Julia Street Row - New Orleans, LA
Posted by: 
JimmyEv
N 29° 56.736 W 090° 04.249
15R E 782728 N 3316367
Thirteen cute brick row-houses built in 1833 by the New Orleans Building Company. These houses are an example of American urban residences in the mid-19th century.
Waymark Code: WM14Q7
Location: Louisiana, United States
Date Posted: 01/14/2007
Views: 63
Thirteen brick row-houses fill the block of Julia between Camp and St. Charles. The houses, built in 1833, were designed by architects James H. Dakin and AT Wood. During the 1830s, urban townhouses such as these were popular throughout American cities. The New Orleans Building Company developed several townhouse projects such as this one throughout the American Sector (Faubourg St. Mary’s) of the city. When built, this was the most fashionable residential area of the American sector. Henry Clay was a frequent visitor, and architect Henry Hobson Richardson lived in one of the thirteen buildings. During the later half of the 19th century, as wealthy residents moved further out into the Garden District, the row deteriorated into cheap boarding houses. In the past decade, the row has been restored into ground-level shops with upper residential units.
The houses are separated by brick fire walls, with chimneys, that can be seen punctuating the continuous gable roof line. The units are built in an L-shape, each around a courtyard. A service alley behind the row gives access to these rear courtyards. The ground floor level was originally intended as a series of shops, which they are today. The houses are a transition between the Federal Style and Greek Revival, with the lower three stories being typical Federal style. The attic, however, has a slightly raised roof and heavy wooden Greek Doric entablature instead of the traditional Federal style dormer windows. It’s not known if the houses were originally constructed to be identical, but currently the units are differentiated by the designs in the transoms above the doors.
