I am surprised at how often I hear that restoration work is “ruining history”. Hey, nobody loves a patina more than me! The crumbling old tombs, covered with ferns, are indeed beautiful, but like any structure they need maintenance. he traditional lime-based materials used to construct the tombs are intended to be limewashed once a year to keep them intact. For generations they received this maintenance from families on All Saints Day, but sadly this tradition has become less common. When preservationists restore a long neglected tomb, its change in appearance may appear shocking. In reality, it is being restored to how it was originally intended to look. There is evidence that many tombs in the Creole cemeteries were limewashed bright colors including yellow, rust red, and blue. This is how their residents wanted to be remembered. And without restoration they will crumble into dust, sooner rather than later. And then nobody gets any patinas.