Waiting out the Storm

So as if it were not enough to evacuate New Orleans now while trying to get the services hooked up to start work on my properties, Issac came a knocking.  Knowing I could do nothing to protect the church from the "Cone of Discomfort" we (my girlfriend) and I fled to Baton Rouge to ride it out.  We stayed 3 days while though slow Issac pounded rain and wind on New Orleans for days. 

Friday we returned to our house in Uptown to find we had no electricity and they did not expect us to for at least 6 days so we immediately went to the French Quarter to stay because of course they never loose power.  My first drive to the church was a little scary because of the drive over was filled with damage on so many properties I could only think of the worse for my own. 

Pulling up I noticed 3 Plexiglas windows had broke but did their job and protected the stained glass.  I found a gable laying on the ground which was good because I wanted to make new ones and now I did not have to get them off the upper part of the church.  I did notice many pieces of slate as well as clay hurricane caps that line the roof the the building.  for the most part not too much damage.

The building has sustained 6 major hurricanes with the bell tower falling in 1965 and then replaced with solid walls to keep it from happening again.  It has survived the Civil War, riots, fires, hurricanes, and life in general.  Now, on to the repairs....

Cleaning can be Poop

The other day I decided while I am waiting to get the electricity turned on in my building next (door which I will talk about later) so I can have electric tools to do some basic things.  While I have been waiting on the city to do a inspection for electrical I decided to clean poop.  I will tell you that a pigeon can screw up anything and pooping on a alter is wrong in so many ways.  It does not smell as such as it just is gross. 

A little cleaner and a scraper with a lot of paper towels and nice gloves I scraped the poop and scraped then towel cleaned over and over.  The alter is about 12 feet high and so this took quite a while but when I was done it was completely clean.  The alter has some damage as you can see from Katrina when the back wall above the roof line caved in a section of brick 10 x20 feet long with all the bricks falling onto the alter area, thus the damage.  The wall was sealed back but some of the wood was damaged.  I will have to hand carve the pieces to replace the parts that broke.  I will be using the alter as part of the kitchen and most likely will be using the style of the alter to create all the cabinets in the kitchen (much later).  Anyway, after cleaning for hours I got it to a place I am comfortable with until it can be re-finished in the proper way and matched up with the custom designed cabinets.

Wrapped up in plastic and waiting for its future use.

Working on getting National Historical Status

Paper can be used in many ways. It can be used to expend your discourse with someones attitude or show your gratitude towards someone.  It can display your achievements in this world or can summons you to court, in any case this time it is being used to plead with the National Historic Register to put my building on their very important list of buildings of importance to history.  It would seem it is not too much to ask and almost should be automatic, but without the proper paperwork and a good amount of it, your building may go on unoticed. 

After taking pictures of the exterior, the interior, each side and the architectural elements the photos are ready.  Research for the history is another story and not as easy as you would think with today's internet.  All historical pictures as far as I can find out have been lost in Katrina.  The history has been questionable with conflicting stories as to who and when it was built. 

First of all, I can not find the architect who built the church.  I was told it was the same person who built the St. Joseph's church on Tulane Avenue.  I can not find anything to support this at all.  I do know now it is an example of Queen Anne Revival architecture but that is where the story ends on the architectural history. 

The Church was first St. Johns Evangelical German Lutheran Church and second Grace United Methodist Church.  Both churches have since moved over to larger buildings on Canal Street just blocks away.  Neither church seems to know the history of the church themselves either. 

Well, the first part of the long process of the NHR is complete and being mailed today to see if they will consider my building as one of historical significance enough to be listed.

Today I bought this church, well the church and the building to the left of red brick.  It is at 2001 Iberville Street at North Prieur in New Orleans.  I may be crazy or stupid but I have always wanted to live in a church.  Soon this might, with a little luck and a lot of work, will become a reality.  I am signing papers at 3PM today!

SO THE ADVENTURE BEGINS!