Five sites in New Orleans have been chosen to receive $400,000 in preservation grants for restoration work.

The funding, announced Tuesday, is being provided through the Partners in Preservation program led by American Express and the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

The sites were chosen based on criteria including their historic, architectural and cultural significance; proven community support; role as community gathering spaces; damage from Hurricane Katrina in 2005; and their ability to complete restoration work within a year, according to a news release for the project.

The sites, and their awards, are:

-- St. James AME Church, $100,000 for repairs of the pressed tin ceiling and sanctuary walls;

-- St. Alphonsus Art & Culture Center, $80,000 to restore its front portico;

-- St. Augustine Parish Hall, $75,000 for work on the roof and repairs to a balcony floor and ceiling;

-- Odyssey House, $75,000 for window and shutter replacement;

-- Lafayette Cemetery No. 1, $70,000 for stabilization of the perimeter wall and wall vaults and installation of a drainage system.

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)