Restoration Updates - Fall 2004

At 8:40 PM on the night of Monday, August 9, 2004 electrical wiring from the 1950s in the rear wing (kitchen) of the Laura Plantation main house caught fire.   A total of 7 local volunteer fire departments from St. James & neighboring St. John the Baptist Parish responded with well over 65 fireman.  Fortunately these brave men and women saved the Laura Plantation House from complete devastation.  In their heroic effort 80% of Laura's contents were saved.  Although the main house required a "re-renovation." 

Laura Plantation, never closed for tours, offering visitors a totally new Creole experience the next morning at 9:30 for the first tour on August 10, 2004.  Much of the Fall of 2004 was spent recovering items from the house.  Those items are being cleaned if they received smoke damage and with the cooperation of the Louisiana State Museum system of Baton Rouge, many of these items are in better condition than ever before!  An expert team of architects, engineers and contractors from all over Louisiana and the country were assemble to formulate the plans for rebuilding accurately.

The large metal roof had to be removed with two 50-ton cranes, it was just installed in November of 2003 and had replaced the 1920s era tin roof.  The demolition of the rear kitchen wing was removed as it was determined the house would be rebuilt using the 1805 "u-shaped" footprint.  Scaffolding and networked system of wire cables soon went up so the house was stabilized and work could be performed.

August 2004 Soon after the fire photo: Jay Schexnaydre	August 2004 The kitchen is where the fire began photo: Jay Schexnaydre	August 2004 Inside the Men's Palrour photo: Jay Schexnaydre
August 2004 " Goodness Gracious Great Balls of Fire" - Piano photo: Jay Schexnaydre	August 2004 looking up through ceiling photo: Jay Schexnaydre	August 2004 Front Gallery photo: Jay Schexnaydre
September 2004 Cranes removing roof photo: Jay Schexnaydre	September 2004 Cranes removing roof photo: Jay Schexnaydre	September 2004 Removing the roof photo: Sarah Bonnette
September 2004 Cranes removing roof photo: Jay Schexnaydre	September 2004 Scaffolding photo: Jay Schexnaydre	September 2004 House with scaffolding and tarp photo: Joseph Dunn

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