Compliments to those who made it happen!

Now that the Alexandria Post-War Suburbs Historic District is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, I want to thank and compliment some of those who made it happen.   The Alexandria Historic Preservation Commission (AHPC) has been so important leading the effort to prepare and promote the nomination.  I’ve had the opportunity to work with Megan Lord, Director of the AHPC; Joe Betty Sterkx, Chair of the AHPC, and Paul Smith who has provided historic preservation consulting to the AHPC.

Megan’s leadership has been so important throughout the process.  Through her and the fine members of the commission, what were several neighborhoods have now been recognized and brought together as this historic district.  The model that the commission followed to make this happen will be beneficial in the future to other historic areas in Alexandria.

Joe Betty’s energy and enthusiasm for preservation along with her humor and congeniality have benefitted residents as we were informed through community meetings during the nomination process.  As a result of Joe Betty’s urging participation from the neighborhood, Robert “Bubba” Jones along with my wife Judy and I volunteered to help in communicating between the AHPC and the residents of the neighborhood.

Paul’s expertise and belief in preservation have been quite beneficial as he has informed us about the important architectural elements that are so prevalent and unique to so many homes in the district.  The information he has shared about preservation tax credits creates awareness for homeowners of the benefits and opportunities to preserve our legacy.

The nomination for listing on the National Register was prepared for the AHPC by Donna and Jonathan Fricker.  They walked the neighborhood, analyzed records, and prepared the successful proposal.  We had the opportunity to hear Donna present to the State Review Board in Baton Rouge in March, resulting in unanimous approval.

It has been a great team resulting in a great achievement for this great city!
                                                                                      - Dave Curry

The Historic District is listed on the National Register of Historic Places!

Today the Director of the National Park Service announced for the National Register of Historic Places that the Alexandria Post-War Suburbs Historic District was listed on June 6, 2013.  Read the announcement.

More information is available about the listing on National Register of Historic Places website. 

Let's celebrate Louisiana's first mid-century modern historic district!
(Mark the tentative date of July 13 on your calendar.  More to come.)

Photo credit:  Alexandria Historic Preservation Commission

Sustainability and Historic Preservation Workshop - 6/22

Please register at
http://sustainabilityalexandria.eventbrite.com/ 

 The Sustainability and Historic Preservation workshop highlights the best practices of combining sustainable design techniques and historic preservation, including popular topics such as energy efficiency, windows and solar panels. Aimed at local historic property owners, the workshops offer valuable insights for local historic commission members, city government staff and professionals in related fields.

Speaker: Robin Zeigler, Nashville Metro Historic Zoning Commission

Historic District Meeting - Monday, 4/22, 6 p.m.

Please join us for a neighborhood meeting to discuss the proposed historic district.
When:  Monday, 4/22, 6 p.m. - 7 p.m.
Where:  Emmanuel Baptist Church, Fellowship Hall, 430 Jackson St.
               (Enter through door under covered parking)
Objectives:

• Update residents of the proposed historic district on progress and future opportunities
• Inform about tax credits and mid-century modern architecture
• Receive input from neighbors on historic district topics

Agenda:

•  Welcome, introductions, and meeting objectives
  Joe Betty Sterkx, Chair, AHPC 
• Historic District proposal – progress and expectations
  Megan Lord, Director, AHPC
• Tax Credits and Preservation
  Paul Smith, Historic Preservation Consulting
• Mid-Century Modern Architecture
  Paul Smith and Megan Lord
• Communications and resources
  Dave Curry, communicator for the proposed district    
• Potential activities, community input, Q&A           
  Bubba Jones and Dave Curry

This meeting is open to the public.

Historic District featured on KALB News

KALB Channel 5 discussed the proposed historic district on news at 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. View these videos:

 

News at 5 including interview with homeowner Dave Curry

News at 6 including interview with homeowner James Brocato

Also today, Megan Lord, Director of the Alexandria Historic Preservation Commission, shared that the newly renovated home at 2822 Madonna Ave. has been honored with this month's Preservation in Progress Award.

Nomination approved by State Review Committee

Alexandria supporters with Committee Chairman, Mayor Lynn Lewis

The National Register Review Committee for Louisiana approved the nomination in Baton Rouge on 3/21/2013, so the Alexandria Post War Suburbs Historic District NR nomination is on its way to Washington, D.C. for approval by the Secretary of the Interior.  The national review is expected to occur in the next few months.

Delores Brewer, Director of Planning for the City of Alexandria, read a proclamation by Mayor Roy declaring March 21, 2013 as "Alexandria Post-War Suburbs Historic District Day".

Donna Fricker, as a preparer of the nomination, presented the nomination to the committee. 
(View an 11 minute video of the presentation.)

A Rehabilitation Tax Credit success story

before

after

before

after

What a turn-around the project at 2822 Madonna has been.  This house was a terrible eyesore and a constant source of problems (numerous police reports).  Mark Gravel purchased the property, and using tax credits to help defray some of the costs has brought the house to the point you see.  There's still some work to be done such as repair roof damage from the tornado and build a carport.

 (View this photo album for many more before and after views)

This is a typical Rehabilitation Tax Credit success story - creating an incentive to improve neighborhoods while enforcing a high standard of rehabilitation.  We want more people to know about it and take advantage of it.
Everyone wins on a project like this...The final great news for the neighborhood is that along with the fantastic property turn-around, great new neighbors will be renting this home.  The new neighbors are returning to Alexandria from Connecticut and will be moving into 2822 Madonna on March 18.

We say ... Welcome home!

before

after

AHPC Preservation in Progress Award for March

The Alexandria Historic Preservation Commission presents their March 2013 Preservation in Progress award not to a single homeowner, but to an entire neighborhood, the area encompassing the proposed historic district!  This is a great honor for the residents of the proposed district.

Read about this in the March issue of the CENLA Focus.  It's on p. 76 of the issue. 
          

Follow AHPC on Facebook for updates

Letter from Office of the Lieutenant Governor

2/19/2013

Read this letter to Mayor Roy from Pat Duncan, Assistant Secretary and State Historic Preservation Officer, formally notifying him of the state review panel's consideration of the nomination and a map showing the location of the visitors' center where the review will take place.  Similar letters were sent to state and federal legislative representatives.

Attached to the letter are:

• instructions to comment on, support, or object to listing on the National Register
• directions and map to Capitol Park Welcome Center

Neighborhood Development

(extracted from the draft proposal)

Map

The district includes all or part of five small contiguous subdivisions of land: Petrus Heights (the largest), Mattie O. Ball, Mimosa Place, Kent Addition-East of MacArthur, and DeSelle (the smallest, with only five lots). Their plats date from between 1937 and 1942, although they did not develop until the post-war years. Because it would be inaccurate and misleading to name the district for any of the subdivisions, the name Alexandria Post-War Suburbs Historic District was chosen.

All of the subdivisions are examples of land subdivided by private landowners (known as “subdividers” in modern subdivision history terminology). Individuals then purchased a lot and built whatever they wished. This is in sharp contrast to the look of subdivisions developed by “merchant builders,” wherein a developer purchased the land and built the houses to various models. The “subdivider” development pattern is responsible for the greater variety (and greater architectural interest) found in the nominated district.

It also appears that some of the houses (a minority) may have been speculatively built – i.e., a contractor bought a few lots, built some houses, and sold them.

The layouts of the five subdivisions noted above follow a traditional city grid pattern, although the blocks are typically larger and the lots much wider. There is a notable absence of the curving streets and cul-de-sacs so typical of subdivisions laid out in the post-war years.  Blocks are square, rectangular, and irregular in shape (the latter due to three angled streets (Kimball, Hunter and Pierson – see map). Kimball Avenue takes its orientation from Bayou Hynson.

Elliott Street is a continuation of the same named street that begins in an early twentieth century suburb of the city. Otherwise, the district’s streets were cut when the subdivisions were platted.

As is typical of post-WWII subdivisions, any given house is located roughly in the middle of the lot with a broad expanse of lawn in the front. The large lots with ample front lawns epitomize the escape-from-the-crowded-city concept that was much a part of the suburban rationale. In terms of designed landscape features, there are a notable number of period low planter boxes built of the same brick as the house.

City directories reveal the pace of construction in the district. In the immediate post-war years, twenty-three houses were built. Clearly the period of intense construction was 1951-56, when half of the district’s houses were built. Roughly one-fourth were built in the late 1950s/early 60’s.