About the Honoree

Jacquelyn Brechtel Clarkson, former New Orleans City Council member and Louisiana state representative, is the 2023 recipient of the Schwartz-Gage Award for the preservation of the French Quarter, which is bestowed by the Vieux Carré Property Owners, Residents and Associates (VCPORA) every two years. Jackie Clarkson represented the French Quarter while serving as District C council member and continued to support the historic neighborhood in her capacity as an at-large council member and author of the City of New Orleans Master Plan. She fought to make sure the Master Plan included protections for the French Quarter. Throughout her 24 years as an elected official, Ms. Clarkson was well known for her honesty, hard work, and around-the-clock availability.

 “Over the decades, many elected officials have supported the historic preservation of the French Quarter, but no one has done it quite on the level of Jackie Clarkson,” explains VCPORA President Nathan Chapman. “This is the first time VCPORA is awarding its lifetime Schwartz-Gage Award to someone who held public office.”

She will be honored at a luncheon on Thursday, Sept. 14, 12:30-3:00 p.m. The event at Brennan’s Restaurant, 417 Royal Street, will include a three-course meal, speakers and guests of honor. Tickets start at $75 for an individual and can be purchased from VCPORA here.   

Eugenie Chavanne Schwartz  & Grace Chavanne Gage

The Schwartz-Gage Award is named for these two sisters, whose foresight, leadership, and dedication were major factors in the preservation of the Vieux Carré.

 Grace moved to the Vieux Carre in 1942, when she became involved in the French Quarter’s art scene, community service, and politics.  Her sister Eugenie followed soon thereafter, moving into the neighborhood in 1944.  Both were active members of VCPORA, serving on the board, and numerous committees, and actively participating in public meetings, hearings, and advocacy efforts.  In 1993, Eugenie received the Elizabeth T. Werlein Award, the highest honor offered by the Vieux Carre Commission.

 Over the years, Grace and Eugenie, at times individually but usually together, were involved in every major preservation battle that was fought in the Vieux Carre.  But their true contributions to preservation was their ceaseless participation in the often small, unsung, and unglamorous tasks which they undertook with no goal other than the betterment of the city’s historic neighborhoods.  They were familiar faces to the Vieux Carre Commission, City Planning Commission, and City Council, where they spoke often on preservation, planning, and quality of life matters.  They recognized that poor land use decisions, even those that seemed minor, could chip away, bit by bit, at the essence of a delicate, living historic district such as the Vieux Carre.  These women took a long view, and for decades demonstrated an uncanny ability to get to the heart of a preservation issue – and persuade others to join them.  Their ceaseless commitment still serves as an example to the rest of us.

 In recognition of the contributions of Eugenie Schwartz and Grace Gage, the Vieux Carre Property Owners, Residents and Associates created an award in their names and confers it biannually on a person who has made outstanding contributions to the preservation of the French Quarter.

Past Schwartz-Gage Recipients

2003 – Jean Boebel

 2005 – Freddie Pincus

 2009 – Nathan Chapman                                   

 2011 – Stuart Smith

 2013 – Ray Boudreaux & Steven Scalia

 2015 – Ann Masson

  2017 – Bill Borah

*Image of Jackie Clarkson Courtesy of The Historic New Orleans Collection