As two Louisiana State Museum board members arrived at Madame John’s Legacy in New Orleans’ French Quarter on Aug. 10, the smell of freshly cut wood hit their noses.
Inside the state-owned 18th century building, which is designated as a museum but closed to the public, wooden beams had been chopped into blocks and were stacked against a wall. Nearby, what looked like a shutter was covered in sawdust, and painted pieces of stairs had been cut into pieces.
Other architectural components appeared to be missing, according to the board members, Kim Abramson and Kevin Kelly, who also run a group set up to support programming at Madame John’s Legacy under an agreement with the state. They said state museum employees were on site when they arrived, and Abramson shared photos of the visit…