Garden District, New Orleans

Garden District
New Orleans neighborhood
Streetcar on St. Charles Avenue in the Garden District with Mardi Gras beads on a tree in the foreground
Country United States
State Louisiana
City New Orleans
Planning District District 2, Central City/Garden District
Elevation 3 ft (0.9 m)
Coordinates 29°55′40″N 90°05′05″W / 29.92778°N 90.08472°W / 29.92778; -90.08472Coordinates: 29°55′40″N 90°05′05″W / 29.92778°N 90.08472°W / 29.92778; -90.08472
Area 0.21 sq mi (0.5 km2)
 - land 0.21 sq mi (1 km2)
 - water 0.00 sq mi (0 km2), 0%
Population 1,179 (2010)
Density 5,614 / sq mi (2,168 / km2)
Timezone CST (UTC-6)
 - summer (DST) CDT (UTC-5)
Area code 504

The Garden District is a neighborhood of the city of New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. A subdistrict of the Central City/Garden District Area, its boundaries as defined by the City Planning Commission are: St. Charles Avenue to the north, 1st Street to the east, Magazine Street to the south, and Toledano Street to the west. The National Historic Landmark district extends a little farther.[1]

The area was originally developed between 1832 and 1900 and is considered one of the best-preserved collections of historic mansions in the Southern United States. The 19th-century origins of the Garden District illustrate wealthy newcomers building opulent structures based upon the prosperity of New Orleans in that era. (National Trust, 2006)

Geography

The Garden District is located at 29°55′40″N 90°05′05″W / 29.92778°N 90.08472°W / 29.92778; -90.08472 [2] and has an elevation of 3 feet (0.9 m).[3] According to the United States Census Bureau, the district has a total area of 0.21 square miles (0.5 km2). 0.21 square miles (0.5 km2) of which is land and 0.00 square miles (0.0 km2) (0.0%) of which is water.

Adjacent neighborhoods

Boundaries

The City Planning Commission defines the boundaries of the Garden District as these streets: St. Charles Avenue, 1st Street, Magazine Street and Toledano Street.[4]

The Garden District Association defines the boundaries as both sides of Carondelet Street, Josephine Street, both sides of Louisiana Avenue, and Magazine Street.[5]

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 1,970 people, 1,117 households, and 446 families residing in the neighborhood.[6] The population density was 9,381 /mi² (3,940 /km²).

As of the census of 2010, there were 1,926 people, 1,063 households, and 440 families residing in the neighborhood.[6]

History

Garden District

Corn-stalk fence on the Colonel Short Villa
Location Bounded by Carondelet, Josephine, and Magazine Sts., and Louisiana Ave., New Orleans, Louisiana
Built 1835
Architect Multiple
Architectural style Mid 19th Century Revival, Late Victorian
NRHP Reference # 71000358
Significant dates
Added to NRHP June 21, 1971[7]
Designated NHLD May 30, 1974[1]

This whole area was once a number of plantations, including the Livaudais Plantation. It was sold off in parcels to mainly wealthy Americans who did not want to live in the French Quarter with the Creoles. It became a part of the city of Lafayette in 1833, and was annexed by New Orleans in 1852.[8] The district was laid out by New Orleans architect, planner, and surveyor Barthelemy Lafon.

Originally the area was developed with only a couple of houses per block, each surrounded by a large garden, giving the district its name. In the late 19th century, some of these large lots were subdivided, as Uptown New Orleans became more urban. This has produced a pattern for much of the neighborhood: of any given block having a couple of early 19th-century mansions surrounded by "gingerbread"-decorated late Victorian period houses. Thus, the "Garden District" is now known for its architecture more than for its gardens per se.

A slightly larger district (one block further west to Louisiana, one block farther north to Carondelet, and three blocks farther east to Josephine) was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1974.[1][9]

Landmarks

The George Washington Cable House, at 1313 8th St., is a National Historic Landmark.

Commander's Palace is one of the city's most famous restaurants.

Other neighborhood landmarks include the historic Anshe Sfard synagogue, numerous antebellum mansions, historic Lafayette Cemetery No. 1, and "The Rink", a 19th-century skating rink building that has been converted into a small shopping mall.

Hydrology and storms

The flooding potential in New Orleans has been noted since at least the 1820s. (Bernhard, 1828) Although experiencing wind damage from Hurricane Katrina in 2005, this area on old high ground escaped the extensive flooding of much of the rest of the city (see: Effect of Hurricane Katrina on New Orleans). Wind damage from Katrina was the most noticeable effect. The rate of return of residents after Katrina was almost 100 percent. (National Trust, 2006) Part of the area nearest St. Charles Avenue was surveyed to be only four feet above mean sea level, compared to a Mississippi River height of 14 feet (4.3 m) above sea level; (Hogan, 1990) nevertheless, the Garden District suffered little from Katrina flooding.

Government and infrastructure

The Garden District is within the 6th District of the New Orleans Police Department.[10]

Transportation

The New Orleans Regional Transit Authority provides public transportation.[10] The streetcar is easily accessible from St. Charles Avenue. Streetcar fare is $1.25 per person.

Education

The Louise S. McGehee School

The Garden District is zoned to schools in the New Orleans Public Schools and the Recovery School District.

The charter school Batiste Cultural Arts Academy, in the former Live Oak Elementary School building,[11] is located in the Irish Channel community near the Garden District.[12] Other public elementary schools in the vicinity include Laurel Elementary School (Lower Garden District) and Benjamin Franklin Elementary School. Public high schools in the vicinity include McMain High School and McDonogh 35 High School.[10]

The McGehee School, a private girls' school, is within the boundaries of the Garden District and Association.[5][13] In addition the Trinity School of New Orleans is in the area.[10]

Soulé College, a private school, was located in the Garden District.[14] There was a private school named the Garden District Academy, formed in 1959.[15]

Notable residents

See also

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 "Garden District". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. Retrieved 2008-01-28.
  2. ↑ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
  3. ↑ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  4. ↑ Greater New Orleans Community Data Center. "Garden District Neighborhood". Retrieved 2008-06-21.
  5. 1 2 "About the Association." Garden District Association. Retrieved on March 31, 2010.
  6. 1 2 "Garden District Neighborhood". Greater New Orleans Community Data Center. Retrieved 6 January 2012.
  7. ↑ Staff (2007-01-23). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.
  8. ↑ Louisiana Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism. "Garden District Historical Marker". Retrieved August 9, 2009.
  9. ↑ Paul Goeldner (January 17, 1974). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination: The Garden District of New Orleans" (PDF). National Park Service. and Accompanying 13 photos, exteriors, from 1973 and undated. PDF (4.71 MB)
  10. 1 2 3 4 Houston, Julia. "Neighborhood Profile of the New Orleans Garden District." About.com. Retrieved on March 31, 2010. "Garden District Schools Benjamin Franklin Elementary School Bethune Elementary School Laurel Elementary School McMain High School McDonogh 35 High School Trinity School of New Orleans The Louise S. McGehee School"
  11. ↑ Chang, Cindy. "Katrina rewrites the book on education in New Orleans." The Times-Picayune. Thursday August 26, 2010. Updated Monday May 28, 2012. Retrieved on April 1, 2013. "Last year, the Batiste building on Constance Street in the Garden District was occupied by Live Oak Elementary."
  12. ↑ Vanacore, Andrew. "Batiste Academy in Irish Channel chosen for federal arts program." The Times-Picayune. April 23, 2012. Retrieved on March 30, 2013. "Batiste Cultural Arts Academy, a K-8 charter school of more than 600 students in the Irish Channel neighborhood,[...]" and "Batiste, located on the site of the old Live Oak Elementary, is in the second year of a turnaround effort led by the charter management organization ReNew."
  13. ↑ "Garden District Historic District." (Archive) City of New Orleans Historic District Landmarks Commission. Retrieved on March 30, 2013.
  14. ↑ Sargent, Porter. Private Schools, Volume 27 (Handbook series, Sargent's handbook series). 1940. p. 464. "In the old Garden District are the McGehee School on Prytania Street, and Soulé College at 1410 Jackson Street."
  15. ↑ Carl, p. 52.
  16. ↑ "A Saint in His City: Archie Manning in New Orleans". The New York Times. January 27, 2013.

References

Further reading

Gallery

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External links

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