New Orleans Homes and Lifestyles and the Preservation Resource Center of New Orleans came together at the newly opened Roosevelt New Orleans Hotel on Oct. 27 at the Renaissance Awards and Heritage Club Luncheon to recognize five historical home renovations and two renovated business icons.
Donovan Rypkema, the keynote speaker at the luncheon, presented to the more than 400 guests at the luncheon with a lecture called “The Real Truth: Historic Preservation is Economic Preservation.” Rypkema is a consultant for the National Trust of Historic Preservation and an industry leader in economics and preservation. 

Recipients of the Renaissance Awards were Jon Reed and John Kemp in the French Quarter, Jennifer and Dennis Lauscha in the Garden District, Shannan Cvitanovic in Mid-City, Lyn and John Fischbach in the Garden District, George Hero and Elaine Boos in the Warehouse District, Saks Fifth Avenue and The Roosevelt New Orleans Hotel. Each recipient shares his or her own renovation story in the Autumn-Winter 2009 edition of New Orleans Homes and Lifestyles. Many of the recipients agree that they wanted to restore the spaces to preserve a piece of New Orleans history.
This was the second installment the Renaissance Awards, and it was a huge success. This event has brought an awareness for the preservation of homes and buildings in our great city.
