In Louisiana, history isn’t relegated to books. It’s a tangible thing. We see and interact with it every day in many ways, but especially in our architecture.

A new hour-long documentary by the Louisiana Architecture Foundation, “Ancestral Artistry: The Influence of Africans & Creoles of Color on Louisiana Architecture,” shines a light on how building practices and the master craftsmen who perfected them developed here by exploring the times that shaped the people. The film will be shown Nov. 7 at 7 p.m. at the Historic BK House & Gardens, 1113 Chartres St. in New Orleans.

Eddie Cazayoux, an architect and member of the LAF board of regents who had a large role in creating the film, described recently what he hopes will be the main takeaway from it: “I want the people of Louisiana, or anywhere, to understand the uniqueness of what took place here as a colony. Things happened here that you don’t find happening anywhere else ... a cultural strata here that was a unique situation. Architecture and craftsmanship are a part of that.”

Cazayoux is referring to the way enslaved people were treated differently in Louisiana than in most areas, and how a mix of bloodlines evolved.

Master plasterer Jeff M. Poree Sr.; Jonn Hankins, founder of the New Orleans Master Crafts Guild; and master blacksmith Darryl Reeves assess the Craftsmen's Tomb in St. Louis Cemetery No. 2 in an early scene from 'Ancestral Artistry.'

A brief history

The French Code Noir, established in 1724, spelled out treatment of enslaved people in south Louisiana that in some ways was more humane than in other places.

About four decades later, the Spanish version of the code gave enslaved people the right to work on Sundays for themselves and to save the money they earned through their skills and labor. Some were able to purchase their freedom.

As free people of color, they could own property, open businesses and more.

Relationships between male colonists and free women of color or slaves were accepted, and any resulting children — Creoles — were typically cared for and educated by their fathers and could inherit property.

This created an unusual three-tiered society, with free people of color in the middle, cultural historian Lynette Dolliole Johnson explains in the film.

When the American government came along, however, everything changed. Black heritage, no matter how remote, legally relegated one to an inferior status.

Work begins on the tomb.

Left reeling and with educational opportunities diminished, many Creoles turned to the trades. That’s at least partially why building crafts began being passed down generationally, according to the film.

There were other factors as well, Cazayoux noted. As Louisiana grew, more slaves with building skills were brought in, and many were being trained by French and Canadian craftsmen.

Back to the present

While the documentary is a fascinating walk through history, it begins closer to the present, with a group of experts assessing the Craftsmen’s Tomb in New Orleans’ St. Louis Cemetery No. 2 and discussing the magnitude of the repair project they are planning.

“It’s going to take all the knowledge we’ve got,” New Orleans master plasterer Jeff M. Porée Sr. says.

Their plans to restore the dangerously dilapidated structure (there’s even a tree growing out of it) usher in a conversation about the long family lines of Louisiana craftsmen and the architecture they created, which segues nicely into the following “chapters.” Also introduced are New Orleans master craftsmen including brick mason Teddy Pierre Jr., who died during the film's production, and blacksmith Darryl A. Reeves.

Viewers will learn how the early French builders modified their native cool-weather styles to fit Louisiana’s hot, humid climate. Porches, high ceilings, dormers and transoms are features we live with today, but an in-depth look at the reasons they were added is enlightening.

The narrative comes full circle with the completion of the Craftsmen’s Tomb project, and a conversation on not only preserving historic architecture, but also the skills to restore it.

“With architectural treasures comes the need to have craftsmen who can work on them. Men now in their 70s or older have time to transfer knowledge they have,” says Jonn E. Hankins. Hankins is a co-founder of the New Orleans Master Crafts Guild , which encourages a new generation to apprentice for training.

Sweeping the dust away as brick restoration begins.

Coming together

Cazayoux helped shape the idea for the film, and is among its cast. He worked closely with Charles Richard, the major researcher for the project. Richard and Connie Castille are credited as co-writers and co-directors.

This is the Louisiana Architecture Foundation's second film. "I've been around for a while and the LAF has done lecture series and put tours together. One major goal is to educate the public on architecture and architects and why they're important and affect most people. A film may reach more people than lectures and tours," Cazayoux said.

He hopes "Ancestral Artistry" may be picked up by Louisiana Public Broadcasting and reach a larger audience.

The film is traveling the state, screening in areas with chapters of the American Institute of Architecture.

When: Nov. 7 at 7 p.m.

Tickets: $20; going fast for the Nov. 7 screening. See louisianaarchitecture.org . An encore New Orleans screening is being planned for later this year.

Email Karen Taylor Gist at .