La Terre Promise: Historic Structure Elevation
Plaquemines Parish, LA
Project Description
Customer Challenge
First, the HGA Team architect developed conceptual drawings to show that the new foundation and completed elevation would reflect the architectural character of the structure’s original era. Under FEMA and State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) guidance, HGA conducted a Cultural Resource Survey to help find a solution that would mitigate any adverse effects that could be caused by elevation of the structure. Cultural materials recovered from the survey were limited to historic ceramics, glass, construction materials, worked animal bone, and unmodified animal bone correlating with antebellum Louisiana, consistent with the presumed construction date.
Our Solution
HGA worked with FEMA to develop a pre-negotiated 2016 Programmatic Agreement that established a framework for an accelerated process to resolve any adverse effects of elevation. In accordance with the agreement, FEMA determined that any adverse effects would be adequately mitigated through the development of a digital recordation. HGA compiled a narrative history and digital recordation for FEMA and SHPO approval that included a series of specific photographs in required formats. Those documents and photos have been archived in the State Historic Preservation Office vault in Baton Rouge, LA; the Earl K. Long Special Collections Library in New Orleans, LA; and the Fort Jackson Museum in Buras, LA.
The structure is located in a VE zone with a height requirement for the lowest horizontal structural member to meet or exceed 21 feet.