French Quarter (Vieux Carré) Historic District New Orleans, Louisiana

Text courtesy of the National Register of Historic Places, a program of the National Parks Service. Minor transcription errors or changes in formatting may have occurred; please see the Nomination Form PDF for official text. Some information may have become outdated since the property was nominated for the Register.

The Vieux Carre is an urban area of about 120 blocks set along the Mississippi River. It is the original portion of the city of New Orleans (founded in 1718) and was once enclosed by fortifications. The district features a mixture of Creole and various American styles of architecture and has not experienced a significant loss of integrity since its historic period.

Unlike much of the New Orleans area, the Vieux Carre is above sea level, although the terrain is flat. Local streets were first laid out by French engineers under the direction of Adrien de Pauger. The earliest extant map dates from 1721. His grid plan culminated in an open parade ground in the center of the river side (present-day Jackson Square). This open space featured a church at its head and soldiers' barracks on either side. The only major change in the plan occurred in the 1830's when Exchange Alley was cut through the middle of several blocks.

In 1788 and again in 1794 disastrous fires destroyed much of the then city. As a result, little remains from the eighteenth century in the district. Nonetheless, eighteenth century architectural tendencies continued into the nineteenth century and gave the Vieux Carre its distinctive regional heritage.

Historic Surveys

There have been two historic structures surveys conducted in the Vieux Carre in the past fifteen years. The first was conducted in 1268 by architecture students at Tulane University. It produced a map which was essentially an attempt to cover each block and "pigeonhole" the structures according to various style-date categories. The map has been adjusted by the National , Register staff to bring it up to 1983. It has also been spot-checked against fifty sample block-long streetscapes to test its accuracy. Based upon this, the National Register staff feels confident In asserting that the present updated map is at least 95% reliable.

The adjusted map yields the following style-date breakdown. (This does not include dependencies.) The date for each property is determined by-the present exterior appearance of the main building. [See PDF for table.]

The survey did not produce a written inventory or any information about the various building types which characterize the Vieux Carre. This material still does not exist. However, in preparing this application, the National Register staff felt that some idea of the local building types and their breakdown and distribution would be desirable. The problem was that time did not permit a complete inventory of the district.**

So the staff conducted a partial second survey. This amounted to a 10% random sampling of the Vieux Carre building stock. The district was divided into twelve more or less equal sections and a block was chosen in each at random to be surveyed. This work was conducted on September 21, 22 and 23, 1983. The second survey yielded the following building type breakdown: [See PDF for table.]

** This application had to be prepared as quickly as possible because numerous ERTA projects were hanging in the balance. Obviously a complete inventory of the district would have been beyond the scope of the state staff, The only other alternative would have been to procure a survey grant through Survey and Planning monies. But given the grants cycle and the availability of funds, it would not have been possible to complete the survey until July of 1985. This would have meant a two year delay in submitting this application.

The Creole Heritage

Opinions differ about the true ethnic derivation of Creole archetypes. The Vieux Carre was under French and Spanish rule during the eighteenth century and both presumably left a cultural imprint. In addition, some "Creole" features are seen in English vernacular architecture.

It seems best not to involve this application in the debate over the ultimate source of Creole architecture. This distinct body of features is generally thought of as indigenous to early New Orleans, whatever its derivation. So, for purposes of this application, it will simply be labled as Creole and the discussion will proceed on that basis.

Rear courtyards are one of the Vieux Carre's best known Creole associated features. From the earliest times, most structures were built directly on the street without a setback. Open spaces in the rear were isolated from the street and were enclosed by walls and dependencies. As a result, the interior of each block became a honeycomb of private spaces — in effect, an environment unto itself totally apart from the street. Courtyards and dependencies are very much in evidence in the district today. Despite infill and subsequent redevelopment, close to fifty percent of the Vieux Carre's contributing elements still have them. In some cases the main building has been replaced or substantially altered while the old dependency has been retained. Most dependencies are linear galleried shed roof structures placed either parallel or perpendicular to the rear of the main building. In their day these dependencies contained kitchens, servants quarters, and other service areas. It seems clear that the Creole influence was the main cultural impetus behind the use of courtyards and dependencies. As the Creole style waned they were less and less a factor in lot planning.

The local Creole style is generally characterized by a light neo-classical feeling, but it also has a tendency for greater richness than the Greek Revival which succeeded it.

Typical Creole features include:

1. Delicate pilasters, especially at the corners of buildings.
2. Slight, almost meager looking cornices, some of which have dentils or carved garlands.
3. Slightly flared, overhanging eaves.
4. The use of balconies and galleries.
5. The extensive use of French doors, even on upper stories without balconies,
6. Segmentally arched dormers,
7. A tendency for multiple angles at corners.
8. Slight lintels over windows and doors.
9. The extensive use of round arch openings on the ground story.
10. Wraparound mantels.
11. The use of paneled effects on building facades.

In terms of the Tulane Survey, the above descriptions cover the first four periods (1818-1835) — i.e., French Colonial, Spanish Colonial, Post Colonial and Transitional. For purposes of this application all four are lumped under the general heading of the Creole style, Although French doors remained popular in the Vieux Carre for much of the nineteenth century, most other Creole features were going out of fashion by the 1840's. However, local Creole plan types and building forms persisted somewhat longer.

Creole Building Types:

1. The Creole Townhouse (18%): This is a two or more story building with an open passageway or carriageway leading from the street to the rear courtyard. The staircase is set on the rear gallery and is exposed to the air. Usually there is an arcade or loggia separating the staircase from the open courtyard, In some cases the loggia extends to more than one side of the courtyard. There are usually no interior hallways, but often there are cabinets. The Creole townhouse dates from the eighteenth century and it continued to be built into the Italianate period (1870's). Some later examples came under the American influence and were built with interior side halls in addition to their exterior carriageways. (See attached plan of typical Creole townhouse.)

2. The Creole cottage (19%): This is a one or one-and-a-half story, pitched roof house, one or two rooms wide, with a hall-less plan. In addition to being an impor­tant house type in the Vieux Carre, the Creole cottage is also the archetypal basis of the Creole plantation house. Unlike rural examples, most Creole cottages in the Vieux Carre do not have front galleries. The house is usually set directly on the street front and hence there is no room for the customary gallery. However, most examples have a front eave which overhangs a foot or so, which should probably be regarded as a gesture in the direction of a gallery. Most Creole cottages in the Vieux Carre are two rooms deep and many have cabinets at the rear. Most have a rear gallery where the attic staircase (if there is one) is located. The Creole cottage dates from the very earliest times in the Vieux Carre and it continued to be built into the late-nineteenth century. It embraces the Creole style, the Greek Revival style, the Italianate style, and the florid late Italianate style with its huge brackets. The reason one does not see Eastlake or Queen Anne Revival Creole cottages is because these elaborate styles did not lend themselves to such a simple form. This phenomenon is interesting because it shows one of the aspects of the transition between the Creole and the American building traditions. Even though the Creole tradition was locally on the wane in the late-nineteenth century, it still made itself felt because it helped determine which of the fashionable American styles would be used and which would not. The Creole cottage also carried on the Creole traditions in that very few of even the latest ones were built with interior side halls.

3. The entresol house: This is a special type of Creole commercial building which has a half story between the first and second floors. The first story is used for commercial space, the half story for storage, and the second story for living space. Only about fifteen of these entresol houses survive in the Vieux Carre, which is why they were not noted as a major building type in the survey results.

The American Tradition:

The East Coast American architectural influence began to be strongly felt in the Vieux Carre during the Greek Revival period (1830's). The Vieux Carre had already developed a tight block pattern with deep and narrow lots oriented to rear court­ yards when the Americans came. This existing development pattern helped determine the character of American development in the district. For example, the wide central hall plan house, an American favorite, was almost unknown in the Vieux Carre, although a great many of them were built in the nearby Garden District. Likewise, the American practice of setting a house back from the street so as to provide for a front yard, was hardly ever followed in the Vieux Carre. Moreover, as the nineteenth century waned, there were no great picturesque piles such as there were in other parts of New Orleans, even though nineteen percent of the district's architecture dates from this period. The Americans continued the rear courtyard tradition for most of the nineteenth century. They also continued the tradition of second story balconies. But instead of the delicate columnless verandas of the Creole townhouses, the Americans employed heavy cast-iron galleries, mainly in the Italianate and Rococo styles.

American immigrants employed the following major building types in the Vieux Carre:

1. The two story side hall plan house (12.5%): Actually this can be a house of more than two stories. Nicknamed the "top sided London house" by Benjamin Latrobe, it was the largest type of house the Americans built with any frequency in the district. Most examples are three bays wide, and at least two rooms deep, with an interior side hall which contains the staircase, Usually there is a rear kitchen wing with servants quarters above. The side hall house began to be built in the 1820's and lasted into the twentieth century, embracing the Greek Revival, Italianate, and Queen Anne Revival styles.

2. The shotgun house (13%): Experts disagree as to the origin of the shotgun house. It is identified here as an American house type because thousands of them were built by American speculators in all parts of New Orleans. In effect it became an American type. Its heyday in the Vieux Carre was the late nineteenth century; it was not seen much before that time. The Vieux Carre is similar to the rest of New Orleans in that most of its shotgun houses are doubles. However, unlike the rest of the city, Vieux Carre shotguns are almost exclusively Italianate. Moreover, there are very few side hall shotgun houses and relatively few camel backs, In addition, very few shotguns have porches; most conform to the solid streetscape wall set by the Creole cottages. Here again the existing Creole development helped determine the character of the American development.

3. The two story shotgun house (9%): These occur as both single and double houses, Although there are a few mid-nineteenth century examples, most date from the late- nineteenth or early-twentieth centuries. Most followed the current styles of their periods of construction, but in a low key way.

4. Commercial buildings (16%): Many Vieux Carre houses were built as half commercial- half residential structures in the traditional way. The district's first exclusively commercial buildings date from the 1830's, These are similar in appearance to domestic buildings except that they tend to be a story or two taller. In general the upper stories were used for office and storage space. Early commercial buildings continued the local tradition of having a rear open courtyard and dependency. But in the late-nineteenth century they began to occupy the entire lot. By and large, it was not until the turn of the century that they began to exceed the Vieux Carre's four story scale. Even after the turn of the century relatively few tall buildings were built. Later commercial buildings were often elaborately styled, but they did not reflect any local stylistic preference. They are of a type that could have been built in any large American town. Styles include Renaissance Revival, Arts and Crafts, neo-Baroque, and neo-classical.

5. Industrial Buildings (3%): These are mainly warehouses of four stories or less. Most date from the early-twentieth century and feature some form of low key styling-- mainly Arts and Crafts. Like the district's later commercial buildings, they are similar to contemporaneous buildings in other American cities.

American styles include:

1. Greek Revival (c.1835-c.1860): On the whole, the Greek Revival buildings of the Vieux Carre are heavy and relatively plain, with flat facades which conform to the street front. There are almost no columnar galleries of the type found in the nearby Garden District. There is also almost no evidence of the florid late Greek Revival style. The only exception to this is the ornate cast-iron galleries which some of them have over the sidewalk. The lack of Grecian columns can be seen as an effect of the tight block pattern set by the existing Creole development.

2. Italianate (c.1850-c.l900): Aside from numerous cast-iron galleries, the main imprints of the Italianate style in the Vieux Carre were brackets, quoins, shallow arch windows and doors, and ornate lintels. Essentially these features were applied to flat fronted buildings. The elaborate massing and columnar galleries found on Italianate buildings in other parts of the city are not found in the Vieux Carre. The Italianate style remained popular in the district to the end of the nineteenth century, eclipsing the Queen Anne Revival and Eastlake styles.

3. Eastlake and Queen Anne Revival (c.1880-c.l900): As previously mentioned, these styles are not as much in evidence in the Vieux Carre as they are in other parts of the city. Even where they exist they take the form of a shallow porch or a gable roof. The picturesque irregularity which is associated with these styles was simply not suited to the tight block pattern of the district.

4. Early-twentieth century neo-classical (c.1900-1933): This style represents the bulk of the district's early-twentieth century buildings. Although most are rather low key, with just a few applied details on a regular facade, some are opulently Beaux Arts.

5. Arts and Crafts style (c. 1900-1933): Some of the district's brick warehouses and industrial buildings have touches of geometrical ornaments which seem to be remotely derived from the Arts and Crafts movement. These are a distinct minority among period buildings in the district.

Building Type Distribution:

The area around Jackson Square has an overall three plus story scale and the district's highest proportion of Creole townhouses (almost 50%). It also has a high proportion of two story side hall plan houses (about 25%).

The southwest end of the district has a four story scale with the highest proportion of commercial and industrial buildings (75%). About 20% of them have rear courtyards and dependencies.

The center of the district around Bourbon Street has a mixed scale of one to four stories and a mixture of building types. The Creole influence is evident in an overall proportion of 25% Creole townhouses and 25% Creole cottages, most of which retain their courtyards and dependencies. About 15% of the buildings are shotgun houses, about 10% are two story shotgun houses, and about 25% are two story side hall plan houses. More than half of these American house types have courtyards and dependencies.

With the exception of Rampart Street and Esplanade Avenue, the northern third of the district has the lowest scale. Few buildings are even one and a half stories high. Creole cottages and shotgun houses are split about 50-50 and there is a small admixture of Creole townhouses. Most of the Creole cottages have rear courtyards and dependencies, while most of the shotgun houses do not. Although it is often hard to define commercial versus residential areas of the Vieux Carre, this area is the most residential in character of all the local neighborhoods.

The Rampart Street edge has a two to three story commercial character, but many of the structures are traditional building types which have been renovated for commercial purposes.

The Esplanade Avenue edge has a two to four story grand residential character which is characterized mainly by two story side hall plan houses.

Building Materials:

Most of the but!dings in the Vieux Carre are masonry, either stucco or exposed brick. In addition, some of the earlier Creole cottages feature bricks-between- posts construction. Brick construction predominated because the use of wood was prohibited after the general conflagrations of 1788 and 1794. Wood construction did not re-emerge until the late-nineteenth century. Even then it was used only for smaller buildings -- for example, shotgun houses.

Contributing Elements:

The basis of the district's architectural significance is the gradual shift from the Creole to the American influence, This shift took place between about 1820 and 1900; hence the buildings which date from this period obviously must be regarded as contributing elements. The buildings before c.1820 and the buildings between c.1900 and 1933 are also listed as contributing elements because they materially illustrate the ends of the transition spectrum. The pre-c.1820 buildings are pure Creole while the c.1900 to 1933 buildings illustrate the final triumph of mainstream America.

It is interesting to note that the early 1930's represents something of an end of an era for the Vieux Carre. Even as the American influence had consolidated its total dominance, there was a revival of interest in the old Creole style. This culminated in the passage in 1936 of an ordinance to protect the Vieux Carre's historic character.

NB: The dates noted above are only approximations. There are no hard and fast dates for "pure Creole," "pure American," and the transition between the two.

Intrusions:

The district has an overall intrusions rate of 13.5%, which is well within the normally acceptable range. Most of the intrusions conform more or less to the district's historic four story streetscape. The vast majority of these are deliberately styled to imitate the existing building stock. Hence they do not significantly disturb the streetscape character. Those which have modern designs are generally innocuous and their impact is minimal. There are, however, two modern skyscrapers in the district, both of which are in the extreme southern corner. Their presence is regrettable, but at least they are on the periphery, and from most places in the district they appear as nothing more than skyscrapers off in the distance. In addition, because they are on the edge, they do not interrupt the district's character. Given the above, in our opinion, the historic character of the Vieux Carre is intact despite the intrusions.

Assessment of Integrity:

For purposes of this application, historic buildings which have been significantly modified at a later date are considered to date from the period of their alterations. These are not all intrusions; in fact, most are not. For example, there are numerous mid-nineteenth century buildings which received new fronts in the late-nineteenth century. Post-1933 alterations have not made a significant impact upon the district's stock of contributing elements. Very few of the residences have been noticeably altered on the exterior. Virtually all of the contributing commercial buildings are intact above the first story. (If they are not, they are generally not considered to be contributing elements for purposes of this application.) In 85-90%* of the contributing commercial buildings, the alterations have not disturbed the basic geometry of the shopfront.

*This figure is based upon a projection from the SHPO survey.

The Esplanade Avenue Boundary

When the Vieux Carre Historic District was originally designated, the north­ eastern boundary was Esplanade Avenue. When we began preparing this renomination, it was our understanding that this was still the case. However, in 1977 historians from the National Park Service restudied the district boundaries and decided that the properties on both sides of Esplanade Avenue should be included in the Vieux Carre. (This entailed overlapping the Faubourg Marigny Historic District, N.R., 1974.) We discovered that the official NHL boundary now runs along the rear property line of the buildings which front onto the northeastern side of Esplanade Avenue.

This created a problem for us because none of the documentation we had prepared referred to this additional strip of land. To solve this problem, Patrick Andrus suggested we make the following official statement: For the record, the northeastern boundary of the district follows the rear property line of the properties which front onto the northeastern side of Esplanade Avenue. The character of this additional area is very similar to the southwestern side of Esplanade Avenue.