Jesse D. Cannon, Jr., FAIA
United States Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals
Meet the Louisiana Architectural Foundation Board Chairman –
Meet the Louisiana Architectural Foundation Board Chairman – Jesse D. Cannon, Jr., FAIA, has been our Chairman of the Board since 2009. He holds a Bachelor of Architecture from LSU (1972) and a Masters in Urban & Regional Planning from UNO (1991).
He is the Public Sector Architect and Assistant Circuit Executive for Space and Facilities for the United States Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals since 1987. An active member of AIA since 1974 and was elected to the Institute’s College of Fellows (FAIA) in June 2013. Also a retired Captain in the United States Navy Reserve with 40 years of service. He is married with two children.
Why did you decide to get into the field of architecture? I liked the “tangible”-realizing things from drawings to buildings and spaces that are real and that people use and enjoy.
What is your favorite building or space? In New Orleans, it’s the Crescent Park and the H.H. Richardson-designed building (Patrick F. Taylor Library, formerly known as the Howard Memorial Library; now part of the Ogden Museum complex). Beyond New Orleans, it’s Gaudi’s La Sagrada Familia in Barcelona and the Rodin Museum in Paris.
Name an architect that you admire. Antonio Gaudi – he was a century ahead of his time in the world of architectural design, engineering, and construction. The world is only now catching up!
What do you enjoy most about LAF? Or what do you look forward to this year with LAF? I like that LAF is about to embark on a journey of discovery and education for its membership and all of the public that each member touches. If LAF can successfully achieve that, I don’t believe you can do any better than that to make public outreach real.