FROM THE LENS GRE AT WORKSPACES
Local Investment Fidelity Bank partners with Trapolin Peer Architects in restoration of circa-1800s Union Savings & Loan building that bridges the past with the present
Fidelity Bank worked with Trapolin Peer Architects to restore and reimagine the circa-1800s Union Savings & Loan building at 353 Carondelet Street. The lobby features terrazzo floors installed during a 1950s renovation that resulted in the iconic building’s midcentury modern façade.
BY M E L A N IE WAR NE R SPE NCER PHOTOS BY SAR A E SSE X B R ADLEY
ANCHORING THE CORNER OF CARONDELET
and Perdido streets is what appears to be a decidedly midcentury modern building. But as façades are wont to do, its exterior is deceiving. Rather, the building — now home to a new branch and headquarters of Fidelity Bank — was originally constructed in the 1850s, whereas the midcentury façade arrived with a later renovation. According to the Preservation Resource Center of New Orleans, the building was designed by Scottish-born architect George Purves, as part of a collection of structures known as Union Row. T h e P RC r e p o r t s t h a t Un i o n Homestead Association moved into the building in 1910. “In 1958, the bank — then called the Union Savings & Loan Association — expanded into the next building and combined the two spaces by replacing the dividing brick wall with steel beams and columns,” writes Davis Allen in a 2019 article for Preservation in Print. “The building was then covered with its current façade — a midcentury modern slipcover designed by August Perez & Associates.” Unfortunately, the façade — while lending the building a stylish, modern sensibility that belied its years — also contributed to its deterioration. Bearing that in mind, historic preservation was at the heart of the project. “Fidelity is a local business rooted in the city, which is why this rehabilitation in the CBD was so important and exciting,” said Trapolin Peer lead designer and architect Andrea Ford. “It was a way to show New Orleans they were invested in the city.” Ford said the design team’s biggest challenges were to transform the “dark,
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BIZ NEW ORLEANS
AUGUST 2021
The development of the office floor plan was driven by the need to provide the associates with the privacy needed for day-to-day operation while maximizing light distribution through the space. Andrea Ford, Trapolin Peer lead designer and architect
