Assessment of Louisiana State Museum Collections from the Old U.S. Mint HURRICANE KATRINA EMERGENCY GRANT

FAIN: PC-50032-06

Louisiana Museum Foundation (New Orleans, LA 70176-2441)
Greg Lambousy (Project Director: July 2006 to July 2007)

The Old U.S. Mint, a National Historic Landmark built in 1835, houses some of the extensive collections of the Louisiana State Museum. It contains the Louisiana Historical Center, a research library holding books, manuscripts, maps, and early newspapers. Among the center's holdings are Louisiana's earliest surviving official records of the French Superior Council (1714-1769) and the Spanish Judiciary (1769-1803). The Old U.S. Mint also contains collections of paintings and decorative art, historic furniture, and an internationally significant jazz collection of instruments, sheet music, photographs, films, tapes, records, and manuscripts. Hurricane Katrina destroyed the roof of the Old U.S. Mint, allowing water to damage some of the collections. When the building lost power and air conditioning failed, the collections were further threatened by mold and other contaminants. All the collections were moved to temporary, climate-controlled storage in Baton Rouge. The Old U.S. Mint is currently undergoing repairs to prepare it for the return of the collections in 2007. The next step in the stabilization of these collections is to bring in conservators who are specialists in the preservation of paintings, furniture, artifacts, photographs, and paper-based materials to examine the collections, draw up condition reports and treatment plans, and develop procedures for the safe return of the collections to New Orleans.