DDD To Honor 6 Downtown All-Stars
NEW ORLEANS – The Downtown Development District (DDD) has chosen six honorees to be celebrated at this year's Downtown NOLA Awards for their exceptional contributions to the progress of Downtown New Orleans.
The ceremony will be held Friday, Sept. 22, at the Roosevelt New Orleans, 130 Roosevelt Way. The luncheon will be held from 12:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m., with networking and cocktails before from 11:00 a.m. – 11:45 a.m.
The honorees include:
• Contemporary Arts Center
The Contemporary Arts Center was formed in the fall of 1976 by a passionate group of visual artists when the movement to tear down the walls between visual and performing arts was active nationwide. The CAC's significance and role in the cultural community of New Orleans has and always will be cemented in its broad community-based programs and initiatives.
A recent addition to the CAC is The Shop, a new co-working space for creative professionals. The redevelopment project transformed two floors of an architecturally significant, four-story building into a contemporary, open workspace that can accommodate 350 to 400 professionals. The space features a mix of large work tables and casual seating with large windows, which utilize natural lighting.
• Patty Gay/Preservation Resource Center
Patricia Gay has been the director of the Preservation Resource Center in New Orleans since 1974. Since then, the PRC has grown from a three-person operation into a formidable and effective organization employing 50 people in a beautifully restored three-story building. She has been a pioneer in working for the urban center as the stimulus for creativity in American life. The PRC is the foremost organization of its kind in the United States and has become so under Patty's leadership.
• New Orleans BioInnovation Center
The New Orleans BioInnovation Center contains both the infrastructure and the expertise that has helped local biotech startups towards an extremely successful 2017. Not only does NOBIC give teams vital lab and incubator space in which to work, they provide incredible amounts of mentoring and business experience – both of which are sorely in need for largely academic teams navigating the intricacies of monetizing their research.
• Operation Spark
Now in its fourth year of classes, Operation Spark has established itself as a consistent leader in the development of New Orleans' next generation of high-skill workers. By offering intensive coding and design classes to low-opportunity youth, Operation Spark aims to both treat the issue of equity in high-income technological careers and address a current shortage of skilled professionals in New Orleans.
• Seaworthy
Seaworthy, with its large, welcoming bar, intimate courtyard patio, and meticulously-restored upper level spaces, is an ideal addition to Downtown's thriving culinary scene. Featuring an interior accented by a darkly Victorian maritime design of dark wood and the bright glimmer of marble and oysters, the structure is an adaptive reuse of a 185-year-old Creole cottage spanning three floors – including a private dining room in a garret – brought to life via partnership with The Domain Companies' adjacent Ace Hotel. Whether it is a quick bite, a lengthy European-style dinner, or a party on the private top floor, Seaworthy offers the seafood lover's appetite a unique experience that embodies the dynamic culture for which New Orleans is known.
• The Pythian
Green Coast Enterprises, ERG Enterprises, and Crescent City Community Land Trust have partnered to restore The Pythian at 234 Loyola. Through this renovation, the development team has restored the wide, high arched windows, grand entrances, elaborate cornice, and decorative brick and terracotta adornments. These characteristics contrast with the modern structures that surround it and honor the building's history.
The DDD created the Downtown NOLA Awards as an annual program to recognize exceptional accomplishments of Downtown New Orleans property owners, businesses, residents, workers and organizations, and to honor the people and places that inspire, innovate and integrate the Downtown NOLA brand into their Downtown neighborhoods.
