Notable New Orleanians: A Tricentennial Tribute

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ROUBION CONSTRUCTION CO., LLC Vintage image of house being moved with rollers and donkeys. Roubion Construction Co., LLC, and the City of New Orleans are both celebrating momentous milestones in 2018. Roubion Construction has been a part of New Orleans growth and development for half the city’s history—150 years—and remains the leading shoring and elevation firm in the region. Roubion Construction is still owned and operated by descendants of the original founder. Founded in 1868, the company has survived world wars, disastrous storms, and severe economic disruptions by utilizing the latest in technological innovation and providing its customers with services second to none. We have come a long way from using donkeys to pull carts, wood logs for beams and bolsters to move a structure, or horsedrawn carts, steel wheels, and hand turned screw jacks. Today, with a hydraulic jacking system, one man can raise a house four feet in minutes. When hand turned screw jacks were used, the same lift previously took 15 to 25 men ten hours. There is still a lot of manual labor needed in completing and stabilizing the elevation process, but the elevation process today is fully mechanized. The company’s services have sometimes gone well beyond the ordinary. Family members still tell the story of how Great-Uncle Joe’s knowledge and expertise were called upon to assist another company with moving Charity Hospital’s female ward, a five story brick building. This building was moved on steel spools greater than a half city block, fully intact, in 1935. The hospital then sat for over a year without electricity or plumbing. When it became apparent that Governor Huey Long’s plans for the structure were not feasible, as the story was told, the structure was quietly rolled back to its original location “in the dark of night.” Dennis Roubion worked on his first house leveling job with his Uncle Joe at age twelve and became sole owner of the current company in 1980. He has seen, diagnosed, and repaired many foundation failures. He earned his BA degree in business administration from Loyola University and has done graduate work in construction, business and engineering. Roubion Construction holds a State of Louisiana license in: building construction; highway, street and bridge construction; rigging, house moving, wrecking and dismantling. Roubion Construction also holds a license for elevation and construction in the State of New Jersey. Roubion is bonded, and qualified to elevate homes anywhere in the nation. Roubion Construction is a member of the New Orleans Chamber of Commerce, the International Association of Structural Movers (IASM), the Texas Association of Structural Movers (TASM), and the Better Business Bureau. From the pick and shovel days of less than a century ago to the technological marvels of today, Roubion has always utilized the latest, most up-to-date equipment. The company had one of the first unified hydraulic systems in the late 1970s and Dennis learned to operate the equipment by rigging his own home. Roubion Construction can raise a structure a few inches or add a full new story to a home. By elevating the house eight feet or more, the owner has the option of adding additional living space or a drive-in garage. Roubion uses a special steel beam construction to carry the weight and create enough space for vehicles. The below sea-level location and the unstable soil conditions of the region surrounding New Orleans present unique construction challenges for both business and residential structures. As experts on foundations, Roubion provides house leveling services and foundation repair throughout the New Orleans metropolitan area. NOTABLE NEW ORLEANIANS: A Tricentennial Tribute 208
With generations of expertise, Roubion is uniquely qualified to care for any home or business foundation. The company uses a hydraulic jacking system to elevate both slab and pier houses, ensuring the house is level. Other Roubion services include house shoring/leveling, new foundation/foundation repair, concrete pilings, steel beam placement, and sill or joist replacement. Roubion provides turn-key solutions, including all utility needs, making the transition as convenient as possible. The company’s mitigation specialists handle all necessary paperwork. Roubion has provided commercial construction, shoring, elevation, foundation, and renovation expertise for many well-known structures, including the Rosa Keller Library, the U.S. Mint Building, New Orleans Charity Hospital female ward building, Helen Cox School, Sophie B. Wright School, Oak Alley Plantation, and Jean Lafitte Art Gallery. Roubion has also provided its services for many hundreds of homes in the area. Roubion Construction and/or Roubion Roads and Streets Division have performed road and infrastructure work at: the Lakefront Airport Runway for Atlantic Airlines, Armstrong Airport Runway for Atlantic Airlines, Oretha Castle Haley Boulevard, and Costco Infrastructure Improvement-Road repair and reconstruction. Dennis’ sons, Dennis, Jr., and Justin, each started working job sites during summers throughout high school and while attending LSU. Dennis, Justin and Lydia Roubion are the current owners and operate the home elevation/shoring business. They hold all the state licenses needed to continue with the operation offering high quality workmanship. Under their guidance, the company has now expanded and opened up Roubion Roads and Streets Division. “We’re here to stay and will proudly stand behind our work for generations to come,” Dennis says. Roubion Construction is located at 824 Dakin Street in Jefferson, Louisiana, and on the Internet at www.roubionconstruction.com or www.roubionshoring.com. Top, left: Before house is raised. Left: Midway during the house elavation. Above: House elevation completed. BUILDING A GREATER NEW ORLEANS 209
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T HE L OUISIANA H ISTORICAL S OCIET
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T HE L OUISIANA H ISTORICAL S OCIET
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LEGACY SPONSORS Through their gener
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INTRODUCTION On the occasion of the
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This volume would
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In every decade, the Society has co
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J EAN B APTISTE L E M OYNE DE B IEN
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U RSULINE S ISTERS AND M OTHER M AR
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G ILBERT A NTOINE DE S T . MAXENT (
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continued to paint and raise the ch
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wrote neo-classic poems celebrating
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1916. Returning home, he practiced
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1. Durham is mentioned in several s
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epresentative, state senator and at
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A. N. Yiannopoulos found “the 180
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18th century until the Civil War an
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distinguished reputation in the war
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years of their deaths. The Memoirs
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his death in 1846. One of his great
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J AMES H. CALDWELL (1793-1863) Jame
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houses of New Orleans. Made to comp
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A RCHBISHOP A NTOINE B LANC (1792-1
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the breakup of the city. As a refor
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Lacroix’s end was not so honorabl
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H ENRIETTE D ELILLE (1812-1862) In
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William Woodward, 1859-1939, Old Ur
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current, or against the wind, but n
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School of José Salazar, Pierre-Jos
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Comte de Beaujolais. French Commiss
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Detail, Marie Adrien Persac (ca. 18
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community was abandoned after 1850
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Charles de Armas, PLAN/OF TEN LOTS
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George Peter Alexander Healy (1813-
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George H. Grandjean, Plan/MICHOUD P
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Louis H. Pilié, PLAN OF A VALUABLE
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Unknown Artist, Roy Alciatore (1902
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Michael P. Smith, Allison "Tootie"
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J AMES R OBB (1814-1881) Antebellum
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D R . LOUIS C HARLES R OUDANEZ (182
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L EON G ODCHAUX (1824-1899) At the
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Born in 1829 New Orleans, Gottschal
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Company, the National Rice Milling
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eflections led to short stories, so
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R ODOLPHE L UCIEN D ESDUNES (1849-1
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first president of the Levee Board.
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J OSEPH V ACCARO (1855-1945) AND F
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A constant interest was the structu
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Matas was one of the first to suppo
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In 1933, Dr. Rudolph Matas (q.v.) t
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contributed a chapter on African-Am
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St. Louis and other points on the i
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and which, in 1966, became The Hist
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of Art.1 His architectural work mad
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By the end of World War II Ochsner
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Richard Strauss. 1 The N. O. Opera
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A LBERT W. D ENT (1904-1987) The ad
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C HINK H ENRY (1910-1974) Clarence
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With her siblings and nephews, Ella
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A RCHBISHOP P HILIP M. HANNAN (1913
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water the industry drilled from flo
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treasurer of the New Orleans Spring
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C OSIMO M ATASSA (1926-2014) Record
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Ambrose’s idea for a local D-Day
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Black activist Bill Rouselle said a
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Foster, Governor, 18, 88 Foucher, 2
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Ursuline Convent. COURTESY OF THE L
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SHARING THE HERITAGE Historic profi
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QUALITY OF LIFE Healthcare provider
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was able to expand his own individu
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way for its students to acquire rea
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two family members or friends, at n
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Business; Education and Counseling;
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college or life after high school.
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Public Administration, and a new Sm
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with its college-preparatory curric
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Accreditation from the Southern Ass
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In the fall of 1931, a freshman cla
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Perhaps the most influential indivi
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Early history points to Sister Mary
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Page 167 and 168: Through many years and name changes
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Page 173 and 174: THE MARKETPLACE Retail and commerci
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Page 181 and 182: facility has three spacious rooms,
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Page 185 and 186: hired Leo W. Seal, Sr., as his sawm
Page 187 and 188: Historically, the port has been a l
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Page 191 and 192: Founded in 1983 by Neal Alford and
Page 193 and 194: Fourth-generation New Orleans nativ
Page 195 and 196: In May 1937, Joseph Merrick Jones,
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Page 205 and 206: as healthcare, food processing, man
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Page 209: In 1922, Ed. Smith’s moved from N
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Page 215 and 216: New Orleans was settled by the Fren
Page 217 and 218: Ensuring its clients build on a fir
Page 219 and 220: About the Author ABOUT THE AUTHOR W
Page 221: LEADERSHIP SPONSORS COLUMBUS PROPER
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