St. Claude Avenue Bridge National Register Nomination

PRES 6100 | Introduction to Historic Preservation
Professor Heather Veneziano

This introductory course provided a foundation in the history, theory, ethics, and practice of historic preservation in the United States. Through case studies, practitioner engagement, and applied methodology, I explored key components of the field, including significance evaluation, regulatory frameworks, and preservation planning. For the final project, I completed a National Register of Historic Places nomination for the St. Claude Avenue Bridge, a Strauss heel-trunnion bascule bridge built in 1919 over the Industrial Canal in New Orleans. I argued for its significance under Criterion A for Transportation and Criterion C for Engineering, citing its role as a vital freight and evacuation route and as one of the earliest bridge designs by Joseph B. Strauss, later engineer of the Golden Gate. The process involved field photography, historical mapping, structural analysis, and archival research, culminating in a formal registration form prepared in accordance with NPS standards.

Catherine Restrepo

Meet Catherine, the former architect who traded blueprints for scuba suits and found a love for exploring ocean depths. Armed with a Nitrox specialty certification she tinkers mad-scientist style to concoct safer gas mixtures for sassier dives below. Currently honing her preservation skills by the river, this captain-in-training dreams of becoming a marine archaeologist out on the high seas. Drawn to water ever since she can remember, Catherine is perfectly proof that you can ditch a landlubber career to survey underwater artifacts and still keep your head above water. Whether cheerfully cursing floods in New Orleans or mapping lost treasures, this future underwater adventurist shows you can be anything your heart and diving compass point to next. The depths are calling and this seafaring conservator intends to dive right in!