Louisiana Trust for Historic Preservation
2013 Preservation Success Stories within Louisiana
by Lane Callaway, LTHP Board Member, Shreveport
The Louisiana Trust for Historic Preservation announced its 2013 Preservation Success Stories
on June 26 at its annual conference held in Natchitoches which was co-hosted by the LA State
Division of Historic Preservation and the National Center for Preservation Training and
Technology. This year marks the Tri-Centennial of Natchitoches, the oldest town in Louisiana.
The keynote speaker at this three day event for historic preservationists was Louisiana
Lieutenant Governor Jay Dardenne. The guest speaker Stepanie Meeks, National Trust for
Historic Preservation President and CEO spoke at the conference luncheon. The former U.S.
Senator J. Bennett Johnston and Mrs. Mary Johnston were honored by the Louisiana Trust as the
2014 Preservationists Extraordinaire at the Red River Soiree for their considerable contributions
in advocating and supporting historic preservation throughout Louisiana.
The Preservation Success Stories for 2013 ranged from a 1920 humble former residence of a
sawmill worker in the town of DeRidder to an massive art-deco style auditorium built in 1929 in
Shreveport that hosted First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt in March 1937. The Preservation Success
Stories for 2013 listed alphabetically by parish included:
Community
DeRidder
(Beauregard)
DeRidder
(Beauregard)
Hosston
(Caddo)
Shreveport
(Caddo)
Shreveport
(Caddo)
Shreveport
(Caddo)
Shreveport
(Caddo)
Lake Charles
(Calcasieu)
Natchitoches
(Natchitoches)
New Orleans
(Orleans)
Structure
First Street School
downtown
company-provided
housing
Hosston School
Built
1939
Municipal Auditorium
downtown
1200 Marshall Street
downtown
Oakland Cemetery
downtown
712 Texas Street
downtown
104 West Pujo Street
downtown
Caspari Hall
1929
1920
1931
1908
1842
1937
1929
1939
(Northwestern State)
Saenger Theatre
downtown
1927
Original
public elementary
school
residence for
sawmill worker
public school
(all grades)
entertainment venue,
veteran’s memorial
printing business
Repurpose
work-force
development
timber museum
oldest extant
cemetery in City
paint retailer
recreation & public
event center
multi-purpose
entertainment center
complex of
executive offices
recreate walking
garden cemetery
architectural firm
hotel auto parking
garage
college dormitory
for male athletes
3,400 seat movie
palace / stage
restaurant, bar,
entertainment venue
executive offices for
college officials
multi-purpose
entertainment center
Michael Echols from Monroe and President of Louisiana Trust summed up the organization’s
effort from 1999 to 2013 at identifying over 100 structures in Louisiana as Most Endangered.
And since 2011, he identified over 50 Preservation Success Stories the Louisiana Trust has
identified state-wide. The 2013 nomination application also gathered data on use of federal and
state history tax credits as well as further identified if the nominated historic structure was listed
on any historic register.
Nominations for the Louisiana Trust’s Most Endangered and Preservation Success Stories are
submitted from a variety of sources state-wide. The nominations are submitted by citizens of
Louisiana and from the LA Trust’s board directors; community managers of the Louisiana Main
Street Program; elected and appointed local officials; historic property owners; preservation
architects; developers; and local historic organizations.
The nomination applications to identify the Most Endangered and Preservation Success Stories
for calendar year 2014 is planned to be distributed in late autumn. These structures are to be
announced at the 2015 LA Annual Preservation Conference hosted by the LA Trust for Historic
Preservation and the LA Division of Historic Preservation to be held in Lake Charles. The 2014
nomination application for Most Endangered is being expanded to clarify potential to be listed on
the National Register of Historic Places.