Name: Rebecca Vizard

Current Occupation: Designer and owner of B. Viz Design in both New Orleans and St. Joseph

Hometown & Current Town : St. Joseph

When/how did you realize you were a preservationist? As a small child my grandmother would take me to the Natchez cemetery and we would wander around looking at the tombstone dates. I think that ignited an interest in history and imagining the lives of the past. Growing up around plantations and then taking a Louisiana Architecture course at Tulane cemented a life-long passion. I was so enamored with New Orlean’s architecture, I even became a tour guide when just out of college.

What is your favorite building/place in Louisiana? Oak Alley. While the building is magnificent, money can not buy trees like that. The whole setting is just magical. Also their reconstructed slave cottages with the plantation experience from the slaves’ perspective is very moving and important history.

What do you enjoy doing in your spare time? Gardening, reading, swimming, cooking and making things

Why did you choose to get involved with the Louisiana Trust? It breaks my heart to see historic buildings in disrepair. My two shops are both in historical buildings and the architecture excites me daily.

What have you learned from your experience on the LTHP? I felt a kindred spirit with the people who visited our Tensas Parish Ramble a few years ago. I’m new to the board, so I’m looking forward to learning more.

Why should others get involved with LTHP and the preservation movement in Louisiana? Each of the diverse cultures that created our state left a footprint of their heritage on everything from the food to the architecture. We have so many styles of architecture due to the various national influences and the adaptations for the climate. I don’t know of a state that has so many different interesting types of architecture. Of all places in the country, we need to preserve our historical buildings and learn from the many customs of our ancestors.