NEW ORLEANS MAPS - The Garden District History
The Garden District is a large square area bounded by Jackson Avenue, Louisiana Avenue, Magazine St. and St. Charles Ave. It was originally formed when the Livaudais Plantation was divided into plots, c. 1825, and incorporated with two other Faubourgs to create the town of Lafayette. The Garden District was laid out in the 1830s. The construction of the New Orleans and Carrollton Railroad in 1833 spurred development in the area. The Americanization of New Orleans was in full swing.
A new wave of urbanization hit in the 1840s with a new breed of wealthy businessmen. Cotton, wholesale goods such as sugar (which both relied heavily on enslaved Africans working on plantations), and allied fields such as insurance and shipping were the moneymaking activities of this time period. These pursuits generated the money that built the beautiful homes and gardens in the Garden District. These newcomers wanted residential spaces large enough to build the prestigious houses that they felt would outshine the French and Spanish bungalows and townhouses that filled the Vieux Carre.
The area was then annexed to New Orleans in 1852. Essentially suburban in character, the large lots encouraged gardening. It was the American answer to the French Quarter and contemporary with similar developments in picturesque housing in other parts of the United States (although close grouping here makes the Garden District unique), and heavily influenced by the landscape gardening theories of Andrew Jackson Downing. Historically, the earliest houses were constructed near the river. The coming of the railway down Nayades St. (St. Charles Ave.) shifted building activity toward the transportation system. The earliest large house of major importance was the Toby-Westfeldt House (c. 1838), still existing on Prytania St. Construction of distinguished homes continued well into the 1880's and the area remains extremely desirable.
For the most part, Americans who settled in the Garden District shunned local Creole influence. They were more interested in something more permanent that clearly showed their wealth and taste. The one exception to the American rejection of local architecture is the raised center-hall cottage. In the Garden District, the raised cottage typically is a five-bay structure, sometimes made of brick, sometimes with plastered facades and Corinthian columns. These cottages were particularly ornate.
The architecture of the homes is a fusion of classic styles with influence of Spanish, French, Italianate and English, as well as Greek Revival. These homes represent some of the best work of some of the leading-edge architects and builders of the 1800s. Among the architects are James Gallier Sr., James Dakin, Lewis Reynolds, Henry Howard, Frederick Wing, William Freret, Thomas Sully and Thomas Wharton. In many homes, artists were brought from abroad to paint murals or portraits. Bronze chandeliers, marble mantels and statuary were common. These homeowners spared no expense decorating the interiors of their homes.
Spacious, high-ceilinged rooms and well-detailed plaster and woodwork characterized interiors of the mansions in the Garden District. The outside spaces of the homes were equally impressive with ornate cast iron work and fabulous gardens. Many of the houses contain between twenty and thirty rooms and have been very well preserved. A large number of the homes in the Garden District are still in the possession of descendants of the original owners.
Over the years, the Garden District has experienced its share of neglect and demolition. The area's once totally residential character has given way to apartments and commercial buildings. During the Depression, people sold off their large side yards to make money and the buildings that were built during that time were cheap and poorly constructed because money was so scarce. In spite of that, the architecture in the Garden District has fared nicely.
Major restoration projects have been ongoing in the area for the past couple of decades. Because of the absence of historic district status, residents and contractors have enjoyed freedom to renovate as they pleased, sometimes with no regard for architectural detail. Recently, a bill was passed in the state legislature that would grant limited historic district status to the area, establishing a review process for demolitions and new construction.
Many famous faces live in the Garden District, including rock star Trent Reznor and former football great Archie Manning. Anne Rice lived here until retiring to the country this year, but fans can still see the mansions she lived in and the landmarks written about in her vampire novels. The National Park Service offers a free "Faubourg Promenade" tour for an overview of the area, but walking or biking in the district is a better way to absorb everything. Various tours such as Haunted History's tour of the district, cemetery tours, plantation tours, and other walking tours are available, as well as bus tours.