Ursuline Convent awaiting its new storm shutters

A local contractor enlisted Central City Millworks to build custom shutters as part of the historic preservation of Ursuline Convent in New Orleans.

The original shutter rails and stiles (the frame in which the shutter louvers are inset) were made only 1″ thick as opposed to 1 3/8″ to 1 3/4″ thick on typical New Orleans shutters.

In duplicating this design, we inset the louvers into the frame with a molded inner frame that gives the louvers a wide face in which to be mounted. This inner frame is 2 1/2″ wide, and gives the frame a much thicker appearance.

The original craftsmen created a beautifully designed piece of utilitarian art, and the craftsmen at Central City Millworks were delighted to have the opportunity to replicate that craftsmanship.

The attention to detail that our artisan, Carlos, employed to accomplish this reproduction of a classic shutter is evident in the photo to the right. This high level of craftsmanship is appropriate for a historic renovation of the oldest building in the Mississippi Valley.

This Convent was originally built for the Sisters of Ursula, and was completed around 1752. It is the only building of the original colony still standing as a result of a 1788 fire that burned down hundreds of other structures and threatened the Convent. It was during this devastating event that the legend of the city’s patroness, Our Lady of Prompt Succor, was born.

As the flames approached the convent, Sister St. Anthony, one of the old nuns, climbed the convent stairs with a small statue of Our Lady in hand. She knelt and prayed with full confidence. At that very instant the wind veered and the flames were blown back, and so this great building is still with us today to have its legacy, and shutters, maintained.

Custom-made storm shutters await installation on New Orleans' Ursuline Convent

CCM installed New Orleans shutters

In New Orleans shutters have long been a familiar sight on windows, and that will continue for as long as New Orleans and hurricanes exist…however, the opportunity to opt-in to the Individual Mitigation Measures reimbursement program that could cover the cost of adding storm shutters and other covered safety measures will not exist past March 10, 2010.

Over 100,000 applicants for the “Road Home” program should have received a letter near the end of 2009 from the Louisiana Recovery Authority (LRA) that offered them an opportunity to receive up to $7,500 in reimbursement for added safety measures such as strengthened doors, roof tie-downs, elevated air conditioning and heating units, anchored fuel tanks, and storm shutters.

While applicants of the Road Home program may qualify for the program, it is not financed by Road Home. This small-scale mitigation initiative is financed by a FEMA program called the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program.

In addition to that program, applicant homeowners also have an opportunity to sign up for another mitigation program financed by the same FEMA grant that pays up to $100,000 to reimburse for the costs of elevating their homes.

The LRA advises that if an applicant has already completed the work, he or she must present receipts in order to be eligible for reimbursement.

Any questions about the small-scale mitigation program can be directed to the mitigation hotline at 877.824.8312.

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