PRESERVATION EFFORT WILL BENEFIT STE. GENEVIEVE'S HISTORIC STRUCTURES

STE. GENEVIEVE -- A new effort is under way to preserve Ste. Genevieve's historic buildings, some of which were damaged by last year's Mississippi River flood, and to encourage tourism here.

A French Heritage Relief Committee has been appointed by Yves Gaudeul, the French consul general in Chicago, to conduct fund-raising efforts to assist the town. The committee, comprised of Missouri and Illinois residents, is chaired by Homer E. Sayad of St. Louis.

Key to the committee's efforts will be an April 21 French Heritage Relief Gala at the St. Louis Racquet Club in St. Louis. The gala will include a dinner featuring Ste. Genevieve French creole specialties, Missouri wines and dinner-dance music. Also on the program is a mini-auction of "French fantasies," including round trip Air France tickets for two with a full day in Paris as a guest of Vielles Maisons Francaises.

Participating in the gala will be Princesse de La Tour d'Auvergne, president of the Friends of Les Vielles Maisons Francaises, an organization dedicated to historic preservation in France and the United States.

U.S. Sen. Christopher S. Bond and U.S. Rep. Richard Gephardt are honorary chairmen of the black-tie dinner-dance. Fund-raising events to help Ste. Genevieve also will be held at the French Embassy in Washington and in Chicago and Paris.

"The urgent mission of the French Heritage Relief Committee is to stabilize property identified by a recent flood damage survey conducted by the National Trust for Historic Preservation," Gaudeul said. "An additional goal is to stimulate the presence of a professional preservationist-marketer for the ongoing promotion of educational and touristic development."

Among supporters of the committee's work are the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the Missouri Historical Society, the Landmarks Association of St. Louis, and the St. Louis County Historic Buildings Commission.

Reservations for the fund-raising gala range from $125 to $250 per person. For tickets, or to donate, write Paul Free, treasurer, care of Deloitte and Touche, One City Centre, St. Louis, Mo. 63101. More information is available by contacting Elizabeth Gentry Sayad in St. Louis at 367-3062.

Founded in 1935 by French traders and miners, Ste. Genevieve has many buildings dating back to the mid-1700s. The town is said to have more Norman-truss and "poteaux-en-terre" (post-in-the-ground) buildings than any other site in North America.