The Sorapuru House Stabilization

Louisiana Preservation Alliance

Louisiana Preservation Alliance

The Sorapuru House is a French Creole home constructed in 1825 for free people of color in St. John the Baptist Parish, Louisiana. It was damaged in August 2021, when the eye of Hurricane Ida passed over St. John Parish and caused a large pecan tree to fall on the corner of the house. Additionally, the area was added to the National Trust for Historic Preservation's 2023 11-Most Endangered Historic Places List, due to threat from industrial development. The repairs to stabilize the structure were prohibitively expensive, and there was little hope that the Sorapuru family would be able to rebuild on their own.

Louisiana Preservation Alliance

Louisiana Preservation Alliance has worked with the Sorapuru Family for the past five years, to document its history, importance and to plan for its protection into the future, and the Sorapuru Family donated a perpetual preservation easement to Louisiana Preservation Alliance. This provides legal protection to the historic character of the property, and it allowed Louisiana Preservation Alliance to secure an LMDI grant in 2023 to assist with the necessary repairs to the property.

Louisiana Preservation Alliance

The goal of this project was to extend the longevity of this historic resource by securing the building envelope, reinforcing the structural foundations, and framing and remediating exterior damage using compatible, historically sensitive materials. While more work is needed to complete restore the structure to its previous condition, the Sorapuru House is now much better protected and prepared to face future storms.