(B) The Musee Rosette Rochon
is an early antebellum home built for a free businesswoman
of color who amassed wealth and lived to the age of one hundred.
It is also one of the most important early examples in New
Orleans of architecture transitional between Creole and American
styles and has many remarkable details.
As project director,
I am seeking to develop the building as a historic house museum
on a par with local attractions such as the Hermann-Grima
and Gallier houses. Right now, New Orleans has nothing of
the kind representative of the city's antembellum free black
population, which was by far the wealthiest in the United
States.
The Rochon project, a non-profit
foundation, has attracted the attention of the preservation
Resource Center of New Orleans, garnered some help from the
federal government and the State of Louisiana to stabilize
the building, and attracted attention of both Tulane and Xavier
universities.
The Master of Preservation Studies Program of
the Tulane School of Architecture documented the site for
the Historic American Buildings Survey and won an ward in
the process.
Xavier Archives mounted an exhibit on the subject that became
one of its longest running and best attended. Now, to move
forward, the museum requires further repairs, research, and
restoration, the acquisition of furnishings, and the development
of exhibits. In the case of the now-fragile rear faceade,
there is some urgency involved. Please read the enclosed materials
about the Musee.
You will see its uniqueness and its importance
to the history of women, people of African descent, Creoles,
the francophone world, business, race relations, New Orleans,
the state, the region, and, even, the nation. I believe that
you will find it most worthy of support. On behalf of the
project, may I please receive any forms or other materials
relative to formally requesting support? Thank You.
