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Surveying the St. Roch Neighborhood

In April 2010 the Faubourg St. Roch Improvement Association identified a need to survey each structure and vacant lot in the 130 blocks of the St. Roch neighborhood.

FSRP was presented with the opportunity to provide 14 youth from JOB 1 Summer Youth Experience 2011 with summer jobs in the community. The young people from JOB 1 agreed to help FSRP undertake the massive task of learning about the different types of structures there are within the neighborhood along with how to properly survey and photograph each structure for a (GIS) Geographic Information System. The program lead by FSRP began July 13 and concluded July 29, 2011 with over 1,500 structures and vacant lots (approximately 3/4 of St. Roch) surveyed and photographed. During the survey process the youth endured daily inclement weather along with high temperatures while completing this work outside daily. Each of the young people FSRP worked with demonstrated excellent work ethic and leadership qualities beyond their years.

This survey once completed will provide the Faubourg St. Roch Improvement Association with the number of usable commercial structures, livable residential structures, identify blight and allow conversations around new developments to begin.

A special thank you to Traci Taylor, AmeriCorp VISTA, HandsOn New Orleans, Will Thomas, Executive Director, Umoja Institute, Leonard Jackson, retired Postal Carrier, US Postal Service, the volunteers and chaperones that tirelessly walked each street with us, provided guidance, spoke with neighbors in the community, motivated us and reminded us to take breaks.

We would also like to thank Sarah Green, Project Homecoming for getting us the tools we needed to perform the survey, Brad Vogel, National Trust for Historic Preservation for providing us with education on the types of structures in the neighborhood and Mark Huber, New Orleans Healing Center for providing us with a place to gather and cool off from the heat.

St. Roch Neighborhood Featured on 60 Minutes

To view the segment on 60 minutes, click on the link. http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7374354n&tag=contentBody%3BstoryMediaBox

Meet the neighbors * 1421 St. Roch Avenue * The Cruthirds Family

Ever wonder what's going on with that old Firehouse on St. Roch Avenue? Well, painstaking preservation and restoration is what's going on. The Cruthirds family purchased the Firehouse at 1421 St. Roch Avenue in October 2009 from the City of New Orleans at a public auction with plans to someday house a studio and residence for the Cruthirds family.

This family is full of talent in ironworking, painting and boat repair. Joe Cruthirds is a retired Professor from Delgado and Dana (pronounced Dan-a) runs the Intensive English language program at UNO. Both of their sons, Allen and Saul are artists that also hold the impressive dayjobs of New Orleans Firefighter and Set Dresser in the film industry.

The work that must be done to repair and preserve this building is intimidating to say the least. "We have already filled three demo-dumpsters with rubble and debris from the interior and there is much more to go. Termites have eaten the stairwell down to toothpicks. Incredibly, the enormous structural beams are mostly intact. Only a few will need to be replaced. The roof has been entirely replaced. The back wall of the property, which is 12" thick masonry, needs to be shored up. And the entire second floor has been gutted." One thing they have learned is that restoration like this, takes a village. Joe's 85-year-old father is an invaluable part of window repair. It helps that he doesn't mind working from the scaffolding. Even though all of this repair is required, the potential is obvious. Wish them luck and watch for the incredible transformation. You can keep up with their progress on their Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/pages/St-Roch-Firehouse-Restoration-Project/113743791969233?sk=wall

CONTACT

Faubourg St Roch Project

Media Inquiries

Mandy Pumilia

Executive Director

618 Spain Street

New Orleans, LA 70117

Phone: 504.415.8444

mpumilia@strochproject.com

Denise A. Estopinal

The Estopinal Group

501 Basin St., Suite B

New Orleans, LA 70112

Office: 504.269-9233

Fax: 504.269-9232

denise@estopinalgroup.com

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Mission Statement

The Faubourg St. Roch Project (FSRP) has as its mission the renaissance of one of New Orleans' most historic, urban neighborhoods. The organization was formed post-Katrina as a collective of neighborhood activists and New Orleans natives who have expertise in sustainable housing, preservation, finance and the arts. FSRP is augmenting the resources of longstanding institutions to help residents return to and benefit from a revitalized community. FSRP's strategies include rebuilding/renovating damaged housing, invigorating public spaces, and establishing and supporting commercial and community enterprises.