Morrison Lecture
A biennial lecture series facilitating critical conversations about historic preservation in the French Quarter and beyond
Upcoming
About the Morrison Lecture
HNOC’s Jacob Haight and Mary Meek Morrison Memorial Lecture honors the memory of two longtime French Quarter residents and staunch preservation advocates. From the 1930s onward, the couple played a vital role in raising awareness of the city’s architectural heritage and advancing preservation legislation. In addition to housing the Mary Meek Morrison and Jacob H. Morrison Papers, which contain nearly 94,000 items, HNOC hosts the biennial Morrison Lecture to honor their legacy.
Lecture Partners
Vieux Carré Property Owners, Residents, and Associates (VCPORA)
Vieux Carré Property Owners, Residents, and Associates (VCPORA)
Vieux Carré Property Owners, Residents, and Associates (VCPORA) is a nonprofit organization that advocates for the preservation and protection of the Vieux Carré as an international historic treasure, a major cultural and economic asset, and a living residential neighborhood that is valued and respected by all.
Organized in the 1920s and incorporated as a nonprofit corporation on June 8, 1938, VCPORA’s advocacy efforts can be broken down into four categories: zoning and land use, architecture and infrastructure, sustainable tourism, and expanded residency and improved residential quality of life. Learn more at vcpora.org.
Vieux Carré Commission Foundation
Vieux Carré Commission Foundation
The mission of the Vieux Carré Commission Foundation is to support and further the cause and constitutional charge of the Vieux Carré Commission (VCC): to preserve and protect the invaluable architectural heritage of New Orleans’s French Quarter through charitable and educational means.
The VCC Foundation primarily pursues its mission by funding and undertaking major projects such as the award-winning Vieux Carré Design Guidelines and the Vieux Carré Virtual Library. The VCC Foundation and the VCC also work collaboratively to offer free educational programs focused on preserving French Quarter buildings and protecting their unique, world-renowned character.
The Vieux Carré Commission is the agency within the City of New Orleans government that protects, preserves, and maintains the distinct architecture and historic character of the Vieux Carré Historic District. The staff of the VCC work diligently to fulfill its mandate set forth in the Louisiana State Constitution to protect the French Quarter’s distinctive style and ambiance.
Past Lectures
We’re Not Done Yet: Post-Katrina Urban Planning Lessons
2023
Dr. Simon Woodward, author of World Heritage: Concepts, Management, and Conservation, in conversation with Maya Jannsen, Amsterdam & Partners
2018
Costas Christ, award-winning writer and editor for National Geographic Traveler and senior advisor for sustainable tourism for National Geographic magazine
2016
Calder Loth, architectural historian for the Virginia Department of Historic Resources, copresident of the Center for Palladian Studies in America, member of the Virginia Art and Architectural Review Board
2014
Pratt W. Cassity, director of the Center for Community Design and Preservation, College of Design, University of Georgia
2012
Kirk Cordell, executive director of the National Center for Preservation Technology and Training, Natchitoches, LA
2010
Stanley A. Lowe, managing partner for Fourth River Development LLC, Pittsburg, PA
2008
Gregory B. Free, preservation architect
2006
Anthony M. Tung, author and urbanist
2003
Ed McMahon, vice president and director of land use programs, Conservation Fund
2002
Pratt W. Cassity Jr., adjunct professor, University of Georgia
The Mary Meek Morrison and Jacob H. Morrison Papers
HNOC’s Williams Research Center houses the Mary Meek Morrison and Jacob H. Morrison Papers, which include nearly 94,000 items that reflect the couple’s broad work in the field of historic preservation. Learn more in the online catalog or contact our reference staff.
Williams Research Center
Explore centuries of Gulf South culture with unparalleled access to rare documents, art, and historic treasures.
Our Buildings
HNOC’s 14 historic buildings, spread over three blocks of the French Quarter, are foundational parts of our collection. Explore illustrated timelines of their architectural histories here.
Vieux Carré Survey
Begun in 1960 to bolster local historic preservation efforts, the survey contains detailed property data about every building and lot in the French Quarter from the French colonial period to the present.
Caring for Your Collection
Explore in-person and online workshops with museum professionals to help you preserve your family heirlooms, research your genealogy, and more.
Related Stories
The Woman behind New Orleans’s Famous Pontalba Buildings
The Baroness de Pontalba survived gunshot wounds and left her husband in France before constructing two of New Orleans's most iconic structures.
Beyond Nottoway
The mansion at Nottoway Plantation burned to the ground, but related sites survive across the South.
Related Collection Highlights
Clarence John Laughlin Archive
Through his dreamlike black-and-white images, the surrealist Louisiana photographer explored, amplified, and commented on the mystique of the South.
Mother St. Croix Photographs of Ursuline Convent
The ebullient nun documented her cloisters, sisters, and pupils with care and skill. In doing so she became the earliest known woman to photographically record daily life in New Orleans
Related presentations
Vieux Carré Survey Case Study
Related Books
Creole World: Photographs of New Orleans and the Latin Caribbean Sphere
by Richard Sexton
with essays by Jay D. Edwards and John H. Lawrence
Furnishing Louisiana: Creole and Acadian Furniture, 1735–1835
by Jack D. Holden, H. Parrott Bacot, and Cybèle T. Gontar, with Brian J. Costello and Francis J. Puig
edited by Jessica Dorman and Sarah R. Doerries
Related News
NOLA.com: Former K-Paul’s Louisiana Kitchen Gets a New Life and a New Name
NOLA.com: This Former French Quarter Restaurant Will Now Tell New Orleans History After $6.4M Renovation
Subscribe to Our Newsletter
