2010 New Orleans Nine: Lafayette Cemetery No. 1

Located in the heart of the Garden District, Lafayette Cemetery No. 1 is one of New Orleans’ most beloved landmarks. Unfortunately, it is also one of its most vulnerable. Established in 1833 in what was then the City of Lafayette, it was the area’s first planned cemetery, divided into quadrants by two magnolia-lined intersecting walkways. The majority of its tombs date from the 19^th century, many of which were constructed prior to New Orleans’ annex of Lafayette in 1852. Ownership of the cemetery and responsibility for its grounds then transferred to the larger municipality, while individual families retained control over their tombs. And therein lies the problem.

Nearly two-hundred years later, between shrinking city budgets and a growing number of families which have either died out or left the area, the cemetery is suffering from an alarming lack of upkeep, oversight, and funding. New Orleans’ subtropical climate makes knowledgeable materials maintenance of the utmost importance, and a watchful eye is needed to prevent vandalism and theft. The 20,000 tourists who visit annually contribute to the cemetery’s overall stress.

These issues have long been recognized, and Lafayette No. 1 was named to the World Monument Fund’s International Watch List in both 1996 and 2006. The former listing led to the development of a three-phase maintenance plan for the cemetery, while the latter came with a $40,000 grant for a preservation field school program with Save Our Cemeteries (SOC) and the Preservation Training Network (PTN). Part of the International Preservation Trades Workshop held in October 2006, the program brought together master craftsmen and students to stabilize, document, and conserve the Taylor, Thomas, and Gerstner Tombs, all of which been badly damaged by winds and falling branches during Hurricane Katrina.

In 2008 Partners in Preservation, a joint venture between American Express and the National Trust for Historic Preservation, selected Lafayette No. 1 as one of nine sites to receive grant money through its New Orleans Initiative. The program allocated $70,000 to SOC for the installation of a drainage system and repair of its wall vaults along Washington Avenue. The following summer SOC and the PTN joined with Tulane’s School of Architecture for yet another field school program to renew preservation work on the Taylor Tomb.

Despite these efforts, fundamental management problems remain. According to the city’s 2010 budget for its six municipally-owned cemeteries, its staff has dropped from seven to three since Hurricane Katrina while its budget has gone down by almost $20,000 since 2008. Lawn mowers and weed-wackers used to trim vegetation often damage tombs and do more harm than good, while the improper use of concrete to repair them speeds their decay. While crumbling tombs may seem romantic, the city’s current  approach to maintenance is putting the sustainability, and very existence, of Lafayette Cemetery No. 1 in jeopardy.