516 Natchez
516-18 Natchez St.
New Orleans, Louisiana
Collaborators:
Wayne Troyer FAIA
Megan Cook
Amy Garrett
Kendall Winingder–Interior Design
2015 Louisiana Landmarks Society Excellence in Historic Preservation Award
2015 AIA New Orleans Honorable Mention
Photography:
Jeffrey Johnston
516 Natchez is the rehabilitation of two adjoined, three-story brick row houses in the Central Business District. An exercise in urban density, the building houses a ground floor office space and a total of five apartments in an 8,200 square foot volume.
Upon investigation of the historic, existing structures, it was discovered that one of the buildings required total replacement of the structural framing. While an intensive rehabilitation challenge, the exercise inspired a split-level concept where a central four-story volume offsets the floor planes within individual units. A fragmented, historic brick wall on the back property line inspired a glass clad dining volume for the two-bedroom units. A double height curtain wall at this volume provides well-framed city views along the active Poydras Street thoroughfare.
Historic elements of the buildings’ architecture were preserved wherever possible, the highlight being an intricately detailed bathroom within a vaulted brick structure on the ground floor of the building. The project finishes emphasize its urban setting, with a timeless industrial aesthetic and the convenience of taking an elevator directly to one’s unit. The project signifies a larger movement within the city of a developing downtown district and savvy tenants who want to live in the center of the activity.