Art Egg History

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History Originally, ArtEgg Studios was owned by Mrs. V. Hill Penich and her husband Bill Penick as a warehouse for H.G. Hill Stores. After which the warehouse was sold to L. Frank and Company (est. 1892) , the region’s major produce wholesaler featuring American Beauty Butter and Eggs. Loubat Frank n 1964. The original American Beauty advertisements on the side of the building and the prominent front flagpole remain as a tribute to the grand old building’s history. American Beauty’s “Everybody Loves a Good Egg,” sign can be seen from the Broad Street overpass and remains the motto for ArtEgg Studios. L. Frank and Co. rented the warehouse from 1988 to 1997. A lack of maintenance and a fire resulted in major damage and the building was sold at auction to to Invest-Rich, LLC, which began to rebuild and to attract tenants interested in the creative arts. In May 2001, Esther Dyer bought the building and symbolically renamed it ArtEgg Studios to demonstrate her commitment to the building’s history, her love of the Arts, and New Orleans’s cultural heritage. The warehouse quickly became a flagship for artists, designers, and collectors, who wished to usethe building’s space and unique design. Similarly, as the concrete structure was well-suited to maintain the freshness of produce, the first floor also operated as an ideal setting for the storage of art, antiques and craftsmen. The second floor with its panoramic windows provide great light and an ideal work environment for artists, conservators, nonprofits and creative people. In March 2002, Caro Foods, the current distributor of American Beauty products, restored several of the original signs lining the building to maintain with the building’s new theme and artisanship. Like much of New Orleans, ArtEgg Studios was severely damaged by Hurricane Katrina. Her forceful winds tore open the roof like that of the Super Dome’s, located only 7 blocks away and floodwaters were up to 12” in the building. Unlike its neighbors, ArtEgg’s first floor is 8’ above street level But still, without its protective roof, the old tongue and groove floors suffered major damage as did the interior walls. With its concrete structure, the exterior walls remained intact. To immediately help the community, ArtEgg Studios housed more than 170 Common Ground volunteers and students on a “different kind of spring break” , becoming a hub for Post-Katrina Relief efforts. Volunteers helped to gut ArtEgg as they staged work efforts for the Ninth Ward. Nearing the end of its rebuilding stage, ArtEgg Studios remained creative and dynamic space for artists, collectors, and community advocates. ArtEgg is dedicated to rebuilding in an environmentally and culturally sustainable way and to integrating sustainable design elements in its renovation. Now more than evern, our community is giving birth to new, creativity ideas and focused on preserving New Orleans’s arts and heritage, while applying methods that are most sound to the environment. Since its inception, the ArtEgg warehouse has remained a symbol for rebuilding and renewal.
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History

Originally, ArtEgg Studios was owned by Mrs. V. Hill Penich and her husband Bill Penick as a warehouse for H.G. Hill Stores. After which the warehouse was sold to L. Frank and Company (est. 1892) , the region’s major produce wholesaler featuring American Beauty Butter and Eggs. Loubat Frank n 1964. The original American Beauty advertisements on the side of the building and the prominent front flagpole remain as a tribute to the grand old building’s history. American Beauty’s “Everybody Loves a Good Egg,” sign can be seen from the Broad Street overpass and remains the motto for ArtEgg Studios.

L. Frank and Co. rented the warehouse from 1988 to 1997. A lack of maintenance and a fire resulted in major damage and the building was sold at auction to to Invest-Rich, LLC, which began to rebuild and to attract tenants interested in the creative arts.

In May 2001, Esther Dyer bought the building and symbolically renamed it ArtEgg Studios to demonstrate her commitment to the building’s history, her love of the Arts, and New Orleans’s cultural heritage. The warehouse quickly became a flagship for artists, designers, and collectors, who wished to usethe building’s space and unique design. Similarly, as the concrete structure was well-suited to maintain the freshness of produce, the first floor also operated as an ideal setting for the storage of art, antiques and craftsmen. The second floor with its panoramic windows provide great light and an ideal work environment for artists, conservators, nonprofits and creative people. In March 2002, Caro Foods, the current distributor of American Beauty products, restored several of the original signs lining the building to maintain with the building’s new theme and artisanship.

Like much of New Orleans, ArtEgg Studios was severely damaged by Hurricane Katrina. Her forceful winds tore open the roof like that of the Super Dome’s, located only 7 blocks away and floodwaters were up to 12” in the building. Unlike its neighbors, ArtEgg’s first floor is 8’ above street level But still, without its protective roof, the old tongue and groove floors suffered major damage as did the interior walls. With its concrete structure, the exterior walls remained intact.

To immediately help the community, ArtEgg Studios housed more than 170 Common Ground volunteers and students on a “different kind of spring break” , becoming a hub for Post-Katrina Relief efforts. Volunteers helped to gut ArtEgg as they staged work efforts for the Ninth Ward.

Nearing the end of its rebuilding stage, ArtEgg Studios remained creative and dynamic space for artists, collectors, and community advocates. ArtEgg is dedicated to rebuilding in an environmentally and culturally sustainable way and to integrating sustainable design elements in its renovation. Now more than evern, our community is giving birth to new, creativity ideas and focused on preserving New Orleans’s arts and heritage, while applying methods that are most sound to the environment.

Since its inception, the ArtEgg warehouse has remained a symbol for rebuilding and renewal.