Algiers Historical Society

RIDE THE FREE FERRY TO ALGIERS POINT HISTORIC DISTRICT
Settled 1719
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places

Walking distance from the French Quarter

Cross the mighty Mississippi River on the Canal Street-Algiers Point ferry, in
continuous operation since 1827

Walk the quiet streets of this 19th century village and discover the
“Secret Jewel of New Orleans”

Suggested Route (approx. 2 miles)

Leave the ferry terminal; (turn left [downriver] on Morgan St., or spend a few minutes on the Mississippi River levee enjoying the spectacular view of the skyline of New Orleans or watch the boats drifting by. For the bird watchers, the batture (the area of foreshore between the levee and the river) is a haven for pelicans, cormorants, egrets, hawks, owls, gulls and numerous smaller birds). Imagine, in the mid-19th century, seeing steamboats, dry docks, lumber yards and railroad tracks crowding the riverbank.

Turn right from the ferry terminal down Bouny St., then turn left on Pelican Ave. On this walking tour, keep following ahead until told to change direction.

1. 228 Pelican Ave., built 1897, was the home of Martin BEHRMAN, longest serving mayor of New Orleans (1904-1920, 1925-1926), and the only mayor from Algiers. BEHRMAN’s home office was in the right bay of the structure, and Algerines wishing to visit him gathered on the porch and on the sidewalk to wait with their petitions. His Eastlake ornamented Queen Anne home is in a block of homes with fine late-Victorian details, all of which were constructed soon after the Great Fire of 1895.

Continue on Pelican Ave., and turn right on Seguin St.

2. 511 Seguin St., is an 1856 Creole cottage with a steeply pitched West Indian-style roofline and front façade roof extension which forms the front porch. The home was originally a convent built for the Sisters of Mount Carmel on the corner of Alix and Seguin Sts. and later moved to this site. The sisters established the first school in Algiers at the former site in 1857.

Double back and turn right on Pelican Ave.

3. 335 Pelican Ave., a “shotgun-double” built in 1896, was formerly (1999-2006) the House of the Rising Sun Bed & Breakfast. Built on the site of an 1870 cottage destroyed in the Great Fire of 1895.

Turn left on Bermuda St

4. The 300 block of Bermuda St. is notable for the continuous line of iron fences in front of homes embellished with late 19^th century gingerbread. Fencing at the front property line was common in the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries; cast and wrought iron or wooden picket fences were the norm for large or more modest homes. Many Algiers Point fences have been lost to damage, disrepair, or a desire to “modernize.”

5. 237 Bermuda St., built 1896, was the home of Dr. & Mrs. W.H. RILEY. Built in the very latest style to reflect its owner’s status in the community and replaced a similar size home which burned in the 1895 Fire. This Neoclassical Revival home is a style popularized by the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition and has several Tiffany-style windows at the front and north side and shows a return to a simpler, less ornamented architectural style. Its large double lot provides a spacious side yard, unusual in Algiers Point.

Turn right on Delaronde St.

6. 300 block of Delaronde St., built in the1890’s. Small front gardens lead to lovely examples of Eastlake gingerbread. Look over the fence on the left of 320 Delaronde to see a detached service building at the rear of a home on Bermuda. The one-room deep structure with a shed roof could have served as a kitchen and servant’s quarters for the larger home.

7. 405-407 Delaronde St., built 1850. This large double-galleried Greek Revival two-family home with Gothic railings was built for sea captains and railroad men Augustin SEGER and Thomas REES. The large double is unique to Algiers and reflects the prosperity of the owners. The magnificent live oak tree in the side yard is about 200 years old and one of four similar aged oaks on the Point.

Turn left on Verret St., then turn right on Patterson St.

8. 501 Patterson St., built 1907, the Canal and Commercial Bank (originally the Commercial Germania Trust and Savings Bank) was designed by noted New Orleans architect Emile Weil in the Classical style with marble facing and terracotta brackets and is a New Orleans historic landmark.

9. Larkin Park. Site of St. John’s market in the 1870’s and later the Algiers Farmer’s Market, this pocket playground was dedicated in 1926 to honor Father Thomas J. LARKIN, S.M., who served 18 years as a much loved and respected pastor in the parish of Holy Name of Mary. It was redesigned and rebuilt in 1989 by the Algiers Point Association.

Turn right onto Olivier St.

10. 200 block of Olivier St., built in the 1850’s-1890’s. Well-kept homes built over a fifty year span feature a wide range of architectural styles including Greek Revival (205, Italianate (221, 222,224), Eastlake (209), Queen Anne (236), and Creole cottage (239). Notice the carriage house in the rear yard of 236 Olivier and the uniquely New Orleans raised bungalow at 228 Olivier.

Turn right onto Pelican Ave.

11. 530 Pelican Ave., Mount Olivet Episcopal Church. Original structure was reported in the press as being “wholly destroyed” by fire in December, 1866. This Country Gothic style church, built after the 1866 fire, originally faced Olivier St., but was moved in the 1890’s to serve as a hall for a brick church which was demolished in 1960. The stained glass windows are from that 1894 structure. The congregation dates from 1846. The plaque dating the church as built in 1854 is misleading.

12. The Pelican Gulf gas station, 446 Pelican Ave., built 1929. The longest continuously operated service station in the South until it closed in 1990, the tiny tile roofed brick structure was the model of efficiency and customer service at the beginning of the automobile age.

Turn left on Verret St., and continue all the way to Opelousas Ave., taking in 13-17 along the way.

13. Confetti Park, corner of Verret St. and Pelican Ave. Algiers’ first firehouse was built here in 1851. The small beautifully maintained playground was a legacy of the Duverje family and was playfully redesigned using a grant from the Arts Council of New Orleans.

14. ROSENTHAL’s Drug Store, 346 Verret St. A popular hang out with a soda fountain in the 20’s and 30’s, this large corner store was originally KLEINKEMPER’s Grocery. A Hibernia Bank branch operated at 340 Verret where the façade shows square pilasters and store windows of a different style from the main building. The current owners have chosen typical 1890’s colors for the exterior. On the Alix St. side of the building notice the service wing extension which was used as living quarters for servants.

15. Holy Name of Mary Church, built 1929, corner of Verret and Alix Sts.. The church is built in Tudor Gothic style with over 75 stained glass windows (several from the Meyer firm of Munich, Germany) and beautiful marble and artwork from an earlier church. The Catholic parish in Algiers was established in 1848, and a small wooden church was built across from the DUVERJE home on Morgan St. In response to a growing population, the congregation first built at this location (a mid-19^th century site of voodoo dancing and a Federal prison camp during the Civil War) in 1870.

16. McDONOGH Park, between Bermuda, Verret and Alix Sts. (known locally as the “Bermuda Triangle”), offers a large play area centered by the Algiers War Memorial. This was the site of McDONOGH No.4 School, the first public school in Algiers and a 1907 fire station.

17. Delcazal Park, between Verret and Seguin Sts., was the original site of the Duverje cemetery and chapel. The remains of the DUVERJE and OLIVIER families and their slaves were moved in 1916 to Metairie Cemetery, and the land was donated to the City as a playground.

Turn right onto Opelousas Ave.

18. The Opelousas Ave. live oaks were planted in 1913 as part of the “City Beautiful” campaign that originated with the World’s Columbian Exposition at Chicago in 1893.

19. Fire Station, 425 Opelousas Ave., 1925. This structure was built on the site of an earlier 1897 fire station.

Double back on Opelousas Ave., towards Atlantic Ave.

20. Metropolitan Tabernacle (First Baptist Church, Algiers), 501 Opelousas Ave., was formerly Philip FOTO’s Folly Theater, built in 1915 as a vaudeville and early silent screen theater. Built on the earlier site of Algiers first playground, which opened in 1913.

21. Algiers United Methodist Church, built 1922, 637 Opelousas Ave. This Colonial Revival church replaced an earlier building, at the corner of Delaronde and Lavergne Sts., that was damaged by the hurricane of 1915. The exceptional faceted glass windows were installed in 1979. The Algiers Methodist congregation was organized in 1844.

22. The former Sts. John Masonic Temple, built 1926, 648 Opelousas Ave., was the site of jazz dances during the 20’s and 30’s and later served as the Algiers Post Office.

23. Martin BEHRMAN School, built 1929, 715 Opelousas Ave. The Spanish Revival Colonial style school was the first public high school in Algiers and retains its decorative stonework, terracotta roof tiles and ornate bell tower. The clock was repaired in 1997 after being dismantled during World War II.

24. 630 Pacific Ave., built 1892. The renovation of New Orleans’ most famous “shotgun” house was seen on PBS Television’s “This Old House” in 1991. The floor plan of the shotgun house is arranged with all the rooms in a straight line from front to back allowing a bullet shot from the front door to pass out the rear door without hitting anything. This home was originally a double, or two family, shotgun, and has been converted into a single.

25. The Algiers Railroad yards, operational 1853-1950’s, were two blocks wide and extended for 22 blocks from the river to the Orleans parish line. Railroad engines and cars were constructed and repaired in the yards, and a massive ferry transported both passenger and freight cars across the river to continue the journey to the East and West coasts. Founded in 1852 as the New Orleans, Opelousas & Great Western Railroad, these yards eventually became part of the Southern pacific system and in their heyday employed approximately 4000 men.

Turn left on Atlantic Ave., then left on Eliza St.

26. 446 Vallette St., built 1940. This Art Deco style movie theater, the “Algy,” has been converted into a glass blowing studio. The studio is a reminder of the days when a commercial building stood on the corner of nearly every block.

Turn right on Olivier St.

27. Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church, built 1911, corner of Olivier and Eliza Sts. Trinity’s congregation was organized in 1875 by German families in Algiers and the first church was soon built on the lot just to the left of the present structure. The Gothic/Colonial Revival style church was built with lovely period art glass windows.

28. 342 Olivier St., built 1895, is a grand family residence with Eastlake details, stained glass windows, and a porte-cochere. It has been the home of the Santa Maria Council No.1724, Knights of Columbus since 1915. The home served as a hospital for Algiers during the Spanish flu epidemic of 1918.

29. The Old Masonic Hall, 300 Olivier St., built late 19^th century. In addition to its service as a lodge hall, this building was the Algiers Recorder’s Court, a police station, and tax assessor’s office. This was the sight of many jazz sessions on the upper floor that featured Jack LAINE’s Reliance Band, “Happy” SCHILLING, Norman BROWNLEE, and Oscar MARCOUR. Fully renovated 2007/2008 into apartments.

Turn right on Pelican Ave.

30. 705 Pelican Ave., built 1848. This Greek Revival two story center hall home was built for Francois VALLETTE who had interests in shipbuilding and lumber importing in Algiers. Vallette St. is named for him. The BARRETT family were later residents and operated one of Algiers’ first funeral parlors from their home.

31. Algiers Point Branch library, 1907, 725 Pelican Ave. This was originally the site of Eureka Hall, a lodge hall and early music venue. He Italian Renaissance style building is one of four remaining Carnegie Grant buildings in the city and one of two that are still used as libraries.

32. Belleville School, built 1895, 813 Pelican Ave., was built on the site of the HUGHES Hotel.

Double back towards Vallette St.

33. 718 Pelican Ave. Note beautiful gas lamps on the porch.

Turn right on Vallette St., towards the levee.

34. 238 Vallette St., built in the 1870’s, is a Queen Anne home featuring a corner turret, unusual in this neighborhood.

35. 232 Vallette St., built 1848. This Greek Revival center hall cottage with paired dormers was built for Josephine VALLETTE, sister of Francois VALLETTE, and her husband, Mark THOMAS. THOMAS died in 1851, and Josephine later married John HUGHES, her brother’s business partner and owner of the HUGHES Hotel.

36. RENECKY Shoe Company, built in the 1870’s, 701 Patterson St., is a well-preserved example of a corner store with residence above that retains its cast iron railed balconies over the sidewalk and features the original stained glass window signs. The second floor was formerly a meeting and concert hall.

Turn left on Patterson St., heading back towards the ferry terminal.

37. The Mississippi River Levee. Climb the only hill you will find in this below sea level city and stroll on top of the levee toward the ferry. Imagine, one hundred and fifty years ago, seeing steamboats, lumber yards, dry docks, and railroad tracks crowding the riverbanks.

38. 601 Patterson St., original site of Michaul’s Cajun Restaurant and Dance Hall in the 1980’s that has since moved across the river to St. Charles Ave.

39. 545 Patterson St. The “Old Point Bar,” one of the premier live music venues in the city. A Coffee House stood on this site and the opposite corner (601) in the 1840’s. Not what we would consider a coffee house today, but they would have sold alcohol and had music and dancing and were only listed as coffee houses in the city directories of their day to keep the city from looking like it was filled with saloons.

Proceed along the levee to enjoy the spectacular view of New Orleans and the mighty Mississippi River in front of the Courthouse.

39. The Algiers Courthouse, built 1896. The Richardsonian Romanesque style building was constructed after the Algiers Fire of 1895 to replace the DUVERJE plantation home (1812) that had served as a courthouse. The present Courthouse is the third oldest continuously used courthouse in the State of Louisiana.

40. At the rear of the Courthouse is the Algiers Carriage House Museum, formerly the stables. Note the old jail in the carpark.

41. Next to the ferry terminal, there is a statue of Louis ARMSTRONG. Go up on the levee, and stroll upriver on the Robert E. NIMS Jazz Walk of Fame, that honors some of the jazz musicians of New Orleans.