BLUE PLATE FINE FOODS HEADQUARTERS, NEW ORLEANS, LA

Services: Architecture

Client: Blue Plate Foods, Inc.

Founded in Gretna, Louisiana in 1929, Blue Plate Foods, Inc. moved their headquarters to New Orleans with the opening of this three-story modern building in 1943. Facing a shortage of building materials due to US involvement in WWII, the project team used recycled railroad ties to reinforce the massive concrete structure. The building, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, was recently converted into artist’s lofts; however, most of the building’s exterior, including curved windows, bands of color, and plaques bearing the company’s namesake remain intact from the original Perez design.

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