French Quarter Residence
Dumaine St.
New Orleans, Louisiana
Collaborators:
Wayne Troyer FAIA
Toni DiMaggio
Tracie Ashe AIA
2016 Vieux Carré Architectural Awards Merit Award
Photography:
Neil Alexander
The renovation to this historic 1828 masonry and wood construction building in the French Quarter of New Orleans encompassed the desire to bring back several important historic characteristics and references, as well as the need to address materials deterioration with conservation techniques that would allow for the longevity of the building for the future. The focus of the renovation was the first floor, where the communal living spaces are located, but the materials conservation and restoration are throughout the entire building as needed to create a stable structure.
The existing entry foyer and rear loggia of the main building were renovated to bring an exterior characteristic to the spaces, which were once themselves exterior but needed to be maintained within the interior footprint of the building due to functional concerns. The main intervention is the reintroduction of an historic arched opening at the rear loggia on the first floor, and historic arched window on the second floor above. The mitigation of rising damp is done at the base of the masonry walls, and references the troughs that ran historically down exterior alleys and walkways.
The quality of the spaces and has been improved while maintaining a sensitive approach to the historic details and materials of the almost 200 year old building, and the strong connection to the adjacent courtyards, a defining feature of French Quarter properties, is once again reinstated.