility for Certified Local Government Historic Preservation Planning Grants which, although relatively small amounts of funds, have often been used as seed money to attract further funding from local government or other sources. Beyond being just a source of funds, the CLG program has helped institutionalize historic preservation and give it legitimacy as a function of local government. Since the local government staff working in the Program is often part of the local planning office, the CLG program has frequently helped forge critical connections between historic preservation and land use planning. Similarly, the program has led to increased cooperation between local preservationists and State Historic Preservation Offices and resulted in strengthened statewide preservation networks. In the case of Louisiana, 38 towns and cities make up that network, including our neighbor Slidell, but New Orleans is not currently a part of it.

In the case of New Orleans, having local government certification would, in addition to the benefits discussed above, presumably provide an official single point of contact and coordination for historic preservation activities throughout the city which should be very valuable in a city with 25 designated national landmarks and numerous organizations representing their interests. If such a thing currently exists in New Orleans it is very difficult, if not impossible, to identify. And, as the federal historic preservation program encourages a flow down of functions and responsibilities to the state and local governments, it would seem that lack of this local government certification puts New Orleans, and by association the Vieux Carré, at a disadvantage. Particularly when it comes to effectively coordinating historic preservation activities with the Louisiana and National Park Service historic preservation representatives. Perhaps their local government certification is one reason why Natchitoches was able to obtain the $250,000 matching grant to preserve some of their most significant historic buildings.

The grant Natchitoches received was a Save America's Treasure grant. SAVE AMERICA'S TREASURES (www.saveamericastreasures.org) is a national effort to protect "America's threatened cultural treasures, including historic structures, collections, works of art, maps and journals that document and illuminate the history and culture of the United States." Established by Executive Order in February 1998, Save America's Treasures was originally founded as the centerpiece of the White House National Millennium Commemoration and as a public-private partnership that included the White House, the National Park Service which administers the federal grants, and the private sector organization National Trust for Historic Preservation. Dedicated to the preservation and celebration of America's priceless historic legacy, Save America*s Treasures works to recognize and rescue the enduring symbols of American tradition which define us as a nation. Surely the Vieux Carré is an excellent example of such a treasure and could no doubt benefit from matching grants ranging from $250,000 to $1,000,000 to help with its preservation. These federal grants may be applied for by federal agencies such as the National Park Service, state and local government entities and 501(c) non-profit organizations (i.e., French Quarter Citizens). Currently, the only 2002 award year recipient in Louisiana is the New Orleans Notorial Archives which received a grant for $64,000 for document preservation.

A frequently asked question is "How do we compare with Charleston and Savannah?" I have assembled at the top of the next page a chart showing some statistics regarding these and a few of our other fellow historic cities as regards their National Historic Landmark status.
The threat classifications indicated are defined as follows. As you'll no doubt note, a large amount of the landmarks are unclassified. This either means there was an earlier threat classification that has since been corrected or the field was just left blank.

• Emergency: The NHL has suffered recent catastrophic damage that requires immediate intervention to preserve the resource and prevent withdrawal of designation.
• Threatened: The NHL has suffered or is in imminent danger of suffering a severe loss of integrity.
• Watch: The NHL faces impending actions or circumstances that likely will cause a loss of integrity.
• Satisfactory: The NHL faces no known threat (sometimes used when prior threat has been resolved).

The benchmark for identifying a threat is the condition of the NHL when it was designated (in the case of the Vieux Carré, 1965). For example, a Landmark that was an archeological ruin when it was designated is listed as threatened or on the watch list only if it has further deteriorated or is threatened with significantly more deterioration. Also, a Landmark may not be listed if its steward is aware of the problem, actively working to solve the problem in a manner consistent with the Secretary of the Interior's Standards, and has the necessary knowledge, expertise and funding to complete the work.

Reading the last sentence raises the question for me: Who is the Vieux Carré's official "Steward"? It seems it would most likely be the Vieux Carré Commission and perhaps it is, but I am pursuing the question further with the National Park Service just to be sure. If we had a certified local government, perhaps that agency would be, but typically one Steward exists for each landmark individually. In a sense, all of us who own and/or are responsible for preserving the properties within the historic district are also stewards as are interested organizations such as French Quarter Citizens for the Preservation of Residential Quality. Per the recently established National Historic Landmark STEWARDS ASSOCIATION (www.cr.nps.gov/nhl/STEW.htm), Stewards are the owners, managers and friends of private and public National Historic Landmarks. The Association is dedicated to the protection, education, preservation, and promotion of historic resources that possess national significance and does so by bringing together those interested in National Historic Landmarks to highlight their common interests and needs. While there are numerous preservation organizations that advocate for and preserve historic properties, this is the first national organization made up of historic property owners and managers who are considered to be the individuals who are directly responsible for the care of the landmarks.

In summary, I hope that you have learned something new, as I did, about the Vieux Carré being a historic district and that that knowledge may pique your interest in further investigating the associated impacts and benefits. As to it somehow working to our disadvantage, I can only surmise that this may be due to some combination of the lack of local government certification and the need for us to pro-actively make the National Park Service's Landmarks Program work for the preservation of the Vieux Carré in the way it was intended.