Learning from Samuel Wilson, Jr.: A Collection of Oral Histories, 1980-1989

A series of interviews with a renowned architect. Samuel Wilson, Jr., influenced the realm of preservation and publishing in New Orleans. This collection of audio tape transcriptions-the unabridged edition of Conversations with Samuel Wilson, Jr.-represents the early phases of a research project to reconstruct the history of the modern architectural preservation movement in New Orleans. Fourteen transcripts cover the scholar's career.

Samuel Wilson, Jr. (1911-83) was a renowned New Orleans architect and founding president of the Louisiana Landmarks Society, which advocates historic preservation in New Orleans. A complement to Conversations with Samuel Wilson, Jr.: Dean of Architectural Preservation in New Orleans, this second volume is unabridged and more fully developed.
Wilson's recollections are important because for twenty years, 1950-70, he was the community architect-leader during a unique period of architectural activity. Wilson experienced every major New Orleans preservation event during this time. He not only recognized the cultural value of historic buildings when they were on the brink of extinction and fought to save them, but he also created a philosophy and devised technical methods to give buildings a new life and a new use.

Through the buildings that Wilson has worked on, his writings, and his teachings, he has influenced hundreds of architects, preservationists, historians, and dutiful citizens interested in their city. Wilson received a doctor of humane letters from Tulane University.

Abbye A. Gorin is an architectural researcher, writer, and photographer. She earned her BFA from the University of Texas at Austin, her MS from the University of New Orleans, and her PhD from Virginia Tech. She is listed in Who's Who. Along with books and video scripts, she has completed pioneering work in educational technologies. Gorin resides in Metairie, Louisiana.