Richard Koch (architect)
Richard Koch (1889 – 1971) (pronounced Coke) was an architect who specialized in architectural conservation and the restoration of historically significant buildings.
[5] On completion of his military service, Koch worked as an architectural apprentice for a brief time in the northeastern United States before returning to New Orleans.
Within a year, Koch completed the project and the plantation home became part of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
[5] Early in the 1930s, Koch became director of the Louisiana division of the Historic American Buildings Survey, which was part of the United States Department of Interior.
[5][9][8] Koch's efforts on photographic documentation of historic buildings continued until 1965, long after his term with HABS had ended.
He often avoided harsh sunlight on the subjects, and often included people or automobiles in the photographs in order to provide size perspective.
[11] Koch's restoration projects in New Orleans as a member of the firm included The Cabildo, the Merieult House, and Gallier Hall.
[6] Koch led the architectural preservation of Oakley Plantation House (now part of the Audubon State Historic Site) in St. Francisville, Louisiana.
The project was carried out from 1950 to 1953 under Koch's direction, using penal labor from the Louisiana State Penitentiary for the actual workmanship.
[12] Koch redesigned Le Petit Theatre du Vieux Carre in a style consistent with historic character of the neighborhood.
[3] With landscape architect William Weidorn and sculptor Enrique Álvarez, Koch designed the New Orleans Botanical Garden.
By the early 20th century, much of the historic heritage of the area was being lost as buildings in the French Quarter were being demolished to make room for more modern structures.
Koch convinced local officials that the commission needed authority to issue permits for structural changes in the historically significant French Quarter and to levy fines on violators.
[6] The collection at Tulane University has been characterized as being "among the most comprehensive visual surveys of historic Mississippi delta architecture now in a public archive".
[6] Also at the time of his death, Koch bequeathed a substantial number of his photographs and art works to The Historic New Orleans Collection.
Their collection was expanded in 1985 with a gift of approximately 300 of Koch's works from Solis Seiferth, who was a local architect that also designed public buildings in Louisiana.
