email from pat duncan to sandy rosenthal, dated feb 14, 2011

8/4/2019 Email from Pat Duncan to Sandy Rosenthal, dated Feb 14, 2011

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JAY DARDE state of llioui.6ianaLIEUTENANT GOVER OR OFFICE OF THE LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR

DEPARTMENT OF CULTURE, RECREATION 8 < TOURISOFFICE OF CULTURAL DEVELOPMENTDIVISION OF HISTORIC PRESERVATION

February 14, _0IlMs. Sandy RosenthalLevees.org1421 Soniat tre tNew Orleans, LA 0115RE: 17m treet Canal and Inner Harbor Navigation Canal T.evee Breach Site'

Thank. you for your January 24 submission of a draft ational Register nominatio :-=::-:: --abo c referenced re ources. As I mentioned to you previously, James Gabbert, our federa re: :; >-

ational Park Service, graciously agreed to assist us with this project by providing advi eoAs Louisiana's ational Register Coordinator, I reviewed it as well.

Dear s. Rosenthal:

Tcongratulate you on a fine job of gathering information for the document's hi tori -...::::;':::"':":this mal rial will definitely strengthen the document.

Unfortunately, both _ r. Gabbert and I believe that the document, and especially its Par: - ::.:__ -description narrative, needs more work. To assist you in a rewrite, Mr. Gabbert has provided an .:: =-:; _.:topics that should be included. He has also provided general comments, as have 1. Be ause thenomination will need several maps to help illustrate the event and its historic context, I have pr pzrec aof maps that would be helpful. Copies of these four items are enclosed with this letter.

Tfyou need clarification of any of our corrunents or questions arise as you work on your ex: --~-_please do not hesitate to telephone or send an e-mail. My contact information is: telephone:4595, an e-mail: pduncan(ci),crt.la.gov. Please note that the e-mail address is new.

I look forward to reading your next draft.Cordially,&Jdw-I ~V{)LfrvvCfi~Patricia DuncanArchitectural HistorianNational Register Co rdinatorPD/pldEnclosures

P.O. Box 44247 BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA 70804-4247 PHONE (225) 342-8160 FAX(225) 219-0765 WWW.CRT.S A E.LA.USAN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER


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General guidelines

Section 7Section 7 should be limited to the physical description of the resource. It should contain adetailed description ofthe sites in question, including a discussion of their integrity. Theyshould then include a description of the historic appearance of the site, including details aboutthe construction and configuration of the original structures. It should describe the generalappearance of the larger structure that the site represents. It shouJd give a general description ofthe historic and present setting/surroundings. The narrati ve should describe the damage done tothe structure without polemic or inflammatory language. For the purposes of the nomination, weconcentrate only on the fact that an event occurred, not on whom may be to blame.Section 7 should only contain historical information to a level that is nee ssary to understand thephysical appearance on the property. Most of the historical information in the draft is bestmoved to Section 8 as background information.Images, drawings, and maps are useful for illustrating the description. In fact, they arenecessary. However, they are not allowed in the body of the text. Images should be labeled(figure 1, fig. 2, etc) and referred to in text. The images them elves should be printed oncontinuation sheets labeled (and sourced), and included at the end of the nomination form.

Section 8A summary statement of significance is necessary. It is simple and straightforward. "The sitesof the levee breaches at the 1i Street Canal and the IHNC are being nominated under CriterionA atthe locallevcl of significance. The sites are of exceptional importance in the area/s) ofCommunity Development and Planning and Social History in the history of New Orleans andOrleans Parish and therefore meet the conditions of Criteria Consideration G." follow with abrief description of the event and of its impact. B brief-the balance of the narrative is whereyou fill in the details.The balance of the narrative is meant to illustrate and support the statement. As background, youcan provide the history of and need for levee and canal development, and the various iterationsof design and materials. Describe the development of neighborhoods, commerce, and cityidentity that is embodied in these engineering structures. Discuss how neighborhoods relate tothe canals and levees both physically and as icons of identity. Describe previous flooding andthe response of the government and people. Describe the experience of previous hurricanes.


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Describe the incidents in question, the actual breaches. Describe how they happened and whattheir effect was on the surrounding areas. Here YOLl can describe the effects of the wall of wateron neighborhoods immediately adjacent to the breaches. Here the effect was more violent. Thendescribe the effect on locations farther away, where the flooding was bad, but did not so readilyphysically move or destroy buildings. Discuss the displacement and d ath of citizens. Discussthe eventual reaction of the local, state, and federal government and discuss what changes topolicy, to zoning, to the physical development of the city that were the result of this event.DO NOT place blame on individuals or agencies. DO NOT use this platform as a politicalstatement. The National Register document is intended to look at the event in an objectivemanner. Inflammatory language, finger-pointing, or other such instances of politicalgrandstanding will result in the nomination being returned. The simple fact is that during anextraordinary weather event, engineering structures failed, either due to poor or obsolete designor due to accident. The failures of these structures had an impact of exceptional importance onthe physical fabric of the city and on the lives and lifeways of its citizen . Not all of theseimpacts are known or understood at this time, but enough is known to be acknowledged throughthe National Register process.


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General CommentsThe document is written from the standpoint of someone very familiar with New Orleans,its geography, and its problems. However, many readers will not have this backgroundso you must provide it.Many people misunderstand what the National Park Service means by "SummaryStatement." It is not an abstract of the description or th case for significance. Bothsummaries are meant to contain specific information and National Register jargon. I'lladdress this further in another document.Geography plays an important role in the story because it is the cause of the need for thedrainage system. So, you need to explain the city's geography and the need for thedrainage system, and define all the terms associated with both, early in Part 8. [This is anexample of your being too close to New Orleans and assuming that everyone understandsits situation.] Although you will have maps illustrating the geography and the drainagesystem, th y also have to be discussed verbally.Several times the narratives refer to multiple breaches, which is confusing because onlytwo are being nominated. Paragraph 42 is an example. The only place where canals otherthan the two with the levee breaches you are nominating should b discussed is in thegeography/drainage section.Additionally, the narratives never accurately explain why only these two breach sites arebeing nominated.The National Park Service does not accept embedded images and figures in nominations.Images and figures illustrating the text (and their captions) should be placed at the end ofthe document.Context, or background, is a very important part of the nomination. Much of theinformation presented in Part 7 is actually history that belongs in the context within Part8. Combining the historical info from Parts 7 and 8 will also mak the context morecomplete and easy to follow.


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LeveesSection 7needs to be completely reworked. What it should include is:

A description of the breach sites as they appear today. This would include a detaileddescription ofthe new wall and levee, a less detailed description ofthe current conditionsof the surrounding area, and a g neral description of the canal/levee system overall.

Then describe the historic appearance in the same order. Historic being the pre-Katrinaappearance. Ifnecessary to understand the pre-Katrina appearance, a brief d scription ofthe evolution ofthe property and setting is appropriate.

There is no need to describe the bridges or other structures found in paragraphs 7-30 andmuch of the history aspect should be moved to Section 8.

Section 8 should include: A summary paragraph with a statement of significance. Why is the property important

and which criterion is being used to nominate it? Background history, much of which is found in the draft section 7. Tell about the need

for and development ofthe canal and levee system. Discuss the methods of and mannerof construction and design. DO NOT try to insert opinions on the relative quality ofdesign andlor maintenance.

Discuss how the development of the canal/levees influenced developm nt and growth. Describe any prior problems with flooding and how the city responded. Were changes

made to the canal/levee system? "Wherechanges made to other infrastructure? Wererestrictions or requirements placed on residential, commercial, or industrial developmentbecause of earlier floods?

Describe the events of August 2005. Do not usc this as a platform for indicting federal,state, or local agencies; simply describe what occurred. You may go into detail indescribing the physical aspects of the breaches - how and where they OCCUlTed but donot add language that points blame.

Describe the effects of the breaches on the surrounding area in particular and the greaterarea in general.

Discuss the response, both short term and in the intervening years. How did the events ofAugust, 2005 shape how the city works? Has it had an impact on zoning? Buildingcodes? Emergency planning? What you are trying to establish is that the event had anexceptionally important impact on the fabric of the city and on how the city works.


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Maps (and their contents) Needed

General geography of regionLake PonchartrainLake BorneGulf of MexicoRigoletsOriginal Town (French Quarter)Main stem entrance of Iississippi River from GulfBayou SL John and relationship to lakes and river

General geography of New OrleansGeneral area, indicate what is above and below sea levelMain Basin of Metropolitan ew OrleansMetairie RidgeLowland and/or Mid-City Lowlands; is this the same as the Main Basin?Uptown

New Orleans Drainage SystemAll canals mentioned in eith r narrative, which lake drained into/where they joinlakes

Claiborne CanalNew Basin CanalLondon CanalOrleans CanalIi Street CanalInner Harbor Navigation Canal

Pumping station locations, especially #6 on 1i Street CanalInner Harbor Navigation Canal

Complete route, from whichever lake it empties into to the Mississippi RiverIndustrial LockPart that is also Intracoastal WaterwayArea where IHNC and TCWW joinBridge locationsBoth breach locations

1i Str et CanalEntire route from Lake Ponchartrain to and including the older/smaller canals thatpreceded and were absorbed by it.Breach site

Areas flooded by Hurricane BetsyNeighborhoods flooded by Katrina breaches


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GentillyLakeviewLower 9th-EastLower 9th-WestAny other impacted neighborhoodsArabiChalmetteSt. Bernard ParishIndicate which are below sea level

Is it possible to show which neighborhoods were flooded by the IHNC and whichby th 17tl1 Street Canal?

Mississippi River Gulf Outlet (NLRGO)Don't know whether this belongs on th IHNC map or the regional geographymapShow route from lIINC to wherever it empties

Figures Needed

Section diagram of a levee, l-wall, and their parts

email from pat duncan to sandy rosenthal, dated feb 14, 2011

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