Old Ursuline Convent - New Orleans, LA
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N 29° 57.652 W 090° 03.642
15R E 783662 N 3318084
The Old Ursuline Convent, the oldest building in the Mississippi Valley, is located at 1100 Chartres Street in the French Quarter of New Orleans, Louisiana.
Waymark Code: WM12DEW
Location: Louisiana, United States
Date Posted: 05/04/2020
Views: 1
The Old Ursuline Convent was designed in 1745, completed in 1752-1753 and occupied until 1824 by Ursuline nuns as a convent, orphanage and school for girls. This historic building is now home to a brilliant museum with both permanent and changing exhibits.
The Old Ursuline Convent’s facade is simple, with twelve bays, two floors and an attic level made of three dormers. The structure uses brick-between-post construction covered by a white plaster, simulating stone on the corners and central bay. The doors and windows use simple molding while a pediment underscores the main entrance. Having many doors and windows available and across from each other is a feature that was developed specifically for this climate as a way to battle the oppressive heat and humidity. Placing the doors and windows parallel creates a cross ventilation, forcing warm interior air out and cool outside air in.
According to the National Parks Service, “This is the finest surviving example of French Colonial public architecture in the country, Louis XV in style, formal and symmetrical, with restrained ornament. It was constructed between 1748 and 1752 for nuns whose mission was to nurse the poor and teach young girls”. (October 9, 1960, designation of the convent as a National Historic Landmark)
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