August is upon us again and with it brings sweltering temperatures and humidity that makes you feel like you should have brought flippers with you. We are incredibly lucky that we can escape the heat and relax in air conditioning. But what did people do to alleviate high temps before the invention of air conditioning? Was there any way to cool off? As it turns out, there are many different ways that southern architects used home design to help residents feel cooler. Outdoor spaces In New Orleans many colonial and antebellum homes make use of outdoor space. This is a[…]
Grand Opening of the Union Station (1892)
On this day in 1892, the Union Station opened at the corner of Howard Avenue and North Rampart Streets. The building was designed by Louis Sullivan, an architect that is known for his contributions to the First Chicago School a term used to describe an architectural movement that included the use of steel framework to make buildings stronger and lighter so they could reach soaring heights. The Chicago School invented Skyscrapers! Louis Sullivan was educated at MIT and the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris. Upon completing school in 1875, he arrived in Chicago- a city in the process of rebuilding[…]
Happy Birthday Benjamin Latrobe! (1764)
Happy Birthday Benjamin Latrobe! On this day in 1764, Benjamin Henry Boneval Latrobe was born, near Leeds, England. He was educated as an architect and opened his own firm, creating such works as Ashdown House, and Hammerwood Park, both in the Greek Revival style that was swiftly gaining popularity in England. In 1796, he arrived in America, briefly settling in Norfolk and Richmond Virginia where he was commissioned to design homes and public buildings. It is during this period that he won the bid to design the Richmond Penitentiary, which has since been demolished. In 1798, Latrobe’s work brought him[…]
Women in Colonial Louisiana
For Women’s History Month, I’d like to share with you a paper I wrote for a Colonial Louisiana Class in 2013, about the mark that Louisiana women have made on the landscape. I have made a couple of little notes in the body of this work to reflect some changes since then, which can be found inside parentheses. Enjoy!! Women in Colonial Louisiana After searching all over the internet, looking for women from the colonial era of Louisiana, one might believe that there simply were not many women here during this time period. These of course were the days before[…]
Free People of Color in Architecture (Part 2)
Today we continue with the second part of post about free people of color and their contributions to architecture in New Orleans. If you missed Part One, please see: Free People of Color in Architecture (Part 1) Louis Nelson Fouché Another prominent home builder of African descent, Louis Nelson Fouché, was an immigrant from Jamaica. He had been trained in architecture and mathematics. He taught mathematics to students at the Bernard Couvent Institution, also referred to as the Institute Catholique, a school dedicated to the education of orphans in the area. One of his buildings that is still standing is[…]