Garden District, New Orleans

Geobox Neighborhood
name = Garden District
native_name =
other_name =
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category = New Orleans Neighborhood


image_caption = New Orleans Streetcar on St. Charles Avenue in the Garden District with Mardi Gras beads on a tree in the background


flag_size =
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country = United States
state = Louisiana
region_type = City
region = New Orleans
district_type = Planning District
district = District 2, Central City/Garden District
area_imperial = 0.21
area_land_imperial = 0.21
area_water_imperial = 0.00
area_water_percentage = auto
area_percentage_round = 2
area_round = 1
location =
lat_d = 29
lat_m = 55
lat_s = 40
lat_NS = N
long_d = 90
long_m = 05
long_s = 05
long_EW = W
elevation_imperial = 3
elevation_round = 1
population_as_of = 2000
population = 1970
population_density_imperial = auto
established_type =
established =
mayor =
timezone = CST
utc_offset = -6
timezone_DST = CDT
utc_offset_DST = -5
postal_code =
postal_code_type = ZIP Codes
area_code = 504
area_code_type =
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code2 =
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Garden District is a neighborhood of the city of New Orleans. A subdistrict of the Central City/Garden District Area, its boundaries as defined by the City Planning Commission are: St. Charles Avenue to the north, 1st Street to the east, Magazine Street to the south and Toledano Street to the west. The National Historic Landmark district extends a little further. The area was originally developed between 1832 to 1900. It may be one of the best preserved collection of historic southern mansions in the United States. The 19th century origins of the Garden District illustrate wealthy newcomers building opulent structures based upon the prosperity of New Orleans in that era. (National Trust, 2006)

Geography

Garden District is located at coor dms|29|55|40|N|90|05|05|W|city GR|1 and has an elevation of convert|3|ft|1GR|3. According to the United States Census Bureau, the district has a total area of convert|0.21|sqmi|1. convert|0.21|sqmi|1 of which is land and convert|0.00|sqmi|1 (0.0%) of which is water.

Adjacent Neighborhoods

* Central City (north)
* Lower Garden District (east)
* Irish Channel (south)
* Touro (west)

Boundaries

The City Planning Commission defines the boundaries of Garden District as these streets: St. Charles Avenue, 1st Street, Magazine Street and Toledano Street. [cite web|url=http://gnocdc.org/orleans/2/65/index.html|title=Garden District Neighborhood|author=Greater New Orleans Community Data Center|accessdate=2008-06-21]

Demographics

As of the censusGR|2 of 2000, there were 1,970 people, 1,117 households, and 446 families residing in the neighborhood. The population density was 9,381 /mi² (3,940 /km²).

History

Infobox_nrhp | name =Garden District
nrhp_type =nhld

---

caption = Corn-stalk fence on the Colonel Short Villa
location= Bounded by Carondelet, Josephine, and Magazine Sts., and Louisiana Ave., New Orleans, Louisiana
locmapin = Louisiana
area =
built =1835
architect= Multiple
architecture= Mid 19th Century Revival, Late Victorian
designated= May 30, 1974cite web|url=http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceId=1101&ResourceType=District
title=Garden District |accessdate=2008-01-28|work=National Historic Landmark summary listing|publisher=National Park Service]
added = June 21, 1971cite web|url=http://www.nr.nps.gov/|title=National Register Information System|date=2007-01-23|work=National Register of Historic Places|publisher=National Park Service]
governing_body = Local
refnum=71000358This whole area was once a number of plantations. It was sold off in parcels to mainly wealthy Americans who did not want to live in the French Quarter with the Creoles. The district was laid out by New Orleans architect, planner and surveyor Barthelemy Lafon.

Originally the area was developed with only a couple of houses per block, each surrounded by a large garden, giving the district its name. In the late 19th century some of these large lots were subdivided as Uptown New Orleans became more urban. This has produced a pattern for much of the neighborhood of any given block having a couple of early 19th century mansions surrounded by "gingerbread" decorated late Victorian houses. Thus the "Garden District" is known for its architecture more than gardens per se.

A slightly larger district (one block further west to Louisiana, one block further north to Carondelet and three blocks further east to Josephine) was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1974.citation|title=PDFlink| [http://pdfhost.focus.nps.gov/docs/NHLS/Text/71000358.pdf National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination: The Garden District of New Orleans] |330 KiB |date=January 17, 1974 |author=Paul Goeldner |publisher=National Park Service and PDFlink| [http://pdfhost.focus.nps.gov/docs/NHLS/Photos/71000358.pdf "Accompanying 13 photos, exteriors, from 1973 and undated."] |2.17 MiB ]

Landmarks

The George Washington Cable House, at 1313 8th St., is a National Historic Landmark.

Commander's Palace is one of the city's most famous restaurants.

Other neighborhood landmarks include numerous antebellum mansions, historic Lafayette Cemetery, and "The Rink", a 19th century skating rink building that has been converted into a small shopping mall.

Hydrology and storms

The flooding potential in New Orleans has been noted since at least the 1820s. (Bernhard, 1828) Although experiencing wind damage from Hurricane Katrina in 2005, this area on old high ground escaped the extensive flooding of much of the rest of the city (see: Effect of Hurricane Katrina on New Orleans). Although wind damage from Katrina was the most noticeable impact, the rate of return of residents is almost 100 percent. (National Trust, 2006) Part of the area nearest St. Charles Avenue was surveyed to be only four feet above mean sea level, compared to a Mississippi River height of 14 feet above sea level; (Hogan, 1990) nevertheless, the entire Garden District fared well with respect to Katrina flooding effects.

Education

The Garden District is zoned to schools in the New Orleans Public Schools.

In addition, several charter and private schools are available, such as Trinity School of New Orleans and The Louise S. McGehee School.

Notable residents

* John Goodman
* Archie Manning
* Trent Reznor
* Anne Rice

Gallery

ee also

* New Orleans neighborhoods

References

* [http://www.inetours.com/New_Orleans/LndmrkVws/GD_Map.html Garden District of New Orleans, La. Map (2001)]
*Starr, S. Frederick, "Southern Comfort: The Garden District Of New Orleans", Princeton Architectural Press (2005)
*Hogan, C. Michael and Marc Papineau, Earth Metrics Incorporated, "Phase I Environmental Site Assessment for the Pontchartrain Hotel, New Orleans, Louisiana", Report Number 10456, March 19, 1990
*Bernhard, "Travels Through North America, During the Years 1825 and 1826", p 53, G. & C. Carvill, New York (1828)
* [http://books.google.com/books?id=Vbs2JeSNOUEC&pg=PA13&dq=%22Ponchartrain+hotel%22&ei=l8LZRtL1CqHApgKCq92SCw&sig=jSgGJCtZdqFz8jV3KpuIX_k8K5o Staggs, Sam, "When Blanche Met Brando: The Scandalous Story of "A Streetcar Named Desire", p 13, St Martins Press, New York, (2005)]
* [http://www.nationaltrust.org/hurricane/oneyearlater.html National Trust for Historic Preservation, "An Update from the Preservation Resource Center and the National Trust for Historic Preservation", August 24, 2006]

External links

* [http://www.gardendistrictassociation.com/ Garden District Association]
* [http://gdsdpatrol.org/ Garden District Security District]