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Bywater
Photographs from December 27-28, 2006

This batch of photographs was taken on the fly as we headed east from the French Quarter to the Lower 9th Ward. Bywater itself is a large portion of the Upper 9th Ward. The neighborhood has become popular with locals who have been chased out of the French Quarter and Marigny by soaring real estate costs (in 2004, a tour guide told us that owning a French Quarter home has become popular with the East Coast jet set. Unfortunately, these homes are empty most of the year and do little to support local businesses in the Quarter.)

Most of the areas on the river side of Bywater escaped flooding, though they suffered hurricane damage and the effects of underpopulation in the months since.

The architecture of Bywater, like much of the older city, is heavily slanted towards the shotgun house. Primarily a single story building, with a shallow attic, these wood-framed and wood-sided buildings archetypally have no interior passages, with one room opening directly into the next, front to back. They are very frequently outfitted with decorative Victorian trim around their front porches.

Views along St. Claude Avenue:


View of St. Clairborne (several blocks north of the previous photos), looking west across Franklin Avenue, towards an overpass that crosses a railroad yard and industrial zone.


A collapsing twin shotgun, next door to one that appears to be fine, on N. Robertson.


Houses in the shadow of the N. Robertson Street overpass.


Schneider's Wholesale Outlet, which near as I can tell was previously Scheider Paper Products. A massive warehouse with delightful brick detail.


View from the N. Robertson Street overpass, looking back towards the CBD.


Twin shotgun at Robertson and Desire Street (yes, it's that Desire. No streetcars here anymore, though.)


Desire at Robertson.


View south down Desire Street.

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