Inventory - MSS 247 - Vieux Carre Property Owners, Residents & Associates Collection - Library Guides at University of New Orleans

VIEUX CARRE PROPERTY OWNERS, RESIDENTS, & ASSOCIATES COLLECTION

(Mss 247)

Inventory

Earl K. Long Library

University of New Orleans

March 1997

Summary

Size: 5½ linear feet

Geographic

Locations: New Orleans, La.; Washington D.C.; several United States cities; Paris, France; Venice, Italy

Inclusive Dates: 1961-1991

Bulk Dates: 1965-1989

Summary: Records of a neighborhood preservation group in the Vieux Carre active in several battles over development in that area of New Orleans.

Consists of correspondence; legal papers; minutes; newsletters; financial records; membership lists; and brochures and news clippings.

Source: Gift, 1993

Access: No restrictions

Copyright: Physical rights are retained by the Earl K. Long Library, University of New Orleans.

Citation: Vieux Carre Property Owners, Residents & Associates Collection, Earl K. Long Library, University of New Orleans

Historical Note

The Vieux Carre Property Owners, Residents & Associates (VCPORA) was an early preservation group organized in the 1920s and incorporated as a non-profit organization June 8, 1938 for the "preservation, restoration, beautification and general betterment of the Vieux Carre."

The changing name and composition of the organization reflects its evolving character. The 1938 charter established it as the Vieux Carre Property Owners Association, with a nine-member Board of Directors. Membership was limited to property owners within the legally defined boundaries of the Vieux Carre. Despite its restricted membership, its purpose was described as "awakening, fostering and cultivating a feeling of civic pride among the residents and property owners" of the Vieux Carre.

To that end, in 1948 the membership categories were reorganized as "regular," "associate," and "commercial". These categories were defined respectively as property owners, residents, and business owners within the legally defined boundaries of the Vieux Carre. The membership of the Board of Directors reflected this change by adding four "associate" and two "commercial" members to the nine "regular" ones. A separate classification of members, called "sustaining," was established at this same time and defined as those interested in the organization's goals, but they were not represented on the Board of Directors. In 1951, the charter was again amended, changing the name to Vieux Carre Property Owners and Associates, and adding two "sustaining" members to the Board.

In 1976 the organization again changed its name to the Vieux Carre Property Owners, Residents & Associates. In 1982 the Board and membership categories were renamed. "Regular" members became "Property Owner" members, "Associate" became "Resident," and "Sustaining" became "Associate." The Board thus consisted of nine "property owner," four "resident," two "commercial" and two "associate" members.

Just as the organizations membership expanded, so did its scope. These papers offer a fascinating glimpse of an essentially neighborhood organization fighting for its interests within the expanding theater of national historic preservation. Its efforts to preserve the "distinctive character" of the Vieux Carre evolved to include other residents of the city, the nation and even Europe. The proposed Elysian Fields-Riverfront Expressway of the early 1960s galvanized the group as no other issue did. They joined forces with preservation groups across the nation and a fledgling federal preservation bureaucracy to challenge the urban vision of Robert Moses, the New York highway builder who originally proposed the riverfront expressway in 1946, and his disciples. The urge to preserve begot a passion for action.

While proponents of the expressway courted officials in the federal Commerce Department's Bureau of Public Roads (notably Federal Highway Administrator Rex Whitton), and later the Department of Transportation, the preservationists sought help from the Department of the Interior, particularly Secretary Stewart Udall. He was the one who proposed, and subsequently declared, the Vieux Carre as a National Historic Landmark District as a means of giving the freeway opponents some federal leverage in their cause. The freeway was finally terminated by Secretary of Transportation John A. Volpe in July 1969.

After this battle, the VCPORA fought less successfully against other encroachments upon the Vieux Carre riverfront, most notably the development of Canal Place, Jax Brewery and the Audubon Institute's Aquarium. They sought to open up the riverfront to the Vieux Carre as it had been for the first 200 years of the city's existence, reversing a more recent trend to build wharves and industry on its banks. And in none of their subsequent efforts did they achieve the national solidarity of preservationists evident in the expressway fight.

Alongside these major fronts, the VCPORA fought minor skirmishes to preserve the quality of life in the "Quarter." They vigilantly scoured the newspapers for public notices, requests for zoning variances, kept track of businesses (particularly bars) running afoul of the law, parking and traffic problems, and other everyday matters. They even asked for and received from the Police Department a three-year breakdown of crimes in the area surrounding McDonough School No. 15 from January 1966 through March 1969.

The records in this collection were maintained by three men who served on the Board in the years 1961-1991 and held various offices, including that of President: Mark Lowrey, William Goding, and Raymond Boudreaux. Both Mr. Lowrey and Mr. Boudreaux were architects and heavily involved with the American Institute of Architects. They also served on the boards of other organizations, most notably the American Institute of Architects, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the Vieux Carre Commission, and the Crescent Council of Civic Associations. Harnett Kane was recording secretary for the group for several years.

[Information obtained from the organization’s own files (especially file 247-114) and Richard O. Baumbach, Jr., and William E. Borah, The Second Battle of New Orleans: A History of the Vieux Carre Riverfront-Expressway Controversy (University, Alabama: University of Alabama Press, 1981)]

Series, Subseries, and Descriptions

Series I. Correspondence, 1964-1990

Letters, resolutions, memos, reports and clippings to and from politicians, bureaucrats, individuals and groups, both locally and nationally.

Series II. Legal Papers, 1961-1991

Memoranda, briefs and correspondence with attorneys concerning the various suits the organization filed.

Series III. Membership Records, 1961-1990

Subseries III.1 Board of Directors, 1961-1990

Public information; minutes; lists of directors; attendance; correspondence among board members concerning its activities; reports; and ballots.

Subseries III.2 Newsletters, 1961-1985

Subseries III.3 Membership Committee, 1965-1983

Correspondence concerning additions and subtractions; lists of members

Subseries III.4 Financial Records: 1966-1970

Banking records; receipts; and treasurer's reports. Mostly relating to the Expressway Fund established by the organization during that controversy. Later treasurer's reports were sent out with the Newsletter.

Subseries III.5 Allied Organizations

Items from other agencies or organizations with shared purposes. Several of the members of this organization served on other committees, such as the Vieux Carre Commission. Includes laws, by-laws, brochures and agenda. Correspondence with these organizations will be found in Series I.

Series IV. Newspaper Clippings: 1913; 1965-1969

Clippings which were loose in the collection and not attached to any correspondence.

Container List

Series I. Correspondence, 1964-1990

Letters, resolutions, memos, reports and clippings to and from politicians, bureaucrats, individuals and groups, both locally and nationally. Unless otherwise stated, all subjects refer to the Vieux Carre (VC).

247-1 July 24, 1964-February 27 1965 (26 items)

Jackson Square designated as National Historic Landmark; demolition of properties; Mississippi bridge at Destrehan; roster of Central Area committee;

Expressway: Congressional delegation and City Council support; Lowrey speech; American Institute of Architects (AIA); Chamber of Commerce.

247-2 March 2-31, 1965 (23 items)

Expressway: Letters to state and city officials; letters to editor; San Francisco support; federal highway officials; speech; removal of Dumaine St. wharves on the levee.

247-3 April 2-May 25, 1965 (14 items)

Disposition of Old Mint building; Expressway: Community association opposition; traffic congestion in Quarter; effects on Elysian Fields; engineers report on alternative routes; Mayor Schiro supports modified original plan.

247-4 June 1-July 30, 1965 (39 items)

Expressway: Press release by Harnett Kane; San Francisco support; Decatur St. bypass; mass meeting; both sides court federal support: proponents with Commerce Dept., opponents with the Interior Dept; plan to designate the Quarter as a landmark; Tulane study initiated; Chamber of Commerce brochure on development of Central Business Dist.

247-5 August 3-September 20 1965 (26 items)

Lot sizes in Quarter; Old Mint Building; Central Area Committee of Chamber of Commerce; Dingledein Cup award;

Expressway: Correspondence with Commerce & Interior Depts.; AIA; Lady Bird Johnson; analysis of Tulane study of alternative routes; San Francisco & New Orleans organization.

247-6 October 2-28 1965 (13 items)

Expressway: Chamber of Commerce Central Area Plan & reaction; City candidate questionnaire & responses; engineers resolution; federal officials; Vieux Carre Commission (VCC); correspondence list.

247-7 November 1-26 1965 (35 items)

Licensing of tour guides; Wall Street Journal article on changing New Orleans;

Expressway: Reaction to and analysis of Tulane study; Chamber of Commerce supports proposed expressway; Congressmen; Councilmen; resolution of Louisiana Council for the Vieux Carre.

247-8 December 1-31 1965 (29 items)

Old Salem, North Carolina; representation on Chamber of Commerce committee; Landmark designation granted; parking violations in Quarter;

Expressway: criticism of City Planning Commission handling of Tulane study; to President Johnson; with Congressmen.

247-9 Undated @ 1965 (21 items)

Traffic plans; zoning variance for hotel; Expressway: list of neighborhood opponents to Elysian Fields branch of expressway; map with proposed transit routes; map with proposed expressway; nine 8 x 10 photos of endangered properties along Elysian Fields.

247-10 January 3-28, 1966 (38 items)

Parking enforcement; resignation from Chamber of Commerce; burying NOPSI powerlines; acceptance of National Historic District designation;

Expressway: appointment of federal advisory board on highways; federal approval; Tulane study; support from San Francisco and Chicago.

247-11 February 1-28, 1966 (50 items)

Zoning changes; property taxes; Old Mint building;

Expressway: President Johnson & Representative Boggs collusion; Advisory Board; political analysis; national and international support

247-12 March 1-15, 1966 (30 items)

Old Mint building; zoning variances; NOPSI powerlines; Lowrey resume;

Expressway: Shoring up local and national support with congressmen, councilmen, mayor & preservation groups.

247-13 March 16-31, 1966 (26 items)

Rezoning residential & commercial; award breakfast;

Expressway: PR campaign; congressmen; mayor; support from San Antonio, Indianapolis & Raleigh NC.

247-14 April 1-15, 1966 (30 items)

Rezoning residential & commercial; City Planning Commission;

Expressway: International support in Paris (Mrs. DeGaulle; Baron Henri de Pontalba); Bureau of Public Roads; Archbishop Hannan; lawsuit proposed; Sen. Long; Rex Whitton; Louisiana Council for the Vieux Carre.

247-15 April 18-May 30, 1966 (38 items)

Article on preserving Quarter; raising towing fines; zoning decision; list of civic improvement associations;

Expressway: tax exemption of contributions; international support from Paris & Italy; local resolutions; national support from historic preservation societies.

247-16 June 2-30, 1966 (45 items)

Police overtime & protection; cleaning Presbytere; zoning variance; Bureau of Governmental Research's (BGR) Vieux Carre Demonstration Study;

Expressway: Resolutions from council & legislature; local petitions; Archbishop Hannan; National support (Mobile, Memphis, Harvard University, Charleston, Philadelphia, Minneapolis, AIA); Interior Department

247-17 July 1-22, 1966 (41 items)

Parking meters; acceptance of Historic Landmark District designation;

Expressway: local media and Washington Post; Sen. R. Yarborough; Ketchum resignation from Advisory Council; national support (Philadelphia, Memphis, Charleston SC, AIA)

247-18 July 26-24, 1966 (13 items)

New Vieux Carre Commission members; converting former Civil Courts Building to state music center;

Expressway: Delta Review article; AIA national publicity campaign; La. Council for the VC.

247-19 August 3-31, 1966 (46 items)

Bus tours; traffic snarls; UNESCO meeting; construction damage to old buildings; Historic Preservation bill;

Expressway: Lining up potential witnesses; local support; Pres. Johnson; Gov. McKeithen; congressmen; Dept of Housing & Urban Development (HUD); Italian support; academic support.

247-20 September 6-27, 1966 (30 items)

Emergency demolition for Bourbon St. hotel; sight-seeing guides; Philadelphia convention of National Trust for Historic Preservation (NTHP); Gov.'s conference on urban development;

Expressway: Organizing National Trust members; Martha Robinson; Baron Pontalba; national media coverage.

247-21 September 30, 1966 (8 items)

Expressway: National organization effort; Congressional Record July 29, 1966.

247-22 October 3-31, 1966 (47 items)

Sight-seeing guide panel; trip to Philadelphia & Washington; pressing council to accept historic district designation; truck traffic; VCC influence; litter;

Expressway: National effort and petition drive; Lowrey's statement before Capital City Planning Commission; Dept. of Transportation Act; Italian support; air-quality angle on suit.

247-23 November 1-29, 1966 (38 items)

Simeon Coxe's plan for city; parking garages; policing Jackson Square

Expressway: Petition drive to re-evaluate proposal; Italian support; Martha Robinson writing to British National trusts; Gov. McKeithen; Archbishop Hannan; national support.

247-24 December 1-30, 1966 (29 items)

Bus& truck traffic; garbage; nuisance bar; Governor's conference; parking& traffic enforcement;

Expressway: Fact Sheet; donations; effect on Old Mint; redesign of overhead; Sen. R. Kennedy.

247-25 January 2-March 31 1967 (46 items)

Accepting historic district designation; Spring Fiesta; fire protection; zoning variance; refuse hazard; prohibiting glassware in street;

Expressway: Stern Fund study of urban transportation; local political analysis; Rex Whitton resigns from BPR; lawsuit filed & reaction; lining up potential witnesses; Italian support.

247-26 April 5-20, 1967 (8 items)

Expressway: Trial strategy and evidence; Arthur Little report to Stern Family Fund, "A Review of Transportation Planning in New Orleans."

247-27 May (undated)-October 31, 1967 (27 items)

Comment on proposed zoning revisions; Salem, MA; sonic boom damage; busses; origin of Crescent Council of Civic Associations (CCCA);

Expressway: Secret meetings

247-28 November 2-(Undated), 1967 (43 items)

Cleaning Quarter; policing "hippies" in Jackson Square, & its 1963 landmark designation; parking; school bond referendum; zoning adjustment; sonic boom damage;

Expressway: Support for suit; congressional bill; designing highways; Vieux Carre Courier (VC Courier) commended; CCCA.

247-29 January 2-February 29, 1968 (34 items)

Italian Hall fire hazard; zoning variances & proposed revisions; school bond proposal; Old Mint use; bus parking; historic district designation; repairing Madam John's Legacy; parking meters; BGR's VC Demonstration Study;

Expressway: Grade level change; Algiers bridge.

247-30 March 1-April 28, 1968 (25 items)

Parking meters; BGR study; historic district designation; Coxe plan; bond issue.

Expressway: Local organizing; ground level design; Memphis help.

247-31 May 2-June 28 1968 (35 items)

Coxe plan & riverfront; VCC constitutional change proposed; Lowrey's "escape" from Paris student demonstrations; Brownsville TX convent; 30th Anniversary of organization; bus stop; BGR study;

Expressway: Martha Robinson; Napoleon Ave. bridge.

247-32 July 2-December 24, 1968 (34 items)

Spring Fiesta; BGR VC study; trash cans; hotel-motel moratorium; Dingledein cup; policing Jackson Square; CCCA; zoning; public drinking.

Expressway: Dept. of Interior against; Transportation Act of 1966; council vote; proposed urban coalition.

247-33 December 20, 1968 (2 items)

Tape and transcript of Louisiana Dept. of Highways presentation to city council.

247-34 January 3-February 24, 1969 (18 items)

Zoning variances and proposed changes in code; VC Courier prospectus; BGR VC study; parking;

Expressway: Grade level plan approved; suit reactivated; Advisory Council for Historic Preservation (ACHP) of Interior Dept. visit to city.

247-35 March 4-31, 1969 (29 items)

Proposed carnival commission; public housing in Lower Garden District; fire hazard; "window" sales of food & drink; restoration of Pitot House; proposal to abolish French Market Corp.; CCCA; crime; nuisance bars & street drinking; mercury vapor lamps on Esplanade Ave.

Expressway: Visit of ACHP; changes in Dept. of Transportation.

247-36 April 1-May 29, 1969 (50 items)

Lighting on Esplanade; nuisance bars; abandoned building; public drinking & rowdy street behavior; zoning violations; acceptance of historic district designation; VC Study Committee; uses of McDonough No. 15 and crime around it; HALO resolution by Greater Gentilly Civic Council;

Expressway: Chamber of Commerce Central Area Council; Wall Street Journal story; Tulane's Quarterfront study.

247-37 June 3-30, 1969 (23 items)

Tax assessment; crime statistics around McDonough No. 15 from January 1966 through March 1969; proposed changes in that school; nuisance bars; Quarterfront study; zoning; parking meters;

fish market odors;

Expressway: Meeting with J. D. Braman, Assistant Secretary of Department of Transportation; grade level proposal

247-38 July 2-30 1969 (35 items)

Issues Forum; fish market; zoning variances; parking meters; McDonough No. 15; traffic; cleaning Quarter; street drinking; CCCA;

Expressway: Dept. of Transportation rejects expressway; Chamber of Commerce reaction; Rep. Boggs holds meeting with secretaries of HUD and Transportation.

247-39 August 1-October 21 1969 (43 items)

Zoning violations; "Metropolitan Planning Committee"; Italian Hall; Martha Robinson; traffic; relief for victims of Hurricane Camille; parking; lighting on Esplanade; "window" sales of food & drink; hotel moratorium; teachers seminar; blocks in Quarter claimed for God; CCCA political endorsement; BGR VC study; Exchange Alley.

247-40 November 17-December 28, 1969 (19 items)

Residential zoning violations; demolition request; mayoral candidates on historic preservation; VCC; Quarterfront study; Charleston SC bridge battle; lighting on Esplanade; BGR VC study analyzed.

247-41 February 5-July 30, 1970 (23 items)

Quarterfront study; Charleston bridge; Madam John's Legacy; historic district designation.

247-42 August 4-December 3, 1970 (23 items)

Historic district designation; Charleston bridge; Centroport pamphlet; Tulane conference on preservation.

247-43 February 5, 1971-September 17, 1975 (31 items)

Truck traffic; Riverfront park; VCC; proposed constitutional amendment about abandoned property; VC Action Association; Jackson Square improvements; city contract with Curtis & Davis; proposed riverfront boulevard; new Mississippi River bridge.

247-44 (Undated) 1976-November 1979 (34 items)

Building Watcher's Tour; Canal Place development; flood wall alignments; second river bridge span; reclaiming riverfront; Martha G. Robinson; Gov.'s Citizen Advisory Committee; historic district designation; suggested VCC standards for development; Mayoral questionnaire & Morial platform on neighborhood conservation; French Quarter Task Force report.

247-45 January 22-December 16, 1980 (22 items)

Decatur St. traffic; VC special taxing district; federal historic preservation funding; Canal Place; renovation project; 1984 World's Fair; barge fleet facility at Louisiana Ave. Wharf environmental impact.

247-46 January 24-May 18, 1981 (32 items)

Sewage infrastructure; World's Fair; amending bar laws; French Quarter Task Force brochure; transportation system; Louisiana Council for the VC; tap water quality; zoning variances; Canal Place; special VC taxing district; VCC ignored; Cabrini Playground; construction permit fees; time-sharing units; zoning amendments & variances; rooming houses; nightclub ordinance; selling Canal St. perpetual servitudes; "Preservation Network Alert."

247-47 June 1-July 19, 1981 (31 items)

Guest house zoning; various state issues; Cabrini Playground; time share legislation; Canal Place; Dock Board leasing servitudes; ordinance governing sale of land in Quarter; National Historic Preservation Fund budget; opening riverfront.

247-48 August 1981 (1 item)

Tour Bus report draft.

247-49 August 1-November 10 1981 (27 items)

Jax Brewery; Canal Place; time-sharing moratorium; servitudes of navigable waterways; World's Fair; zoning variances & report; comments at meeting of National Trust for Historic Preservation; illegal guest houses.

247-50 January 4-20, 1982 (2 items)

"Working Paper No. 1: Issues," Central Riverfront Area Study (CRAS).

247-51 March 1982 (3 items)

"Preservation" newsletter; "Technical Report No. 1: CBD Cordon Count" CRAS; Dept. of Interior study of VC boundaries.

247-52 March 19, 1982 (1 item)

"Working Paper No. 2: Existing Conditions" CRAS.

247-53 April 13, 1982-April 20, 1983 (27 items)

Comments on CRAS; Dept. of Interior drops plan to alter VC boundaries; failures of Preservation Act of 1966; Jean Lafitte National Historical Park (JLNHP) Delta Region Preservation Commission minutes; VCC failures and appointments; truck traffic task force report; Jax Brewery development.

247-54 April 1983 (1 item)

"Working Paper No. 4: Benchmark Plan" CRAS

247-55 May 11-December 1, 1983 (24 items)

CRAS; Neighborhood Score Association; renovation infractions; hotel violations; Tujague sign; illegal parking privileges; VCC minutes; Jax Brewery; Armstrong Park development.

247-56 January 26-June 14, 1984 (23 items)

Proposed zoning changes for riverfront; CRAS; Jax Brewery; residential permit parking; failings of VCC; illegal commercial establishment; "Preservation" newsletter; proposed development between Canal Place & Jackson Square.

247-57 July 7-September 24, 1984 (19 items)

Riverfront rezoning proposal; VCC; VC boundaries; Jax Brewery; NOPSI powerlines; legislative bills on water rights; LSU VC Riverfront Park Study; UNO French Quarter Study.

247-58 October 1-December 25, 1984 (27 items)

Jax Brewery; illegal signs; VCC staffing; parking; powerline servitudes; microfiche of Decatur Street front elevation at Jax Brewery (see folder 59); drawings and plans of several VC squares & streets; riverfront park; design guidelines; Faubourg Marigny zoning.

247-59 Undated @ 1984 (1 item)

Front elevation of Decatur St. between Jax Brewery & Jackson Square.

247-60 January 15-April 16, 1985 (23 items)

Riverfront development; VCC awards & Architectural Committee meeting notes; Jax Brewery; City Planning Commission membership; nuisance bar.

247-61 April 22-May 29, 1985 (23 items)

Jax Brewery, Phase II; petition; zoning amendment; riverfront park; blueprint for Jax rezoning.

247-62 June 10-October 10, 1985 (15 items)

"Preservation" newsletter; Jax Brewery zoning; old Civil Courts building; boundaries of JLNHP; Jax lawsuit; RTA passes; street musician.

247-63 February 19-July 14, 1986 (37 items)

Interview with mayoral candidate Sidney Barthelemy; dispute with Preservation Resource Center & VCC; zoning variances; Upper Pontalba Building; riverfront park; Aquarium & Audubon Zoo; pylon in river; Jax brewery; riverfront streetcars; wetlands erosion; mailing list; VCC member qualifications.

247-64 July 28-October 30, 1986 (24 items)

Riverfront park; children's activities; riverfront streetcars; zoning enforcement; pylons in river; Jax Brewery; Aquarium & referendum; VCC design guidelines.

247-65 November 6-December 30, 1986 (28 items)

Aquarium location; federal Urban Development Action Grants (UDAG) to city; riverfront park; Upper Pontalba renovation; plans to frustrate building aquarium in VC; crime.

247-66 January 2-February 23, 1987 (31 items)

Aquarium location; grant proposal to Critical Issues Fund to develop cultural tourism; minority involvement in aquarium; neglected housing; shipping safety; nuisance bar; historic preservation goals workshop.

247-67 March 4-April 30 1987 (26 items)

VCC members; preservation goals workshop; aquarium design & location; City Park tour & conference of National Association of Olmsted Parks; nuisance bar; VC riverfront study by National Park Service; zoning amendments; budget for National Historic Preservation Fund.

247-68 May 1-27, 1987 (26 items)

Aquarium location; state insurance costs; city archaeology plan; zoning amendments; French Market fountain; collusion of oil corporations and aquarium planners; safety of Bienville St. wharf; nuisance bar; Preservation Resource Center membership.

247-69 June 3-30, 1987 (28 items)

Aquarium location & views of National Park Service; its design flaws & organizing opposition; RTA headquarters location; riverfront study.

247-70 July 2-August 26, 1987 (29 items)

La. Council for the Vieux Carre-Upriver Aquarium Coalition; aquarium location & lawsuit summary; dual appointments to boards and commissions; NPS riverfront study; traffic; VCC conflict of interest; response to article in "Preservation News;" history of open riverfront.

247-71 September 5-27, 1987 (16 items)

Contributions for lawsuit; opposing housing neglect; proposed city ordinance for property permits and amending zoning regulations.

247-72 October 17-December 23, 1987 (37 items)

Mailing list; fundraising for lawsuit; meeting with Audubon Park Commission; L. Ron Forman; proposed use permit ordinance; criticism of Board of Directors; property used for cheap tourism; balancing preservation & economic development; sniping with Preservation Resource Center; rezoning Royal St.

247-73 January 3-March 31, 1988 (39 items)

Bar noise; Jackson Square neighborhood; aquarium; use permit ordinance; Covenant House; Jax development; cultural tourism symposium; parking lots; NTHP joins aquarium suit; riverfront streetcars.

247-74 April 4-25, 1988 (29 items)

Aquarium bond issue, operation, litigation; Jax zoning; discouraging parking; riverfront streetcar station design; reclaiming riverfront; return of Supreme Court to Royal St.; parking at Maison Blanche; membership of City Planning Commission; business-government relationship; managing VC.

247-75 May 2-July 25, 1988 (40 items)

Public parking; paper: "Historic Preservation Laws in Louisiana, 1925-1988"; aquarium; Maison Blanche annex; list of agencies involved in administering VC; Cabildo fire; Gov. Roemer's pro-business record; urban planning in US; Jax parking; St. Charles Streetcar line; zoning regulation changes; building neglect; Marie Antoinette Hotel parking; French Market art project; VCC; nuisance bar.

247-76 August 2-December 27, 1988 (39 items)

Illegal bar; parking; riverfront streetcars; adoption of Dept. of Safety and Permits; fast-food outlets; aquarium location; Marie Antoinette Hotel parking; meeting on illegal businesses; bed & breakfast establishments; Jax parking; Supreme Court building.

247-77 January 9-February 28, 1989 (15 items)

Zoning revisions; NPS riverfront study; historical notes on riverfront; Advisory Council on Historic Preservation conference in New Orleans; formosan termites; aquarium.

247-78 March 1-April 27, 1989 (21 items)

Jax Brewery parking; tour busses; NPS riverfront study; offtrack betting parlor; riverfront streetcars; Canal St.

247-79 May 3-September 4, 1989 (17 items)

Parking; Jax Brewery city ordinances; tour busses; Woldenberg Park; riverfront rezoning; federal UDAGs.

247-80 December 15, 1989-October 10, 1990 (7 items)

Neglected buildings; soup kitchen; riverfront park; council candidate mailing; study: "Historic Riverfront as the Front Yard of the Vieux Carre."

Series II. Legal Papers, 1961-1991

Memoranda, briefs and correspondence with attorneys concerning the various suits the organization filed.

247-81 1961-1964 (7 items)

Notes on city council meetings; briefs on cases dealing with window placement & demolition by neglect; state Supreme Court decision.

247-82 January 16-June 29, 1966 (16 items)

Inez Phillips zoning case; expressway memorandum & co-plaintiffs; parking garage case; National Historic Landmark District designation.

247-83 July 19-December 22, 1966 (33 items)

D. H. Holmes petitions, 9 photos, negatives & diagram; preparation for expressway suit; legal fees; Baron Henri de Pontalba; Bourbon St. excavation; illegal bar.

247-84 January 16-February 22, 1967 (14 items)

Expressway suit filed; Baron Pontalba; Inez Phillips case fees; Bureau of Governmental Research declines to join suit.

247-85 March 1-May 31, 1967 (20 items)

Legal fees; expressway suit; D. H. Holmes case; Inez Phillips case; Maher demolition case.

247-86 October 25-December 20, 1967 (8 items)

D. H. Holmes case; legal fees.

247-87 January 16-December 20, 1968 (15 items)

D. H. Holmes state Supreme Court decision & settlement; legal fees; Maher case.

247-88 January 7-(undated) February, 1969 (9 items)

Expressway suit; Maher case; 700 Bourbon St. restoration case.

247-89 March 5-October 27, 1969 (21 items)

700 Bourbon St. case; Roach Barroom noise case; Maher case; legal fees.

247-90 March 23-June 12, 1970 (11 items)

Maher case; Encore Bar & Disco zoning case; expressway suit; Royal Sonesta Hotel.

247-91 October 23, 1980-April 1, 1981 (4 items)

Canal Place suit; discussion of riparian rights and predial servitudes; Louisiana Revised Statutes on Navigation & Shipping.

247-92 November 6, 1981-July 7, 1982 (8 items)

Freedom of Information request on National Historic Landmark District boundaries; Canal Place suit.

247-93 January 11, 1983 (1 item)

Canal Place suit.

247-94 September 24, 1984-May 28, 1985 (8 items)

Jax Brewery suit.

247-95 August 14-October 10, 1985 (29 items)

Jax Brewery suit & settlement.

NOTE: Folders 247-96 through 247-113 all concern Aquarium litigation

247-96 January 9-March 10, 1987 (7 items)

247-97 April 2-June 30, 1987 (9 items)

247-98 July 1-August 21, 1987 (14 items)

247-99 September 1987 (12 items)

247-100 October 19-December 23, 1987 (18 items)

247-101 January 22-March 30, 1988 (12 items)

247-102 April 5-7, 1988 (9 items)

247-103 April 14, 1988 (3 items)

247-104 June 28, 1988 (3 items)

247-105 June 28, 1988 (continued) (2 items)

247-106 July (undated), 1988 (7 items)

247-107 July 12-October 21, 1988 (20 items)

247-108 May 9-June 28, 1989 (5 items)

247-109 July 12- September 28, 1989 (10 items)

247-110 October 2-November 7, 1989 (8 items)

247-111 November 15, 1989-August 17, 1990 (10 items)

247-112 December 26, 1990 (2 items)

247-113 January 10-February 15, 1991 (4 items)

Series III. Membership Records, 1961-1990

Subseries III.1 Board of Directors, 1961-1990

Public information; minutes; lists of directors; attendance; correspondence among board members concerning its activities; reports; and ballots.

247-114 Public Information: July 1961-March 1989 (18 items)

Articles of Incorporation of the organization; by-laws; Dingeldein Cup award; school art and essay contests; membership applications; draft of a membership brochure.

NOTE: Folders 247-115 through 247-123 contain minutes, lists of board members, and some correspondence among board members.

247-115 October 11, 1965-Undated 1967 (49 items)

247-116 February 14, 1968-October 19, 1971 (31 items)

247-117 January 6, 1978-October 19, 1983 (24 items)

247-118 February 16, 1984-December 15, 1986 (22 items)

247-119 January 13-June 29, 1987 (25 items)

247-120 July 14-December 8, 1987 (24 items)

247-121 January 12-December 13, 1988 (27 items)

247-122 January 10-December 12, 1989 (23 items)

247-123 January 9-November 13, 1990 (24 items)

Subseries III.2 Newsletters, 1961-1985

247-124 September 20, 1961; September 1965-June 1970 (23 items)

247-125 May 1976-June 1981 (15 items)

247-126 August 1981-October 1985 (19 items)

Subseries III.3 Membership Committee, 1965-1983

Correspondence concerning additions and subtractions; lists of members

247-127 Membership Cards and Ballots (5 items)

Index cards of unknown date separated by four membership categories; ballots cast in October 1969 election to Board of Directors

247-128 December 9, 1965-December 2, 1966 (29 items)

247-129 January 3, 1967-January 7, 1971; June 4, 1983 (33 items)

Subseries III.4 Financial Records: 1966-1970

Banking records; receipts; and treasurer's reports. Mostly relating to the Expressway Fund established by the organization during that controversy. Later treasurer's reports were sent out with the Newsletter.

247-130 Treasurer's Correspondence & Reports

February 23, 1967-October 9, 1970 (27 items)

247-131 Checking Account Book & Deposit Slips

May 5, 1966-May 26, 1970 (4 items)

247-132 Account Ledger

April 14, 1966-January 4, 1968 (1 item)

247-133 Bank Statements & Canceled Checks

May 31, 1966-May 28, 1970 (39 items)

247-134 Bills & Receipts

May 16, 1966-October 21, 1970 (28 items)

Subseries III.5 Allied Organizations

Items from other agencies or organizations with shared purposes. Several of the members of this organization served on other committees, such as the Vieux Carre Commission. Includes laws, by-laws, brochures and agenda. Correspondence with these organizations will be found in Series I.

247-135 Vieux Carre Commission: April 13, 1964-December 20, 1966 (37 items)

State constitutional provisions; brochure; laws & ordinances affecting it; memberships; agenda items.

247-136 Vieux Carre Commission: January 17, 1967-February 21, 1984 (53 items)

Mostly agenda items; some correspondence.

247-137 National Trust for Historic Preservation: 1966-1970 (27 items)

Brochures, conferences; magazine; maps; membership cards.

247-138 Nationwide Miscellaneous (Undated) (19 items)

Various brochures and three post cards, possibly picked up at 1966 National Trust for Historic Preservation Conference.

247-139 Local Organizations (Undated) (4 items)

List of Civic Improvement Associations; Crescent Council of Civic Associations articles of incorporation & by-laws.

Series IV. Newspaper Clippings: 1913; 1965-1969

247-140 December 1913; November 18, 1965-December 30, 1966 (42 items)

247-141 January 1-December 31, 1967 (38 items)

247-142 January 16-June 27, 1968 (32 items)

247-143 July 9, 1968-October 14, 1969 (12 items)

247-144 Undated (27 items)

Index Terms

French Quarter

Historic preservation—Louisiana—New Orleans

New Orleans Riverfront Expressway

MSS 247 - Vieux Carre Property Owners, Residents & Associates Collection: Inventory