Building an American Renaissance
From Pineville’s stone slabs to Baton Rouge’s Italian-inspired stucco and tiles, join us as we trace the architectural history of LSU and its founding father’s commitment to higher learning, which shaped the state’s flagship institution.
Titled “LSU: Building an American Renaissance,” the exhibit documents the work of architecture professor Michael Desmond, PhD, along with fellow professors and students, in assessing the history of LSU’s architecture, focusing on the campus’ original 18 buildings. The exhibit also outlines LSU’s beginnings as the Louisiana State Seminary for Learning in Pineville through its relocation to the Pentagon Barracks in downtown Baton Rouge and the move to its current location.
The exhibit features 30 display boards of LSU architectural history. Also on display will be three-dimensional wooden models built by students and graduate assistants in the LSU School of Architecture of buildings in the university’s quadrangle.
In 2006, Desmond received an $180,000 Campus Heritage Grant through the Getty Foundation to conduct research and create a blueprint of how to restore and preserve the university’s original 18 buildings. The grant came with an education element, which led to the creation of the current exhibit.
STATEWIDE TOUR—JANUARY-DECEMBER 2010
January1-February 14
Tioga Heritage Park and Museum, Tioga, La. http://www.sos.louisiana.gov/tabid/526/Default.aspx
February 19-March 27
Delta Music Museum, Ferriday, La. http://www.ladelta65.org/places/Delta.Music.Museum.htm
April 4-April 25
Louisiana State Exhibit Museum, Shreveport, La. http://www.planetware.com/shreveport/louisiana-state-exhibit-museum-us-la-020.htm
May 14-June 15
Imperial Calcasieu Museum, Lake Charles, La. http://www.imperialcalcasieumuseum.org/
July 31-September 11
Masur Museum, Monroe, La. http://www.masurmuseum.org/
September 14-October 18
Louisiana Old State Capitol, Baton Rouge, La. http://www.sos.louisiana.gov/tabid/245/Default.aspx
October 31-January 1
The Arsenal at the Cabildo, New Orleans, La. http://www.neworleansmuseums.com/directory/location.php?locationID=1252
LSU: Building an American Renaissance was developed by architecture professor Michael Desmond, PhD, and made possible by a grant from the Getty Foundation. The 2010 statewide tour will be made possible by the Louisiana Department of State Museums Division, operated by Secretary of State Jay Dardenne.
