The New Orleans Preservation Timeline project at the Tulane School of Architecture is a fascinating new resource for those interested in the work that's been done in the region by architectural preservationists since the mid-1800s. Launched in April, the timeline site allows the public to documents and information ranging from the 1836 establishment of the Louisiana Historical Society to the 2012 release of the Vieux Carré digital survey either chronologically or from a map.

The collection includes information on the 1937 establishment of the Vieux Carré Commission, which starts with the acknowledgment that "by the 1920s, the Vieux Carré was a neighborhood of deteriorated slums that many in the city wished to demolish." The Survival of Faubourg Tremé page is a fast look at the incredible number of disruptions and troubles brought on that neighborhood by developers between 1929 and 1970, and the evolution that has transpired there in the decades since. The Battle to Save Charity Hospital section examines how the former Charity Hospital building has (so far) avoided demolition. Equally valuable to the information on the pages is the extensive sourcing included - a true wormhole for history fanatics. The site also looks at the many local preservationist groups that have worked to save countless buildings, neighborhoods, and historically significant sites over the last two centuries.

The battle between preservation and progress features heavily in nearly all of the topics in the timeline, many of which are reminiscent of cries heard today. The Daily Picayune published an editorial in June 1903 that described the loss of the buildings at Exchange Alley as “one of the most historic sites in New Orleans. It is the very heart of the vieux carré…and while still palpitant with memories of pioneer bravery and colonial splendor, it must be torn to pieces that progress may continue its onward march."

Pending funding, future topics for the Preservation Timeline include the Civic Theatre, Orpheum Theater, World Trade Center building, Confederate Memorial Hall, Tennessee Williams, Fort Pike, and more.

http://architecture.tulane.edu/preservation-project