Palo Alto Dependency
LA 944, Donaldsonville, LAThe Palo Alto Dependency is locally significant in the area of architecture within Ascension Parish because it is one of only a handful of Creole houses that retain sufficient integrity. In addition, its floorplan is also unusual and rare for its rural location.
According to a review of the parish's Historic Structures Survey, Ascension has approximately 135 surviving houses which show some form of Creole influence. If this number seems rather high, it is because many of the houses stand within the Donaldsonville National Register Historic District. And, it must be noted that a significant number of these 135 structures exhibit only a basic Creole shape -- i.e., a pitched roof galleried cottage. Many do not even have French doors. In addition, most of the structures display serious integrity problems. Examples of these problems include replaced (and inappropriate) siding, the addition of Queen Anne bays and shingles or Eastlake details to facades, visible and inappropriate additions on porches and at the sides of structures, and the general state of deterioration found in the majority of the buildings. Against this background, the Palo Alto Dependency stands as a rare, relatively intact survivor.
In addition, the dependency's four-room floorplan is worthy of note. This plan was fairly common in New Orleans but was seldom used in rural areas. Thus, the floorplan, still clearly visible after sympathetic alterations, is rare within the context of Ascension Parish.
According to the tradition of the Lemann family which owns the Palo Alto Plantation, the dependency was once used as an overseer's house, while its annex served as a dining facility for workers. The 1979 renovation was guided by architect A. Hays Town.
Listed in National Register of Historic Places in 1992.
The National Register of Historic Places is the official list of the Nation’s historic places worthy of preservation. Authorized by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the National Park Service’s National Register of Historic Places is part of a national program to coordinate and support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate, and protect America’s historic and archeological resources.