Reimagining New Orleans
The Sketchbook of J. N. B. de Pouilly
Williams Research Center, 410 Chartres Street
Free admission; registration required
In February 1834, French-born architect Jacques Nicolas Bussière de Pouilly began to record his most daring ideas for New Orleans. For more than 40 years, he filled a 400-page sketchbook with visionary designs for houses, public buildings, and tombs—proposals so avant-garde that very few clients dared to build them. Had they been more adventurous, New Orleans might look radically different today. Though de Pouilly’s name has faded and most of his built designs are gone—save for the iconic St. Louis Cathedral—his work lives on in his sketchbook of remarkable drawings, held at HNOC.
In this lecture, presented by the Louisiana Landmarks Society and hosted by HNOC, architectural historian Ann M. Masson will lead a tour through de Pouilly’s imagination, revealing bold ideas that never came to be.
Admission is free, with registration required. A reception offering light refreshments will follow the lecture.
About the Martha Robinson Lecture
The Martha Robinson Lecture was established by the Louisiana Landmarks Society in 1981 as a way to honor Martha Gilmore Robinson (1888–1981), a founding member of the organization and a tireless worker for preservation and effective government.
Speakers
Ann M. Masson
Ann M. Masson
In the fields of architectural history and historic preservation, Masson’s distinguished and varied career includes that of author, lecturer, administrator, activist, consultant, and financial supporter. Masson taught architectural history in the Master of Science in Historic Preservation at Tulane’s School of Architecture and the Built Environment and serves on the Dean’s Advisory Committee. With the support of HNOC, she is working on a detailed analysis of the architecture of J. B. N. de Pouilly, who was a significant but overlooked contributor to the streetscape of 19th-century New Orleans.
Support
This program is presented by the Louisiana Landmarks Society as part of its Martha Robinson Lecture series and is hosted by the Historic New Orleans Collection.
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