martha Robinson memorial lectures

Now in its 42nd year, the Martha Robinson lecture was established in 1981 as a way to honor Ms. Robinson, a founding member of the organization and a tireless worker for preservation and effective government. The annual event focuses attention on a specific matter of importance to preservation and effective government.

Martha Gilmore Robinson

Martha Gilmore Robinson (1888-1981) was a founding member of the Louisiana Landmarks Society and served as its president from 1958 to 1962. During that time, she fought successfully to keep the old City Hall (now Gallier Hall) from being sold and for it to be used as a cultural center instead. Her leadership in opposing Kaiser Aluminum Company’s planned expansion of the site of the 1814-15 Battle of New Orleans resulted in the donation of 66 acres to expand the National Historic Park at Chalmette. She also opposed the removal of the Canal Streetcar line. Above all, she was a leader in the successful opposition to a proposed riverfront expressway in the Vieux Carré.

Mrs. Robinson also worked tirelessly throughout her life for good government. She was the first president of the New Orleans League of Women Voters and a member of other groups working for honesty in government. Even at the time of her death at age 91, Mrs. Robinson was an active preservationist. Mrs. Robinson received many honors during her lifetime, notably the 1961 Times-Picayune Loving Cup, the Louise Dupont Crowninshield Award of the National Trust for Historic Preservation and the 1977 Harnett T. Kane Preservation Award of the Louisiana Landmarks Society.

The Louisiana Landmarks Society established the annual Martha G. Robinson Memorial Lecture in 1981 as a tribute to this rare individual.