Dear Friends,

This page represents a pivotal time in Longue Vue’s history – the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.  During this time and as we dealt with the damage, Longue Vue received an outpouring of generosity in the form of words, funds, volunteers and support.  We came to learn that Longue Vue holds a place near and dear to the hearts of many New Orleanians, as well as visitors from around the world.

Two and one-half years later, we have made tremendous progress – much of the garden has been replanted and our electrical systems are working.  However, we are still restoring, repairing, regreening, rebuilding our membership database and re-establishing our staffing.  We are proud of our accomplishments and excited about our future.

Although we don’t want to focus on the past, our past will always be with us.  I hope that after you look at these photos of destruction, you will then look back at the other pages on our website to see how far we have come.  All that we have done and all that we will do is a reflection of what you have done for us and what you mean to Longue Vue.

Hurricane Katrina: Physical Damage

After the hurricane, Longue Vue was "a lake" with the main house standing just above the waterline. It has since been determined that the water pouring in from the nearby 17th Street canal did indeed flood the grounds, but that the water, thankfully, stopped short of flooding the first floor.  Longue Vue’s extensive subsurface basements under the main house and throughout the grounds were flooded with up to fifteen feet of water and sustained significant water damage, resulting in the destruction of our HVAC systems, generators, fountain pumps and servers.

In an effort to stabilize our internal environment and protect our collections and buildings from further damage, we utilized generators, dehumidifiers and a temporary air circulation system per the recommendations of conservation experts. 

The gardens and fountains were severely damaged and will take a tremendous amount of work to restore, which is incredibly sad given that we just completed a major garden restoration. We lost many trees and we fear that we will lose shade loving plants which are now left without the protective shade of taller trees. The trees in Oak Alley sustained wind damage, and while they may look fine now, we are being cautioned that the stress they’ve been under from the storm and the standing polluted water may not bode well for them in the future.

Thanks to superior, state-of-the art construction, the main house has all its shingles in place and windows intact. The buildings surrounding the Entrance Court sustained some roof damage and water damage. 

The completely restored historic glass greenhouse, amazingly, didn’t lose a pane of glass.  The pigeon house in the Wild Garden, which was one of the worst hit areas, lost only a door at the back, and still has its weather vane.

In December 2005, the gardens were open to the public.  In April 2006, the temporary environmental maintenance system was removed, the HVAC turned on and the house was open for visitors.

On behalf of Longue Vue’s Board of Directors and staff, we want to extend our sincerest gratitude for your support and concern. We look forward to seeing you at Longue Vue.

If you would like to support Longue Vue in our effort to restore this National Historic Landmark, civic institution and cultural resource, please click here.