Historic preservation: Monthly renovators' happy hour in New Orleans

The Preservation Resource Center of New Orleans is one of the more innovative of state and local preservation groups.  They do a lot, and at least they used to publish an amazing monthly "magazine" on preservation and the group's activities.

One of the things they do is sponsor a monthly "renovators" happy hour, which is a way to gather up and identify people interested in preservation and people working on houses and get them comfortable with the idea that it would be helpful for them to know what they are doing rather than becoming what I sometimes call "house f******"--people who mostly "wreck" the historical elements of otherwise houses with great bones.

But you can't complain about house f****** if you don't put a capacity building and technical assistance program in place to better direct their energies.

PRCNO moves the Happy Hour event around the city, each month holding it in different neighborhoods, at various landmarks and other memorable buildings and sites. September's event, tonight, is at the Orpheum Theater, a 96-year-old building that was wrecked by the Katrina-flood and has just been renovated to the tune of $13 million and is reopening and again presenting music and other events  ("10 years on, music returns to Orpheum Theater in New Orleans," AP).

EVENT DETAILS
Friday, Sept. 18
5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.
129 Roosevelt Way (between Canal and Common streets)
New Orleans

Saturday night the Louisiana Philharmonic will be performing at the theatre, and in October, Dwight Yoakum.

The presenters will be the renovators of the Orpheum, Mary & Roland von Kurnatowsky and Dr. Eric George, moderated by Dr. Jack Stewart, a historian and preservationist, and president of the Lafayette Square Association. The rehabilitation of the building includes restored plaster work and architectural details, as well as many updated building features.

EVENT COST
FREE for PRC members
$10 for non-members