United States Department of the Interior National Park Service … · 2020-03-10 · United States...

NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018

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United States Department of the Interior National Park Service

National Register of Historic Places Registration Form This form is for use in nominating or requesting determinations for individual properties and districts. See instructions in National Register Bulletin, How to Complete the National Register of Historic Places Registration Form. If any item does not apply to the property being documented, enter "N/A" for "not applicable." For functions, architectural classification, materials, and areas of significance, enter only categories and subcategories from the instructions.

1. Name of Property Historic Name: Louisiana Coca-Cola Bottling Co. Plant Other Names/Site Number: N/A Name of related multiple property listing: N/A

2. Location Street & Number: 1050 S. Jefferson Davis Parkway City or town: New Orleans State: LA County: Orleans Not for Publication: Vicinity:

3. State/Federal Agency Certification As the designated authority under the National Historic Preservation Act, as amended, I hereby certify that this nomination request for determination of eligibility meets the documentation standards for registering properties in the National Register of Historic Places and meets the procedural and professional requirements set forth in 36 CFR Part 60. In my opinion, the property meets does not meet the National Register Criteria. I recommend that this property be considered significant at the following level(s) of significance:

national state local Applicable National Register Criteria: A B C D

________________________________________________________________________________ Signature of certifying official/Title: Kristin Sanders, State Historic Preservation Officer Date

Louisiana Department of Culture, Recreation, and Tourism

State or Federal agency/bureau or Tribal Government

In my opinion, the property meets does not meet the National Register criteria.

Signature of commenting official: Date

Title: State or Federal agency/bureau or Tribal Government

United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018

Louisiana Coca-Cola Bottling Co. Plant Orleans Parish, LA Name of Property County and State

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4. National Park Certification I hereby certify that the property is: ___ entered in the National Register ___ determined eligible for the National Register ___ determined not eligible for the National Register ___ removed from the National Register ___other, explain: ___________________________ Signature of the Keeper Date of Action

5. Classification

Ownership of Property (Check as many boxes as apply.)

X Private Public – Local

Public – State Public – Federal

Category of Property (Check only one box.)

X Building(s) District

Site Structure object

Number of Resources within Property (Do not include previously listed resources in the count)

Contributing Non-contributing 1 Buildings Sites Structures Objects 1 Total

Number of contributing resources previously listed in the National Register: 0

6. Function or Use

Historic Functions (Enter categories from instructions.): industry/manufacturing facility commerce/business

Current Functions (Enter categories from instructions.): commerce/business



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7. Description Architectural Classification (Enter categories from instructions.): International Style

Art Moderne Materials: (enter categories from instructions.) foundation: concrete walls: brick roof: built-up flat other:

Narrative Description (Describe the historic and current physical appearance and condition of the property. Describe contributing and noncontributing resources if applicable. Begin with a summary paragraph that briefly describes the general characteristics of the property, such as its location, type, style, method of construction, setting, size, and significant features. Indicate whether the property has historic integrity.) ______________________________________________________________________________ Summary Paragraph 1050 South Jefferson Davis Parkway (1948-1949) is a roughly 233, 000 square feet manufacturing and distribution facility set in a medium to low rise industrial area in New Orleans known locally as Gert Town. The area is three or four miles inland from the Mississippi River in what is roughly the geographical center of the city. Various industrial facilities located along the South Jefferson Davis corridor in the post-WWII years. The plant was built to be the new home of the Louisiana Coca-Cola Bottling Co., Ltd. Today the immediate area is mainly non-historic commercial. The three-story plant is constructed chiefly of reinforced concrete with brick facing. Its design partakes most strongly of European Modernism of the pre-World War II variety. The architect was Jesse M. Shelton, Atlanta, GA, who designed many Coca-Cola bottling plants around the country. The original blueprint plans, dated July 2, 1947, can be found at the New Orleans Public Library. It should be noted that the buildings were not constructed precisely as drawn. As built, the plant consisted of two free-standing buildings linked by steel canopies, occupying two large city blocks (bounded by S. Jefferson Davis Parkway, Euphrosine Street, S. Lopez Street, and Calliope Street). The two were further connected by an enclosed CMU addition c. 2000. The three-story main building, in front, housed mainly the bottling operation, with offices on the Euphrosine side of the second and third floors. The mostly single story rear building, the garage, provided parking, service and fueling for more than a hundred Coca-Cola delivery trucks (108 at the time of the October 1949 dedication). The garage had a small partial second story housing a locker room for truck drivers to change from street clothes to their company uniforms. Taken together, the two buildings represent all aspects of the bottling and product delivery operations. The property ceased being a Coca-Cola bottling plant in the late 1990s. Circa 2000, the plant was purchased for use as a furniture warehouse and offices. One-story CMU additions were made along the side elevations, the two buildings were linked, and new office corridors were created. Overall, these modifications are minor in comparison to the considerable amount of original historic character that remains in this huge manufacturing/distribution facility. Most importantly, the character-defining open industrial interiors (all floors) are largely unchanged from the historic period (minus the equipment). And despite some makeshift low partitions, the back building still looks like a massive, open garage. _____________________________________________________________________________ Narrative Description



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The Main Building Overview: The first two stories of the three-story main (front) building are constructed in a reinforced concrete box system, with square columns and heavy joist members dividing the space into equal bays running both front to back and side to side. The first story housed the conveyer-belt bottling system and operation. The second story provided for mixing soda with the special secret syrup, provided from a parent company Coca-Cola syrup plant elsewhere in New Orleans. The syrup was gravity fed to the bottling floor below. The third story, used for storage (bottle caps, bottles, crates, etc.), is constructed with a steel frame system, which was cheaper and easier to fabricate than the concrete box. Near the center of the main building is a slow-moving hydraulic freight elevator that takes most of an internal bay. The second and third stories include a light court courtyard, one bay wide and two bays deep. It is set between the elevator shaft and the Euphrosine side elevation. On the first story the light courtyard registers as an ample system of skylights. The building culminates in a flat roofing system featuring steel joists and a built-up roofing membrane above. The building's public entrance is set in the left hand side of the front elevation. Up a small range of steps, it opens to a squarish lobby with an open flight of stairs, on the left, and a passenger elevator in the rear. This portion of the building provided vertical circulation for the employees and access to the company offices on the second and third stories. The exterior is sheathed in a brick veneer with a pattern of red and dark grey bricks with a matte finish. This treatment adds an element of texture and interest. Main Building, S. Jefferson Davis Parkway Elevation: The strongest design influence on the main public elevation is the classic European International Style of the 1920s and 30s (although European modernists would not have used a variegated brick treatment). The design subscribes to the modernist ethic that "form follows function." On the left side, the public entrance and vertical circulation portion of the building are emphasized as a vertical building mass. To the right, the continuous, manifestly horizontal ribbon windows mark the vast horizontal bottling spaces within. At the extreme right is a two-story building mass meant to house special functions, most notably the carbon dioxide converter. The design makes extensive use of International Style architectural vocabulary -- the boldly asymmetrical composition, the flat roof with parapet, the overall horizontal feel, and ribbon windows that turn the corner. The window strips are set off by cast stone frames on the second and third stories, and additionally, by a shallow metal awning on the first. The windows consist of rolled steel industrial units with a pivot-pane, separated by brick panels. The taller first story ribbon window band includes large plate glass windows to permit passersby to view the bottling operation. This aspect was standard for Coca-Cola bottling plants. Brushed aluminum signage incorporates the iconic Coca-Cola script adopted by The Coca-Cola Company in the late 1880s (patented January 31, 1893). "Coca-Cola" is above the main entrance, and "The Louisiana Coca-Cola Bottling Co." is found between the second and third stories. Main Building, Euphrosine Street Side Elevation: This is the other major elevation to feature architectural styling. Form follows function here as well. The vertical circulation portion of the building is brought forward to create a vertical building mass (right side). Verticality is also marked by a narrow window that ascends through all three stories to light the internal staircase. To the left, on the second and third stories, are long ranges of individual windows extending to the rear of the elevation. They light, and portray, the separate and individual offices within. The third story windows are given some unity by a continuous cast stone ledge at the window sill level. Originally, the first



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story had a truck loading dock with garage-type doors, squarish windows and a suspended steel fixed awning. Circa 2000, the open loading was enveloped in an extended one story side wing of CMU construction with adjusted build-out. This wing stretches backwards to the rear of the original building. Main Building, Calliope St. Side Elevation: The plans called for this to be a fairly close match for the Euphrosine side elevation. To some extent it was. The rear portion of the elevation features more-or-less regular rows of individual windows. But these are less regular and do not convey any architectural statement - they merely light the open production or bulk storage floors. In the front portion of the Calliope elevation, some surfaces are left blank and most of the irregularly placed openings are not accented by any form of trim. The old covered loading dock on the first story was enveloped c.2000 in an extended side wing of CMU with an adjusted build-out. This wing stretches backwards to a point slightly beyond the rear of the original building. Main Building, Rear (South Lopez) Elevation: The rear elevation has a less regular fenestration pattern than the other elevations. There is also little in the way of detailing. Originally the first story included a rear covered loading dock, with an extended roof section, linking it to the truck facility in the rear. This covered location provided for truck refueling. It has since been absorbed (c.2000) into a wing that effectively fills in the entire gap between the front building and the rear truck facility. This new in-fill added to the front building's first story interior space for additional work areas. Main Building, Light Courtyard: The previously noted light court features ribbon-like bands of rolled steel industrial windows. Its brick veneer walls have long-since been painted over. Main Building, Interior: The building's only significantly styled interior is the entrance lobby. It features a roll-molded cornice with triple reeding, a decorative terrazzo floor, and a terrazzo staircase set off by a curving wood paneled wall. Overall the style would best be termed Art Moderne. The room is lit by a futuristic saucer-like central hanging light. While the bottling equipment has been removed, the first, second and third stories retain their character-defining open industrial interiors punctuated by posts. Secondary concrete joists and reinforced concrete flat panels provide for ceilings and floors. The third (steel frame) story features steel ceiling panels. Per interview with Richard W. Freeman, Jr., the third generation of the family to operate the plant, there were historically offices on the Euphrosine side of the second and third stories. The offices were only on the street side, accessed by a single corridor. When the present owner acquired the building c.2000, the Euphrosine side was reworked to be a double loaded office corridor with interior offices. In addition, a new single-loaded corridor with offices was created on the South Jefferson Davis Parkway side. Rear Garage : The concrete walls of the garage are sheathed on the exterior in plain red brick with no contrasting color. Windows and doorways are cut into the brickwork with no adornment. Most of the doorways are of the wide industrial type with rolling steel doors. Most of the windows have been in-filled. The Euphrosine and Calliope (side) elevations each feature a slightly raised central portion in the flat roof parapet. This does not signify any change of space in the interior. The garage's only nod to style (in this case, Art Moderne) is at the main truck entrance (Euphrosine side elevation). Here the broad, two bay, entrance is flanked, and set off by, dynamic curving walls with inset window groupings that follow the curves.



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The garage interior is a vast, mainly single story open space. In the main front building, the bottling operation could be configured around the numerous columns in the hypostyle interiors; maneuvering and handling a large number of delivery trucks could not. Thus the rear building features large open spans made possible with heavy riveted steel trusses. These create internal structural bays running front to back, and side to side, in the manner analogous to a space frame. While not quite clear span, they permit the roof to be supported by the exterior masonry walls and a minimum of internal steel columns. The interior walls are sheathed in industrial tile with a light iron spot finish. The only second story space is the driver's locker/changing room located near the front of the facility on the left hand side. In addition to parking, the facility also provided for a repair shop (front right side), a trucker's lunch room (center left side), and a sign fabrication and repair shop (left side rear), per 1951 Sanborn map (Figure 1). For the most part these spaces were fluid and not generally cordoned off. Alterations: The following will summarize alterations to the facility since 1970, the ending date for the period of significance: (1) Three CMU additions were made to the facility circa 2000 (one story linear wings along Euphrosine and Calliope and an infill between the main plant and the rear garage). This can be seen by comparing the 1951 Sanborn Map (Figure 1) with a recent Google Map aerial view (Figure 2). (2) Office corridors at the second and third floors were created and/or expanded, per above. (3) Temporary low partitions have been erected in the truck facility along the Euphrosine and Calliope sides. (4) Almost all of the windows in the garage have in-filled, but the opening pattern is still clear. (5) All of the bottling equipment has been removed. (6) A temporary-looking HVAC duct has been added to the exterior of the front elevation (right side, first floor). Assessment of Integrity: The 233,000 square foot building constructed in 1948-49 is easily visually dominant when compared to the c.2000 modifications, and it is common for former manufacturing facilities to have lost their original equipment. The facility is being nominated to the National Register of Historic Places under Criterion A. There is absolutely no question that someone from the historic period (a worker or a passerby intrigued by the endless spinning bottles) would recognize the building today.

8. Statement of Significance

Applicable National Register Criteria (Mark "x" in one or more boxes for the criteria qualifying the property for National Register listing.)

X A Property is associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the

broad patterns of our history. B Property is associated with the lives of persons significant in our past.

C Property embodies the distinctive characteristics of a type, period, or method of construction or represents the work of a master, or possesses high artistic values, or represents a significant and distinguishable entity whose components lack individual distinction.

D Property has yielded, or is likely to yield, information important in prehistory or history Criteria Considerations: A Owned by a religious institution or used for religious purposes B Removed from its original location C A birthplace or grave D A cemetery



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E A reconstructed building, object, or structure F A commemorative property G Less than 50 years old or achieving significance within the past 50 years

Areas of Significance (Enter categories from instructions.): industry; commerce

Period of Significance: 1949-1970

Significant Dates: 1949

Significant Person (Complete only if Criterion B is marked above): N/A

Cultural Affiliation (only if criterion D is marked above): N/A Architect/Builder (last name, first name): Shelton, Jesse M.

Period of Significance (justification): see below Criteria Considerations (explanation, if necessary): N/A Statement of Significance Summary Paragraph (Provide a summary paragraph that includes level of significance, applicable criteria, justification for the period of significance, and any applicable criteria considerations.) The Louisiana Coca-Cola Bottling Company plant is of local significance in the areas of commerce/industry (Criterion A) because it was easily the largest player in the soft drink industry in the greater New Orleans metropolitan area. The enormous plant (with its front production building and rear garage) is a graphic reminder of the large scale production and distribution of the nation's most popular soft drink, and indeed, perhaps the most easily recognized American product around the globe. Tom Standage, in A History of the World in 6 Glasses, describes Coca-Cola as "the world's most valuable and widely recognized brand." The only American word more widely known in the world than "Coca-Cola" is "OK," per Standage.1 The period of significance spans from 1949, when the bottling plant opened, until 1970. The latter will be the National Register 50 year cutoff when this nomination is reviewed and listed. Louisiana Coca-Cola Bottling Co. continued to operate from the plant until 1986, when it was sold to the parent company, Coca-Cola of Atlanta. _____________________________________________________________________ Narrative Statement of Significance (Provide at least one paragraph for each area of significance.) Carbonated Beverages Overview: Carbonated beverages can be traced to circa 1767 experiments in Leeds, England by Joseph Priestly, a clergyman and scientist. It was not until the later 19th century that flavored sodas became a staple of American beverages, mainly for medicinal purposes at first. By 1900, the soda parlor emerged as a separate institution from the drugstore. Importantly, soda parlors offered the only popular beverage venue acceptable to the powerful and growing Temperance Movement. And, at roughly the same time, soda dealers began to experiment with bottling the beverage for sale outside of soda fountains. Conspicuous among this effort was Coca-Cola (see below). Even with the challenges of the end of Prohibition, the stock market crash, and the rise of a serious competitor, Pepsi Cola, The Coca-Cola Bottling Company thrived in the Great Depression. By

1 Standage, Tom. A History of the World in 6 Glasses. New York: Bloomsbury USA, 2005. Pgs. 225, 264.



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the end of the 1930s, observes Tom Standich (The History of the World in 6 Glasses), "Coca-Cola was stronger than ever, accounting for nearly half of all sparkling soft drink sales in the United States." 2 Bottling Coca-Cola: The following "Bottling Coca-Cola" statement is excerpted from a National Register nomination prepared by the authors of this document for the Coca-Cola Bottling Plant in Tallulah, Madison Parish, LA, and approved by the National Park Service. Atlanta pharmacist John Pemberton invented Coca-Cola (a combination of a syrup of his concoction and carbonated water) in 1886. It was first sold at a local pharmacy on May 8 of that year. In the early years, the beverage was limited to soda fountains, where it was sold as a health tonic and refreshing drink during the warm months. In 1894, drugstore and candy store owner Joseph Biedenharn of Vicksburg, Mississippi was the first to put Coca-Cola in bottles (and is recognized as such by The Coca-Cola Company of Atlanta). He attempted to interest Asa Candler, president of The Coca-Cola Company, in the idea, but without success. In 1899 two Chattanooga attorneys approached Candler about the potential of bottling. Contemptuous of the whole idea, Candler gave them the exclusive rights to bottle Coca-Cola, reputedly for one dollar. Soon the customer would no longer have to seek out the beverage at a soda fountain. Coca-Cola could now be sold and enjoyed any and everywhere -- as expressed in the advertising tag line, "Always within an arm's length of desire." As Joe Biedenharn recalled in a later interview: "I believed then, and I still believe in bringing the product to the customer. I wanted to bring Coca-Cola to the country people outside the limits of the fountain." Notes Philip Mooney, long-time archivist for The Coca-Cola Company, it was bottling that developed the market. Seeking to distinguish themselves from the many competitors, Coca-Cola in 1916 adopted the curvaceous bottle shape still in use today -- one that enables Coca-Cola to be the most recognizable product in the world -- simply by the shape of a bottle (per Coca-Cola historians). The Chattanooga-based consortium that held the exclusive bottling rights did not have the capital to expand. What emerged was a system whereby independent bottlers were granted exclusive territorial franchises and contracts to bottle and sell Coca-Cola. By 1920, there were about 1,000 bottling plants. The parent company controlled the all-secret syrup making, selling it to the bottlers. Coca-Cola bottlers were the face of Coca-Cola in a given area. They bottled and delivered the finished product along defined routes. In the early days, bottling was slow and labor-intensive, via foot-powered machines, one bottle at a time, yielding 50 to 100 bottles per hour. Bottles were washed crudely by hand. By the 1910s, the operation was largely automated. The all-important product delivery was first by horse or mule drawn wagons. By the 1910s, most bottlers had converted to trucks. Each plant had route salesmen, typically dressed in snappy uniforms emblazoned with the trademark Coca-Cola script. The 1920s was a decade of growth in the bottling business. By the end of the decade, sales of bottled Coca-Cola had exceeded fountain sales. The revolution in distribution and marketing was complete.3 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Bottlers: With the franchising system noted above, Coca-Cola was associated with a local businessman, not an abstract corporation headquartered in Atlanta. Local individuals who entered the bottling business typically became some of the wealthiest and best known businessmen in their town or community. The profits were particularly

2 Standage, Tom. A History of the World in 6 Glasses. New York: Bloomsbury USA, 2005. P. 248. 3 Fricker, Donna and Jonathan. Tallulah Coca-Cola Bottling Plant National Register Nomination.



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handsome in the South, considered the "prime" territory for Coca-Cola (and other soft drinks). This was even truer for Deep South states such as Louisiana, with their long tropical summers and mild winters. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Syrup Plants: As demand for the all-important secret formula syrup increased, the parent company opened regional plants around the country. The company opened a plant in New Orleans in early 1921 in a three story building near the foot of Canal Street (123 Canal). From the February 17, 1921 New Orleans Times-Picayune, "The first coca-cola syrup manufactured at the new New Orleans plant was turned out Wednesday morning." The plant had a capacity of 25,000 gallons of syrup per day, and according to the article, supplied syrup to Louisiana, Mississippi, Florida, Texas, Tennessee and Arkansas. This important building has been demolished.4 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Louisiana Coca-Cola Bottling Co., Ltd.

The following history of the Louisiana Coca-Cola Bottling Co. , Ltd. is based on extensive primary source research (some via The Coca-Cola Archives in Atlanta), including an invaluable interview with Richard W. Freeman, Jr., the third generation of his family to manage the company. Mr. Freeman, born in 1938, began work at the candidate in 1963, becoming head of the company in 1970. Early Days of the Louisiana Coca-Cola Bottling Co. Ltd.: The Louisiana Coca-Cola Bottling Co. Ltd. was formed in 1901, with its base in New Orleans. Recollections appearing in 1944 and 1946 issues of The Coca-Cola Bottler (the trade journal of the Coca-Cola Bottlers Association) indicate that sales were slow until a young A. B. Freeman in 1906 left his railroad job in Birmingham, moved to New Orleans, and assumed leadership of the young company. He had learned of the new product from a friend, Crawford Johnson, who was bottling Coca-Cola in Birmingham. 5 Writing in the August 1944 issue of The Coca-Cola Bottler, J. J. Willard observed: "It was said of Mr. Freeman that he had to train up a whole generation before he had taught the citizens of New Orleans the merits of Coca-Cola." 6From "Forty Years in New Orleans" (The Coca-Cola Bottler, November 1946): "In 1906 certain officials of The Coca-Cola Company had lamented to him [Freeman] the fact that New Orleans . . . would never become a Coca-Cola town . . . . They said it was a French town and the population might never be weaned away from its loyalty to wines and coffee." In the early days, Freeman delivered Coca-Cola to the isolated bayou regions of his territory by boat.7 Freeman was obviously successful in his efforts to lure New Orleanians away from wines, coffee, and other soft drink beverages of the time. As early as 1908, the parent company recognized Freeman's efforts, when his new company was awarded a Class A standing in The Honor Roll for that year, meaning one had produced over 5,000 gallons. Fourteen cities were in the Class A category, with New Orleans being the only city in Louisiana. 8By 1909, Freeman's sales had increased 30%, and by 1917, sales had tripled those of 1907. Sales continued to grow, so much so that in 1926 Freeman became the first bottler in the so-called 500,000 gallon club (the first to use 500, 000 gallons of Coca-Cola syrup). 9

4 New Orleans Times-Picayune. February 17, 1921. Page 18. 5 The Coca-Cola Bottler, August 1944, p. 28. "Forty Years in New Orleans." The Coca-Cola Bottler, November 1946, pp. 3-7. 6 The Coca-Cola Bottler, August 1944, p. 7 "Forty Years in New Orleans." The Coca-Cola Bottler, November, 1946, pp. 3-7. 8 The Honor Roll. September, 1909. 9 "Forty Years in New Orleans." The Coca-Cola Bottler, November, 1946, pp. 3-7.



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The first bottling plant, where this early growth occurred, was a three story masonry building at the corner of Canal and N. Robertson on the edge of the city's central business district. (See Figure 3. The building does not exist today.) The company's second (and last) home is the candidate. The Territory: No written documentation has been uncovered to define the franchise territory served by the company. Clearly it was not all of Louisiana (despite the name), for Coca-Cola bottling plants were also opened, for example, in Baton Rouge and Shreveport in the first decade of the twentieth century. Richard W. Freeman, Jr. indicated that when he started working with the company in 1963, their territory covered 10 parishes (counties) in southern Louisiana (Orleans, Jefferson, Plaquemine, St. Bernard, St. Charles, St. James, St. John, Assumption, Lafourche and Terrebonne) and parts of 2 other parishes (Ascension and St. Mary). 10 The New Plant (1948-49): Sales growth for the Louisiana Coca-Cola Bottling Company must have been considerable, for in the mid-1940s, management began planning for an enormous plant on South Jefferson Davis Parkway (233,000 square feet, 90,000 square feet of which was the garage). When the plant opened in late 1949, A. B. Freeman turned the company management over to his son, Richard W. Freeman, Sr., with the elder Freeman becoming chairman of the board. (In the same year, A. B. joined the Board of Directors of Coca-Cola Atlanta.) A several page article on the opening appeared in The Coca-Cola Bottler (December 1949). A company newsletter covering the grand two-week long opening celebration provides particularly useful information, as does local newspaper coverage. Employment for the new plant was 400, with an annual payroll of one million dollars. Period articles and advertisements billed the new plant as "the world's largest Coca-Cola Bottling plant" or the more modest "the largest single bottling plant in the country for soft drinks." The former claim appeared at least once in The Coca-Cola Bottler, the trade journal of The Coca-Cola Bottlers Association (the December issue referenced above). 11 All available sources indicate that a greatly expanded plant had been under consideration for a couple of years when the contract for the present building was let on August 4, 1947. Also, in that year, an advertisement appeared in The Coca-Cola Bottler. 12 The blueprints are dated 7/2/1947. The architect was the de facto Coca-Cola architect at the time, Jesse M. Shelton of Atlanta. 13 The plant was built for Carriere Construction Company, with a long-term lease to The Louisiana Coca-Cola Bottling Company, Ltd. 14(The reason behind this arrangement is unknown. At some point the Louisiana Coca-Cola Bottling Company owned the building, for that entity sold the plant to the parent company in 1986.) The new plant was located in a section of New Orleans inland from the Mississippi River known locally as Gert Town. Various manufacturing facilities located in Gert Town in the mid-twentieth century. The Coca-Cola Building was easily the largest facility, followed in size by Blue Plate Mayonnaise (1942-43; square footage doubled in 1947, for an overall total of 93,696 square feet). The Louisiana Coca-Cola Company celebrated its expansion with a two-week long extravaganza October 16-28, 1949 attended by over 32,000 people (per counters installed for the occasion), including over 150 bottlers from other states. On October 14, just before the grand opening, the parent company awarded Louisiana

10 Freeman, Richard W., Jr. Interview with Donna Fricker. October 17, 2019. 11 "Accent on Promotion at the Opening of New Plant in New Orleans." The Coca-Cola Bottler. December 1949, pp. 46-49; "New Orleans Announces Plans for New Plant." The Coca-Cola Bottler. September 1947, p. 19; New Orleans Times-Picayune, 9/20/1949, 10/23/1949. 12 The Coca-Cola Bottler, September 1947, p. 19; New Orleans Times-Picayune, July 2, 1947. 13 Blueprints, 1050 S. Jefferson Davis Parkway, New Orleans Public Library. 14 The Coca-Cola Bottler, September 1947, p. 19.



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Coca-Cola the coveted silver urn for bottling over one million gallons of Coca-Cola syrup in 1948 -- the so-called "Million Gallon" award. 15 Richard W. Freeman, Jr., who was 11 at the time, remembers the gala celebration quite well, recalling that it was a "big deal" even in a city the size of New Orleans. In advance of the event, each of the company's 108 trucks, per the company's newsletter, "carried king-size rear panel banners inviting Mr. and Mrs. New Orleans to the Grand Opening. . . . Motion picture screens over the entire city carried the message in their famous series of AND COCA-COLA WAS THERE which has become a byword in New Orleans. Every night the huge kleig spotlights pierced the sky with their brilliance." Enticements included a different musical performance each night (held in the garage), continuous showing of the motion picture "Refreshment Thru the Years," exhibits provided by Coca-Cola Atlanta, gifts, and drawings for prizes held every 15 minutes. 16 The company's special edition newsletter provides a "you were there" progression of visitors through the plant: "From the lobby visitors entered the spotless bottling department with its five complete bottling units capable of turning out 720,000 bottles in one eight-hour shift." Then visitors viewed the bottle washing process, with the assurance that "not once" during the entire bottling process "is a bottle touched by human hands." "But the loudest 'Oh's and Ah's," notes the newsletter, "were heard around the ten 'electric eyes,' the ultimate in quality control." These were ten RCA Automatic Beverage Inspection Machines that safeguarded the purity of Coca-Cola as it moved off the bottling line. A strong beam of light penetrated the length of each bottle, searching out any particles that may have escaped human inspection. The company also bragged that the plant's power substation could supply the needs of a city of 50,000.17 The Louisiana Coca-Cola Bottling Co. not only delivered Coca-Cola to grocery stores, movie theaters, etc., but to homes and offices, beginning in the mid-1940s. Richard Freeman, Jr. indicated that they created a subsidiary trucking company to handle home and office deliveries.18 Simultaneous with the New Orleans expansion, the company built a plant in Thibodaux in Lafourche Parish (presumably to service that parish and adjacent Terrebonne Parish). The Thibodaux plant opened in 1948. In 1964, a new bottling plant in Gretna, on the west bank of the Mississippi, opened. Dubbed the West Bank Plant, it operated only in the summer.19 As was typical of other bottlers around the country, the Louisiana Coca-Cola Bottlers Co. was more than just a commercial institution. It bought good will in the city by sponsoring, for example, radio broadcasts of sporting events. And like others around the country, New Orleans school children learned to love Coca-Cola at an early age, courtesy of field trips to the plant. Richard W. Freeman, Jr. succeeded his father as company president in 1970. He had worked at the candidate since 1963. In the early years, he provided management advice to other Coca-Cola bottling plants in southern Louisiana in which the Freeman family held stock (an estimated 20-25% of the shares). Towns that he recalls visiting include Hammond, Lafayette, Lake Charles and Jennings. Richard W. Freeman, Jr. believes the company's advice was sought because of the reputation of his grandfather, A. B. Freeman. 20 The Freemans sold the plant to Coca-Cola of Atlanta in 1986. It ceased being a bottling plant circa 1999, when operations were moved to a new location in Jefferson Parish. Alvin Halpern (of Halpern Furniture) bought the facility in that year.

15 "32,000 Jam Plant" and "Million Gallon Award Highlights Plant Opening," Louisiana Coca-Cola Bottling Company plant newsletter, identified as grand opening supplement to issue of October 1949. 16 Freeman, Richard W., Jr. Interview with Donna Fricker, 10/17/2019; "32,000 Jam Plant." 17 "32,000 Jam Plant." 18 Freeman interview. 19 Sanborn Fire Insurance Co. Map, Thibodaux, 1950; "A New Plant in Gretna," The Coca-Cola Bottler," November 1954, pp. 58-61. 20 Freeman interview.



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Greater New Orleans Context: The history of the soft drink industry in the greater New Orleans area is yet to be thoroughly documented and written. The authors of this document searched in vain for production figures for various brands. (Most likely, they do not exist.) The following analysis is based on national statistics on market share, information provided by Richard Freeman, and an examination of soft drink plants in historic photos and Sanborn maps (per below; the latter, where available). Sanborn maps (showing the footprint and number of stories) are a reasonable substitute for production figures in determining the importance of a given plant compared to others. The foregoing research makes it abundantly clear that the Louisiana Coca-Cola Bottling Plant on S. Jefferson Davis Parkway was the biggest player in the soft drink industry within the greater New Orleans metropolitan area during the historic period for this nomination. And, very importantly, the nominated plant (with its front production facility and rear enormous garage) expresses both the bottling and distribution components of the business. Coca-Cola historically was the undisputed king of the soft drink industry in the United States. Its only serious competitor, beginning in the 1930s, was Pepsi Cola. But even Pepsi trailed considerably behind. In the period 1946-49, Coca-Cola outsold Pepsi by a 5 to 1 margin in the United States.21 In a broader context, unofficial Coca-Cola historian Mark Pendergrast writes in For God, Country and Coca-Cola: "In 1950, Coca-Cola accounted for half of all United States soft drink sales."22 Richard Freeman estimates that his company's market share in the soft drink industry was over 50%. His most prominent competitors (per interview) were Pepsi and 7UP, but they were small operations in comparison.23 This is borne out in Sanborn Map research and historic photos of the Pepsi and 7UP plants. The 7UP plant bore the name Zetz 7UP in reference to the family name of the founders (Zetzmann). The company began in 1934 at 1024 N. Rampart St. (see Figures 4 & 5 -- photo and Sanborn map) and in 1954 moved to 1401 Montegut. (Sanborn map and photo are not available of the second plant.) Pepsi occupied a one story plant at 2537 Tulane Avenue (see Figures 6 & 7). 24 There were a myriad of other even smaller players -- for example, almond flavored Dr. Nut, which was peculiar to New Orleans. Dr. Nut was one of various soft drinks bottled by World Bottling Company, with a plant of 8,400 square feet at 3000 Royal Street. (The metal sided building is currently being rehabilitated for use as a brewpub.)25 Buildings Associated with Louisiana Coca-Cola Bottling Company: As noted previously, the original plant (at Canal and N. Robertson) does not survive, nor does the syrup plant built by the parent company. The small Thibodaux plant (1948) has been significantly modified to the extent that it is no longer recognizable as a late-1940s building. Nearly two-thirds of the Gretna plant dates from 1973; so a case for "exceptional significance" would have to be made to meet Register guidelines for properties that have achieved significance within the last 50 years. Additional Information -- the Freeman Family: "Coca-Cola men" often represented generations of a given family, in the case of the Louisiana Coca-Cola Bottling Company, three generations of the Freeman family. And like their counterparts around the country,

21 Louis, J. D. & Yazijian, Harvey, The Cola Wars. New York: Everest House, 1980, p. 73. 22 Pendergrast, Mark. For God, Country and Coca-Cola. New York: Basic Books, revised edition, 2000, p. 250. 23 Freeman interview 24 Sanborn Fire Insurance Co. Maps, New Orleans, 1950; photos from The Historic New Orleans Collection, available online at The Louisiana Digital Library. 25 Information on World Bottling Company and Dr. Nut from Part 1 tax credit application prepared by Donna and Jonathan Fricker for the bottling plant at 3000 Royal St.



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the Freemans were noted philanthropists and leaders in many community organizations. As early as 1939, A. B. Freeman established a family charitable foundation, the RosaMary Foundation, which is still awarding grants today. The Freemans, in particular, were very involved in Tulane University. In 1986, the Tulane School of Business was renamed the A. B. Freeman School of Business. Both A. B. and Richard Sr. were awarded the Times-Picayune Loving Cup (for community and charitable contributions).

Developmental History/Additional historic context information See above.

9. Major Bibliographical Resources

Bibliography (Cite the books, articles, and other sources used in preparing this form.)

1050 S. Jefferson Davis Parkway. Building blueprints. Jesse M. Shelton, Architect, July 2, 1947. New Orleans Public Library. Cheatham, Mike. "Your Friendly Neighbor": The Story of Georgia's Coca-Cola Bottling Families. Macon, Georgia: Mercer University Press, 1999. Freeman, Richard W., Jr. Interview with Donna Fricker 10/17/2019. Louisiana Coca-Cola Bottling Co., Ltd. "32,000 Jam Plant." Supplement to company newsletter of October 1949. Louisiana Digital Library. The Historic New Orleans Collection. Historic photos of original plant of Louisiana Coca-Cola Bottling Co. and New Orleans syrup plant of The Coca-Cola Company, Atlanta. New Orleans Times-Picayune. January 1, 1921; February 17, 1921. New Orleans Times-Picayune. "1,000,000 Plant Planned in City." July 2, 1947. New Orleans Times-Picayune. October 23 and 25, 1949. Pendergrast, Mark. For God, Country and Coca-Cola: The Definitive History of the Great American Soft Drink and the Company That Makes It. New York: Basic Books, 2000. Sanborn Fire Insurance Co. Maps, 1951, 1961. Standish, Tom. A History of the World in 6 Glasses. New York: Bloomsbury, 2006. Tallulah Coca-Cola Bottling Plant. Tallulah, LA. National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form. The Coca-Cola Bottler. "Forty Years in New Orleans." November 1946. Courtesy The Coca-Cola Company Archives, Atlanta, GA. The Coca-Cola Bottler. "New Orleans Announces Plans for New Plant." September, 1947. Courtesy The Coca-Cola Company Archives, Atlanta, GA. The Coca-Cola Bottler, "Accent on Promotion at the Opening of New Plant in New Orleans. December 1949." Courtesy The Coca-Cola Company Archives, Atlanta, GA.



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The Coca-Cola Bottler, "Golden Anniversary of the Bottling of Coca Cola." August 1944. Courtesy The Coca-Cola Company Archives, Atlanta, GA. The Coca-Cola Bottler, "A New Plant in Gretna." November, 1954. Courtesy The Coca-Cola Company Archives, Atlanta, GA.

___________________________________________________________________________

Previous documentation on file (NPS):

_X__ preliminary determination of individual listing (36 CFR 67) has been requested ____ previously listed in the National Register ____ previously determined eligible by the National Register ____ designated a National Historic Landmark ____ recorded by Historic American Buildings Survey #____________ ____ recorded by Historic American Engineering Record # __________ ____ recorded by Historic American Landscape Survey # ___________ Primary location of additional data: __X_ State Historic Preservation Office ____ Other State agency ____ Federal agency ____ Local government ____ University ____ Other Name of repository: _____________________________________ Historic Resources Survey Number (if assigned): _______________ 10. Geographical Data

Acreage of Property: 4.82 acres

Latitude/Longitude Coordinates Datum if other than WGS84:__________ (enter coordinates to 6 decimal places) 1. Latitude: Longitude: 2. Latitude: Longitude: 3. Latitude: Longitude: 4. Latitude: Longitude:

Verbal Boundary Description (Describe the boundaries of the property.) The nominated property is bounded by S. Jefferson Davis Parkway, Euphrosine Street, S. Lopez Street, and Calliope Street.



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Boundary Justification (Explain why the boundaries were selected.) Boundaries follow the historic property lines of the two-block area occupied by the facility. 11. Form Prepared By name/title: Donna and Jonathan Fricker organization: Fricker Historic Preservation Services LLC street & number: 998 Stanford Ave., #203 city or town: Baton Rouge state: LA zip code: 70808 e-mail: [email protected] telephone: 225-603-7690 date: October 2019 ___________________________________________________________________________

Additional Documentation

Submit the following items with the completed form:

Maps: A USGS map or equivalent (7.5 or 15 minute series) indicating the property's location.

Sketch map for historic districts and properties having large acreage or numerous resources.

Key all photographs to this map.

Additional items: (Check with the SHPO, TPO, or FPO for any additional items.)

Photographs Submit clear and descriptive photographs. The size of each image must be 3000x2000 at 300 ppi (pixels per inch) or larger. Key all photographs to the sketch map. Each photograph must be numbered and that number must correspond to the photograph number on the photo log. For simplicity, the name of the photographer, photo date, etc. may be listed once on the photograph log and doesn’t need to be labeled on every photograph. Photo Log Name of Property: Louisiana Coca-Cola Bottling Co. Plant City: New Orleans County: Orleans Parish State: LA Name of Photographer: Donna Fricker Date of Photographs: 10/3/2019

1 of 45: S. Jefferson Davis façade; camera facing southeast

2 of 45: S. Jefferson Davis façade; camera facing east

3 of 45: Front portion of Calliope elevation; camera facing northeast

4 of45: Front portion of Calliope elevation; camera facing north



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5 of 45: Calliope elevation; camera facing east

6 of 45: Calliope elevation; camera facing northwest 7 of 45: Calliope elevation; camera facing northwest 8 of 45: S. Lopez (rear) elevation; camera facing southwest 9 of 45: Euphrosine elevation; camera facing west 10 of 45: Euphrosine elevation; camera facing west 11 of 45: Euphrosine elevation; camera facing south 12 of 45: Lobby interior; camera facing north/northeast 13 of 45: Lobby interior; camera facing south 14 of 45: Front room in bottling plant; camera facing south/southwest 15 of 45: Bottling plant first floor; camera facing northeast 16 of 45: Bottling plant first floor; camera facing east 17 of 45: Bottling plant first floor; camera facing east 18 of 45: Bottling plant first floor; camera facing southeast 19 of 45: c.2000 infill between bottling plant and rear garage; camera facing northeast 20 of 45: Garage; camera facing southeast 21 of 45: Garage; camera facing north/northeast 22 of 45: Garage; camera facing south 23 of 45: Garage; camera facing east 24 of 45: Garage; camera facing northeast 25 of 45: Second floor of bottling plant; camera facing north/northeast 26 of 45: Second floor of bottling plant; camera facing north 27 of 45: Second floor of bottling plant; camera facing northeast 28 of 45: Second floor of bottling plant; camera facing south 29 of 45: Second floor of bottling plant; camera facing northwest 30 of 45: Light court second floor; camera facing west



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31 of 45: c.2000 buildout; camera facing south/southwest 32 of 45: c. 2000 buildout; camera facing southeast 33 of 45: c. 2000 buildout; camera facing west 34 of 45: c. 2000 buildout; camera facing north 35 of 45: Third floor bottling plant; camera facing northwest 36 of 45: Third floor bottling plant; camera facing south 37 of 45: Third floor bottling plant; camera facing north 38 of 45: Third floor bottling plant; camera facing south 39 of 45: Third floor bottling plant; camera facing west 40 of 45: c. 2000 buildout; camera facing west 41 of 45: c. 2000 buildout; camera facing east/southeast 42 of 45: c. 2000 buildout; camera facing west 43 of 45: c. 2000 buildout; camera facing east/southeast 44 of 45: c. 2000 buildout; camera facing north 45 of 45: c.2000 buildout; camera facing east/southeast

Paperwork Reduction Act Statement: This information is being collected for applications to the National Register of Historic Places to nominate properties for listing or determine eligibility for listing, to list properties, and to amend existing listings. Response to this request is required to obtain a benefit in accordance with the National Historic Preservation Act, as amended (16 U.S.C.460 et seq.). Estimated Burden Statement: Public reporting burden for this form is estimated to average 100 hours per response including time for reviewing instructions, gathering and maintaining data, and completing and reviewing the form. Direct comments regarding this burden estimate or any aspect of this form to the Office of Planning and Performance Management. U.S. Dept. of the Interior, 1849 C. Street, NW, Washington, DC.

LOUISIANA COCA-COLA BOTTLING CO. PLANT, ORLEANS PARISH, LA

NOLA GIS, Source: Esri, DigitalGlobe, GeoEye, Earthstar Geographics, CNES/Airbus DS, USDA,USGS, AeroGRID, IGN, and the GIS User Community

City of New Orleans Property ViewerJanuary 31, 2020

Displayed information is a product of the City of New OrleansEnterprise GIS Database. The City of New Orleans does notassume any liability for damages arising from errors, omissions, oruse of this information as it is intended for the display of relativepositions and locations only. Legend contents are dependent onthe type of information added to the web application and may notbe fully represented. This preliminary vers ion map document isdistributed solely for purposes of peer review.

0 0.075 0.150.0375 mi

0 0.1 0.20.05 kmLOUISIANA COCA-COLA BOTTLING CO. PLANT, ORLEANS PARISH, LA

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