Leonard Spangenberg

Leonard Reese Spangenberg Jr. (1925 ― 2007) was an architect whose residential and commercial designs were built primarily in New Orleans, Louisiana, although he had others elsewhere in North America and the Middle East. His training as an architect included serving as an apprentice of Frank Lloyd Wright. He was the founder and principal architect of Leonard R. Spangenberg Jr. & Associates. Spangenberg's distinctive designs included the Plaza Tower skyscraper and the Unity Temple of New Orleans.

Biography Spangenberg was born on November 3, 1925, in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. He served in the United States Navy in the latter part of World War II. He subsequently became an apprentice to architect Frank Lloyd Wright. Spangenberg was a Taliesin Fellow at Wright’s Spring Green, Wisconsin, studio in the years 1946 and 1947. In this way, Spangenberg was first exposed to the design practices of organic architecture.

On completion of his Taliesin Fellowship, Spangenberg enrolled at the Tulane University School of Architecture, graduating from there in 1950. He then served as Wright's supervising apprentice for construction of the Wright-designed Welbie L. Fuller Residence in Pass Christian, Mississippi.

Plaza Tower

Spangenberg's design work on the Plaza Tower office and apartment building began in 1964. While architecturally distinct, the project posed significant engineering challenges and garnered controversy nearly from the start. The location for the building was at the fringe of the New Orleans Central Business District, the intent of the developer being to revitalize that portion of the central business district. Gordon I. Kuhne and Raymond C. Bergeron, who were associates at Leonard R. Spangenberg & Associates, had important roles in the design of the building.

Following completion of the Plaza Tower, Leonard R. Spangenberg & Associates moved its offices to the building, which is located at 1001 Howard Avenue in New Orleans.

While the Plaza Tower skyscraper remains prominent in the New Orleans skyline, its fate is uncertain. Plaza Tower has been vacant since 2002 after toxic mold and asbestos were discovered in the building.

Architecturally, the building has been criticized for being overly complex visually, despite its visual prominence.

In 1965, Spangenberg designed the New Orleans Federal Savings & Loan Building on Chef Menteur Highway in New Orleans East. This eight story building consisted of vertical features suggestive of a pier, with arches near the top, and copper fascia.

Spangenberg also completed various residential projects, including ones in the Lakeview area of New Orleans and in the Lakewood South development.

Following Spangenberg's death, the Tulane University Southeastern Architectural Archive acquired many of Spangenberg’s architectural plans and drawings, including designs that were not constructed and restoration plans for several buildings in the New Orleans French Quarter.