The African American Experience in Louisiana

State Historic Preservation Office at
http://www.crt.state.la.us/hp/nationalregister/nationalregister101.aspx.
Each property type below is accompanied by a discussion of actual properties and
registration requirements. The individual properties discussed are provided as representative
examples of these types within the state; they do not constitute a comprehensive inventory of all
such properties. Properties mentioned that are not already listed on the National Register were
selected for their value as a basis for discussion. Inclusion in this document does not guarantee
that a given property is eligible for the National Register. Such determinations can only be made
through the nomination process. More information about any National Register listed property
may be found in its nomination, accessible online in the Louisiana National Register Database at
http://www.crt.state.la.us/hp/nationalregister/nhl/searchby.asp.
In addition to age and significance, a key element in the National Register eligibility of a
property is its integrity. In regards to the National Register, integrity refers to the retention of
aspects that enable the property to “convey its significance.” The National Register recognizes
seven aspects of integrity: location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling and
association. Because the below described properties are primarily significant under National
Register Criterion A for their association with the historical events of the African American
Experience in Louisiana, documentation of their role in these events is of great importance, while
their physical appearance is less so. In terms of the areas of integrity identified by the National
Register, the “association,” “feeling,” “setting” and “location” of African American historic
properties in Louisiana is most important, while that of their “design”, “materials”, and
“workmanship” is usually less so. In general, a property will possess enough integrity in regards
to this context if it can meet the basic litmus test of being easily recognizable to someone who
was familiar with it during its historic period of significance. Integrity is discussed specifically
in the below examples, when the type requires specific considerations beyond the umbrella
qualification of the previous two sentences. For more information regarding integrity and the
National Register, see “Evaluating Integrity,” by Patricia L. Duncan, National Register
Coordinator, Division of Historic Preservation, available online at
http://www.crt.state.la.us/hp/nationalregister/nationalregister101/101_-
_Evaluating_Integrity.pdf.
As noted in the introduction, many properties associated with the African American
experience were overlooked in the beginning years of historic preservation because the buildings
were lacking in distinctive architectural stylistic features and had experienced alterations. There
is now a growing recognition that those very characteristics are important pieces of information
about the historic patterns with which the properties are associated. The Multiple Property
Documentation Form for the “African American Historic Resources of Prince George’s County,
Maryland states:
Historic resources associated with African Americans can challenge customary notions of
integrity. These resources, which are most often nominated for their associative
significance (Criterion A or B), have commonly experienced considerable alteration to
their physical fabric. Because of legal restrictions on where African Americans could
settle and what spaces they could access, those buildings they did control were often
continually adapted and reworked to serve shifting needs. The longer a resource has been
associated with African Americans, the greater the likelihood of its physical alteration . . .
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