The losing battle to keep New Orleans' Historic Architectural style

94 French Market Place, Photographed by Cara Harpole April 23, 2008                                                  

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The losing battle to keep New Orleans' Historic Architectural style

Written by Cara Harpole, a New Orleans Native

New Orleans is a culturally rich city known for its food, history and architecture.  The cobble stone streets in the French Quarters, or the opulent Garden District homes distinguishes this city from the rest.   The "Shot Gun" houses and the Victorian styled homes in the Garden district are a part of the city's identity.   Many envision a distinctive mysterious city trapped in time.  The old world environment is why so many movies are filmed here and keep tourist  coming.   These things are all important to those who hold New Orleans dear.  Unfortunately,  which is so important to its cultural identity  is losing its hold.  This  type of architecture theory is a method of construction  which takes into account local resources and traditions reflecting the environmental, cultural and historical context. 

Imagine a pot of figurative Gumbo,  fusing Spanish, French, American, African  and Creole blends, with a sprinkle of Native American.   That's the the essence of the city.  A little bit of this, and a little bit of that–making it easily recognized as truly New Orleans in photos, film  or any digital imagery. 

Photographed by Cara Harpole

We natives hold  those positive attributes  dear.  The historical societies  have fought for over 100 years to preserve the rich heritage of the city.   Sadly,  changing times are bring on changing attitudes and new challenges.

Part New Orleans' unique old world charm is slowly fading.  This transition has actually taken place in the past 60 or more years starting with the tearing town of beautiful architecture wonders of various eras.  One  such building that disappeared was the grand old French Opera House.    

The Old French Opera House

It was known as a cultural treasure for the French speaking Creole population.  It was built in 1859, burned down in 1919 and never rebuilt to its original grandeur.  The towering old Masonic Temple, built in a neo-Gothic style was another marvel.  ( I have never seen a Gothic style building of this magnitude in New Orleans)  It was replaced by another building no where near the same splendor as the first.  

Neo-Gothic Style Masonic Temple

We have witnessed the commercialization of the French Quarters in more recent times.  It might be hard to image the degree of  depopulation  of the French Quarters.  Ask any old timer and they will tell you that the French

Quarters was heavily populated with residents of the city.   It was not as touristy as it is today. 

In the rush to to "cleanse"  the city from landladies and prostitutes the mansions of the notorious sinful Storyville were leveled and replaced with a massively ordinary brick housing project.  (The city tried its best to bury the history of Storyville). 

Old Storyville Mansions were replaced by Housing projects

The Rivergate Convention Center, once a historical landmark and architecture marvel was replaced with Harris Casino, which sits like a sore thumb in the city's business district near the river.    

Rivergate Convention Center

Each decade represented a lost in the true essence of the old city.  Some were natural progressions and others were at the hands of people with little cultural investment in the city,  intellect or vision.  Politicians held on to the commercialization of the French Quarters to attract tourist as a  mechanism for  revenues.   Others saw change as progress into a new era.  Some of the changes cost New Orleans her cultural identity.  

In the Post Hurricane Katrina era there was a rush to rebuild the city.  Many historic homes were torn down only to be replaced by the most atrocious modern day architectural styles.  I am sure these designers  had good intentions, but there is no excuse for the lack of cultural integrity  of the out of touch monstrosities they built.

Gone was the vernacular architectural style of New Orleans, the old creole cottages with the wooden shutters and French doors,  Caribbean style doubles, galleried shotgun, four-bay shotgun, camel backs, or the 9th Ward Victorians.   In with the Lead certified modern-cracker-jack-boxed homes with the single shed roofs, with no style, no cultural blending–just plain ugly.  

Example of raised home - poor design  - Cara Harpole

Excellent example of Vernacular Architecture, good redesign - 

Photographed by Cara Harpole

Another trend in the 7th Ward (Gentilly area) stemmed around the idea of lifting homes to the heavens.   These homes on stilts were what you would find in a fishing village.  They stood out like sore thumbs in the neighborhood.  Other mixed matched styles could be found in the area.   The architects who designed these houses-of-Frankenstein should be forced to live in them.  It does not end here.

The most painful change post Katrina (in my opinion) was the commercializing of the Old French market.   

Currently, just another tourist trap, the old market is history

 

This market had been in continuous operation for over 100 years.  I remember my mother taking me to the French Market to purchase fresh sugar cane and fruit.  The men would call out their little ditty to get customers.  I can recall seeing sugar  cane stacked to the ceilings.  The pre-cut canes were neatly partially covered in foil.  Oh how I miss those days.

Today the market is a tourist trap–nothing different, nothing uniquely New Orleans.  An entire century of history has been lost and unfortunately the citizens of New Orleans never really had a voice in the matter.

These changes inspired me to return to school and study Architecture and Engineering Computer Aided Design.  My own home remains as it was post Hurricane Katrina.   I developed a love and appreciation for architecture after seeing my beloved city under water for 2 weeks.   I was modified at the thought of the shear lost.  All of the things I took for granted for so many years became dear to me.  I will now join the fight to preserve New Orleans architecture heritage, but at the same time not fear new ideas that enhances what we hold dear.