Built St. Louis > > On the Road in New Orleans

Midcity
Photographs from December 27-28, 2006

"Midcity" probably has a more specific meaning to New Orleans natives, but I'm using it as a catch-all for a large swath of unbroken city that encompasses portions of several different neighborhoods: Treme, Bayou St. John, Esplanade Ridge, and others. We criss-crossed the area several times, giving us a decent sample of its architecture.


Whitney Bank's Mid-Century Modern office building dominates at the intersection of Broad and Canal; it is closed and fenced off.


Heading toward the river on N. Broad Avenue.


Renovation work underway on N. Broad.


A fantastic neon sign for the Carpenters Local Union no. 1846.


At Broad and Tulane stands a courthouse, a mighty mountain of Gothic Deco, rendered in well-weathered limestone. "This is a government of law, not of men" reads one inscription. "If we would be free men / We must obey the law" declares another on the opposite side.




Across the street is a local favorite for urban explorers: the long-abandoned Falstaff Brewery.


Falstaff closed in 1978, and has been mostly vacant since. There were workers present when we drove past, though we didn't stick around long enough to figure out what they were doing. However, it appears that plans are underway to convert the brewery to rental apartments.


The brewery's old sign tower makes it a landmark for all of the Midcity area, highly visible from the highways nearby.


A rather illegible old metal sign.

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