CaseStudy:Demolition and replacement of the Phillis Wheatley School

Through Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Public Assistance funding, the Recovery School District (RSD) proposes to demolish the 1954 Phillis Wheatley Elementary School and replace it with a new school structure. The existing school was heavily damaged by the 2005 Hurricane Katrina, which led to RSD’s decision to demolish the building and replace it with a new facility. In consultation with the Louisiana State Historic Preservation Officer (SHPO), FEMA determined that the Wheatley school is eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places for its architectural and historic significance.

Phillis Wheatley Elementary School is architecturally significant for its International-style design and its association with prominent New Orleans architect Charles R. Colbert. The school also is historically significant for its association with the mid-20th century growth of the Orleans Parish School District and the city of New Orleans. While it is located in the Esplanade Ridge Historic District, FEMA has determined that the building does not contribute to the historic district. However, because the proposed replacement school will be constructed at the existing school’s location, the new building has the potential to visually affect the Esplanade Ridge Historic District, which is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

The proposed project to construct the new school enjoys widespread support among neighborhood residents, but two local historic preservation organizations—the Preservation Resource Center of New Orleans and the New Orleans chapter of DOCOMOMO—Documentation and Conservation of Buildings, Sites and Neighbourhoods of the Modern Movement—object to the school’s destruction. Both preservation groups have urged FEMA and RSD to find an alternative that will preserve the building at the same time RSD constructs a new school facility. FEMA is consulting with the Louisiana SHPO, the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, Indian tribes, RSD, neighborhood residents, and the two historic preservation organizations on a Memorandum of Agreement to address the adverse effects of the proposed undertaking. FEMA’s first consultation meeting took place on August 21, 2009. FEMA also held a public meeting on September 15, 2009. FEMA will continue consultation during the fall of 2009.