The Upper Pontalba Building—now owned by the City of New Orleans—is on St. Peter … Often referred to as the “oldest apartment building in the U.S.”, the residential apartments offer an unparalleled living experience in New Orleans – one that combines the building’s fascinating history and unique design with classic modern elegance. History. During his visit to the city in 1819, noted architect Benjamin H. B. Latrobe sketched the building admiringly; his impression of the other buildings on the square, however, was not so favorable. [2][3], U.S. National Register of Historic Places, List of National Historic Landmarks in Louisiana, National Register of Historic Places listings in Orleans Parish, Louisiana, "National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination: Pontalba Buildings", History of the National Register of Historic Places, National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Pontalba_Buildings&oldid=968178018, National Register of Historic Places in New Orleans, Articles using NRISref without a reference number, All Wikipedia articles written in American English, Short description with empty Wikidata description, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. The W. R. Irby Committee and the Board of Directors of the Louisiana State Museum offers and is accepting bids for an exceptional retail space/commercial rental at 529 St. Ann Street, Lower Pontalba Building on Jackson Square, New Orleans, LA. The Baroness was one of the wealthiest and most colorful women in New 835.6100 f. 504. During the New Deal, the Work Progress Administration (WPA) restored the historic buildings at the heart of the French Quarter in New Orleans, forming three sides of Jackson Square: the Upper and Lower Pontalba Buildings, the Cabildo and the Presbytère (see project pages on each one). In the Winter sunshine, the Lower Pontalba looked as grand, as ever. Local civic leaders acquired the upper building, which they sold to a foundation in 1930, the Pontalba Building Museum Association. During the 1930s, the Works Progress Administration provided extensive funding for renovation to both the Upper and Lower Buildings. Baroness Pontalba, an accomplished businesswoman, invested in real estate, purchasing the land on the upriver and downriver sides of the Place d’Armes. Immigrant laborers crowded into the neighborhood, often bringing large families, cats, pigs, and perhaps a cow or two. The foundation turned the upper building over to the City of New Orleans, which has owned it since the 1930s. As quoted in Baroness Pontalba’s Buildings: Their Site and the Remarkable Woman Who Built Them, Latrobe commented “the west side of the square and the whole of the east side is built up on very mean stores covered with most villainous roofs of tile, partly white, partly red and black, with narrow galleries in the second stories, the posts of which are mere unpainted sticks…. She envisioned adding continuous arches in front of her buildings on the square, mirroring those of the Cabildo and Presbytere. In April 1851, the baroness left New Orleans with her two sons and never returned. Between 1777 and 1782, Don Andres Almonester y Roxas, Baroness Pontalba’s father, purchased the land piecemeal. Lining two sides of Jackson Square are the resplendent brick row houses named the Pontalba Buildings, which were completed in the early 1850s and remain French Quarter landmarks. The Pontalbas remain today as the lasting contribution of the Baroness Pontalba to the architectural landscape of the French Quarter. The Upper Pontalba Building lies on the west side of the square along St. Peter Street, the Lower Pontalba Building on the east side on St. Ann Street. Each building included the first recorded use of iron railings which i… The Pontalba Buildings form two sides of Jackson Square in the French Quarter of New Orleans, Louisiana. The buildings include the first recorded instance in the city of the use of cast iron 'galleries', which set a fashion that soon became the most prominent feature of the city's residential architecture. According to Christina Vella, historian of modern Europe, the Pontalba Buildings were not the first apartment buildings in the present-day U.S., as is commonly believed. She constructed two Parisian-style row house buildings between 1849-51, at a cost of over $300,000. 01-107-15-04, WBS: F.01003715; 01-107-06B-11, WBS: F.01003714: Site Code: 1-36-015: State ID: S00398: FP&C Project Manager: Tom Campbell: Lafayette: The Center for Louisiana Studies, 1987. After completion of the Upper Pontalba in the fall of 1850, the baroness and two of her three sons moved into #5, today 508 St. Peter. Meanwhile, in France, the future Baroness became familiar with such grand Parisian architectural ensembles as the Palais Royale and the Place des Vosges. The Decline and Rescue of the Pontalba Buildings. The buildings include the first recorded instance in the city of the use of cast iron 'galleries', which set a fashion that soon became the most prominent feature of the city's residential architecture. The building fronting Rue St. Peter, upriver from Jackson Square, is the upper Pontalba. When Micaëla married Joseph Xavier Célestin Delfau de Pontalba in 1811, however, both mother and daughter moved to France. Johnston, Frances Benjamin (Photographer). The state of Louisiana owns the Lower Pontalba across Jackson Square. Lower Pontalba Building Black-and-white reproduction of a photograph of the Lower Pontalba Building. The Upper Pontalba Building—now owned by the City of New Orleans—is on St. Peter Street, and the Lower Pontalba Building, owned by the state, is on St. Ann Street. ", They were declared a National Historic Landmark in 1974 for their early and distinctive architecture. The talented youngest son, Gaston, made a series of sketches of the Quarter during his visit between 1848 and 1851, now archived in the Louisiana State Museum. The heirs sold the lower building to local philanthropist William Ratcliffe Irby, who in turn bequeathed the property to the Louisiana State Museum. Kendall, John S. “The Pontalba Buildings.” Louisiana Historical Quarterly 19.1 (1936): 119–149. Micael was born in 1795 and, as was customary in those days, entered into an arranged marriage when she was just a few days shy of turning 16. Fleeing Europe during the Revolution of 1848, Micaëla arrived for her second and last visit to New Orleans and launched her building scheme. “Almonester: Philanthropist and Builder in New Orleans.” The Architecture of Colonial Louisiana: Collected Essays of Samuel Wilson, Jr., F.A.I.A. The Pontalba Buildings flank Jackson Square in the heart of the French Quarter in New Orleans. On their 1721 plan of New Orleans, French military engineers Pierre Le Blond de la Tour and Adrien de Pauger designated the site as the center of the settlement’s public, religious, and governmental activities, with buildings on three sides and open to the Mississippi River on the fourth side. The Upper and Lower Pontalba buildings flanking Jackson Square were declared a National Historic Landmark in 1974. Located on Jackson Square in the French Quarter, steps away from St. Louis Cathedral, the Upper Pontalba building is one of the most historically and architecturally significant structures in New Orleans. (You can unsubscribe anytime). 500 St. Ann Street & 500 St. Peter Street, This page was last edited on 17 July 2020, at 18:40. Alfred Danzinger, Jules D. Dreyfous, and William Runkel … Constructed poorly for the southern Louisiana terrain, the early French colonial structures flanking the square survived for only a short time. The Upper and Lower Pontalba Buildings, which line the St. Ann and St. Peter Street sides of Jackson Square, were built in 1850 by Micaela Almonester, Baroness de Pontalba, the daughter of Don Andres Almonaster y Rojas, the Spanish colonial landowner appointed to the Cabildo for life, and who built the Cathedral and Presbytere. The Upper Pontalba Building Commission, a city agency, still manages the property. Builder Samuel Stewart persevered throughout the entire project. Lower Pontalba Building Marker - visible in the shadow on the corner pillar. “Jackson Square.” Louisiana Historical Quarterly. Buy Wrought iron balcony, Lower Pontalba Building, New Orleans: Home & Kitchen - Amazon.com FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases They are matching red-brick, one-block-long, four‑story buildings built in the late 1840s by the Baroness Micaela Almonester Pontalba. During the 1840s, she constructed two Parisian-style row homes for over $300,000. Her first plans called for addition of a two-story arcade in front of the old buildings, requiring the First Municipality’s permission for use of the public space. As described in L’Abeille de la Nouvelle Orleans, Pontalba intended to construct “blocks of buildings that will bear comparison with any in the country and challenge rivalry from abroad.” Though legal and financial battles with her estranged husband delayed her plans, Pontalba resumed her New Orleans project in the late 1840s. It was Henry Howard, however, who executed the final plans and claimed the design in his autobiographical sketch. The Upper and Lower Pontalba buildings flanking Jackson Square were declared a National Historic Landmark in 1974. [3] The cast-iron panels in the first floor balustrade feature her initials, 'AP', intertwined in the design. Most of the upper, residential balconies were adorned with blooms, and a few had already erected some Holiday decorations. Alfred Danzinger, Jules D. Dreyfous, and William Runkel acquired the Upper Pontalba. Baroness Pontalba’s grand project acted as catalyst for other municipal improvements on the square. From 1849-1851, architect Henry Howard served as the main designer of these red-brick buildings. To the right of the cathedral is the Lower Pontalba Apartments owned by the State of Louisiana, and to the left of the cathedral is the Upper Pontalba Apartments owned by the City of New Orleans. In the 1850s, the old square itself was targeted for beautification. Subsequently, Spanish governor Don Alessandro O’Reilly gave the land to the city in name of King Charles III. They were originally built as row houses, not rental apartments. Renshaw, Henry. The apartment units in the Lower Pontalba range in size from 942 to 1,727 square feet. 836.2074 Located on Jackson Square in the French Quarter, steps away from St. Louis Cathedral, the Upper Pontalba building is one of the most historically and architecturally significant structures in New Orleans. By 1759, the older buildings had collapsed or were devastated by hurricanes, and the future site of the Pontalba Buildings remained vacant through the remaining years of French rule. Example: Yes, I would like to receive emails from 64 Parishes. Corner of St Ann and Chartres. While the pedimented central and end pavilions bestow the buildings with an architectural grandeur, the delicate ornamental cast iron work—in an intricate, lacy pattern—evokes a mood of Parisian-like gaiety. In the late 1840s, Baroness Micaela Almonester de Pontalba, a wealthy New Orleans businesswoman, and … One-Year subscription (4 issues) : $20.00, Two-Year subscription (8 issues) : $35.00, © 64 Parishes 2021. La Madeline on Jackson Square, New Orleans, Lower Pontalba Building, 1989.jpg 5,772 × 4,149; 7.93 MB Mostly empty streets of New Orleans at the end of March 2020 with Porsche - JDC - … The Upper and Lower Pontalba Apartment buildings, on either side of Jackson Square, were built by the Baroness Michaela Pontalba in about 1850. The building on the other side, fronting Rue St. Ann, is the lower Pontalba Building. The state-owned Lower Pontalba and the city-owned Upper Pontalba building on St. Peter Street across the square were built between 1849 and 1851 … Eventually, however, the older structures were torn down and the Upper and Lower Pontalba Buildings constructed on opposite sides of the square. Nothing can have a meaner, dirtier and ill-formed effect that these buildings.”. Huber, Leonard V. and Samuel Wilson, Jr. Baroness Pontalba’s Buildings: Their Site and the Remarkable Woman Who Built Them. Built at the behest of Micaëla Almonester de Pontalba, these monumental landmarks transformed a haphazardly developed area into an integrated, sophisticated urban space. Lining two sides of Jackson Square are the resplendent brick row houses named the Pontalba Buildings, which were completed in the early 1850s and remain French Quarter landmarks. Privacy Policy. Both apartments have lovely ironwork on the balconies. Vella, Christine. Well-known New Orleans architect James Gallier, Sr., completed a series of preliminary drawings and specifications, which were actually attached to the 1849 building contract for the St. Peter townhouses. In the past thirty years, both buildings have undergone several controversial renovations, while continuing to anchor Jackson Square with their stately presence. Estranged from her husband, Micaëla returned to New Orleans for a visit in 1831, where she began planning her grand project. Subscribe today to support our mission and contributors. The Lower Pontalba (owned by the State of Louisiana) and the Upper Pontalba (owned by the city of New Orleans, directly on the other side of Jackson Square) are believed to be the first commercially rented apartment buildings in the United States. Lower Pontalba Building. In the late 1840s, before construction of the row houses had even begun, the First Municipality’s city council voted to add a mansard roof, popular in French architecture, and cupola to its city hall, the Cabildo. Twin block-long, red brick structures, generally referred to as the Upper and Lower Pontalba Buildings, face Jackson Square, lining St. Peter and St. Ann Streets. Baroness Pontalba, an accomplished businesswoman, invested in real estate, purchasing the land on the upriver and downriver sides of the Place d’Armes. These efforts reflected, at least in part, an ongoing competition between New Orleans’ First Municipality, populated mostly by Creoles, and the Anglo-Americans, who lived primarily in the Second Municipality. Lower Pontalba Building New Orleans, Louisiana : Designer: Sizeler Thompson Brown Architects 300 Lafayette Street Suite 200 New Orleans, LA 70130 Project No. With its counterpart, they’re considered to be the first apartment buildings in … Soon after World War I, however, a rekindled interest in the Quarter precipitated a cultural renaissance. NEW ORLEANS — Shop owners in the Lower Pontalba building on Jackson Square hope to get a break on rent while the coronavirus significantly curbs tourist traffic in New Orleans… In reaction, Creole families scattered out along the Esplanade Ridge and even into the Americanized uptown suburbs. “A pall of poverty and decay hung over the old streets and houses,” preservationist Martha Gilmore Robinson recalled, and “tattered clothes fluttered from the iron balconies of the once proudly fashionable Pontalba buildings.” After the death of the baroness in 1874, her heirs took no interest in the New Orleans properties, and the buildings fell into disrepair. Almonester built his own home at the corner of St. Peter and Decatur and a number of rental houses nearby; all escaped damage during the fires of 1788 and 1794. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1997. De Limon Place 401 Rue St. Ann Metairie, LA 70005 o. The row houses were turned into apartments during the 1930s renovations (during the Great Depression). In 1930, they sold the property to the Pontalba Building Museum Association, which in turn transferred the buildings to the City of New Orleans. In 1919, Le Petit Théâtre du Vieux Carré moved to the second floor of the Lower Pontalba at the corner of St. Ann and Decatur, where they remained until 1922. Built in 1849-1851 by the feisty Baroness Micaela Almonester de Pontalba, the city-owned Upper Pontalba apartments are often labeled as the oldest apartment building in the nation. When the Pontalba family decided to sell off the property in 1920, New Orleans philanthropist William Ratcliffe Irby bought the Lower Pontalba, which he bequeathed to the Louisiana State Museum, which maintains control today. Grand, historic, and so very lovely, these iconic buildings stand in testament, to an earlier, and glorious time in New Orleans. Intimate Enemies: The Two Worlds of the Baroness de Pontalba. He also may have designed the “AP” monograph adorning the buildings’ cast iron verandas. The Baroness Micaela Almonester de Pontalba, who inherited from her father, Don Andrés de Almonester y Roxas, the land and deteriorated structures on which the Pontalba Buildings now stand, commissioned Gallier to design two rows of houses. The Pontalba Buildings attracted desirable, affluent tenants for only about a decade. Lining two sides of Jackson Square are the resplendent brick row houses named the Pontalba Buildings, which were completed in the early 1850s and remain French Quarter landmarks. In the early 1800s, a few years after Almonester’s death, his widow rebuilt her properties on the square to conform to the building code regulations passed after the late-eighteenth-century fires, including her palatial home designed in 1811 by French-born architects Arsène Lacarrière Latour and Hyacinthe Laclotte. Baroness Pontalba died in France in 1874, and the Pontalba family retained ownership of the buildings until the 1920s; but they did not take an interest in the townhouses, so they fell into disrepair. Then, of course, there was the baroness herself, who, according to an eyewitness, actually donned men’s pantaloons to ascend ladders and, in effect, to act as the supervising architect. Pontalba Buildings: Lower Pontalba - Grand on This Winter Day - See 12 traveler reviews, 3 candid photos, and great deals for New Orleans, LA, at Tripadvisor. When the Pontalba family decided to sell off the property in 1920, New Orleans philanthropist William Ratcliffe Irby bought the Lower Pontalba, which he bequeathed to the Louisiana State Museum, which maintains control today. In 1850, the old Spanish cathedral was practically demolished and rebuilt according to the design of French architect J. N. B. DePouilly. She constructed two Parisian-style row house buildings between 1849-51, at a cost of over $300,000. All Rights Reserved. New Orleans: Friends of the Cabildo, 1964. Constructed between 1849 and 1851, each building features sixteen elegant townhouses on the upper floors and separate commercial spaces on the ground floors. A successful businesswoman, the Baroness Pontalba invested in real estate properties and purchased large parcels of land on the upriver and downriver sides of the Place d’Armes. The cast-iron panels in the first floor balustrade feature her initials, 'AP', int… The Pontalba Buildings form two sides of Jackson Square in the French Quarter of New Orleans, Louisiana. Share via Facebook; Share via Twitter; Share via Email Some of our most notable projects include the reroofing and historic masonry restoration of the Lower Pontalba Building in New Orleans, originally built in the 1840s, as well as the historic restoration of The Old President’s House on Louisiana State University’s campus in Baton Rouge. Marker is at the intersection of Chartres Street and St. Ann St., on the right when traveling west on Chartres Street. The French Quarter home was leased to Bernard Tremoulet as a hotel. By 1866, the Civil War had obliterated the prosperity of antebellum New Orleans, hitting the French Quarter especially hard. The Lower Pontalba Building on Jackson Square. Farnsworth, Jean M. and Ann Masson, eds. Tourismus New Orleans; Hotels New Orleans; Pensionen New Orleans; Ferienwohnungen New Orleans; Pauschalreisen New Orleans; Flüge New Orleans; Reiseforum New Orleans Wrought iron balcony, Lower Pontalba Building, New Orleans Contributor Names Genthe, Arnold, 1869-1942, photographer Created / Published between 1920 and 1926. The design represented the collaboration of several talented builders and designers. In the short story "Hidden Gardens," Truman Capote describes them as "...the oldest, in some ways most somberly elegant, apartment houses in America, the Pontalba Buildings. They are called the Upper & Lower for their proximity to Canal Street. Finding respite in 64 PARISHES during the COVID-19 crisis? Her father was Spanish; her mother French. The wardens of St. Louis Cathedral followed suit and added a similar roof and cupola to the Presbytere. 504. They are historically significant because they are the oldest continually rented apartment buildings in the United States. 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