SpecGuy is proud to have been part of the team working with the office of Concordia of New Orleans to restore the splendid Art Deco exterior of the Eleanor McMain Secondary School. Originally designed by architect E.A. Christy, the school was completed in 1932, and has been the school home for generations of New Orleans students. The before and after photos on our home page illustrate its previous desperate condition and the wonderful result. The exterior work was extended to significant restoration work on the interior.

We utilized the MasterSpec Historic Preservation Library as the basis for the restoration portion of the project specifications. The work was based upon requirements and procedures of the US Department of the Interior and the Louisiana Office of Cultural Development Division of Historic Preservation. The most significant historic work components included Historic Treatment of Exterior Plaster and Historic Treatment of Plain Painting. Significant material research and analysis was carried out to form the basis of these specifications. Due to the rough nature of the exterior stucco, we recommended a newly-developed dirt pickup-resistant acrylic paint as a topcoat to keep the restoration looking fresh for the near future. Historic window and door restoration specifications were developed for the wood and steel window types and wood main entry doors.

Concordia carrier out intensive on-site observation and support to see this project through to a successful completion with Tuna Construction. As is typical, we provided daily phone and email support for submittal review and onsite construction questions.

A fine article on this project can be found here: Renovation of Eleanor McMain Secondary School restores Art Deco landmark.