Esplanade Ridge |
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"Some of the loveliest architecture in all of New Orleans."
"It's convenient to the French Quarter while having a charm all its own." "I didn't think I could afford such a beautiful house!" "Bayou St. John is an oasis."
Description
Built on naturally occurring high ground, these homes escaped the most severe flooding of Katrina, although there was some wind and roof damage. However, one side-benefit of the hurricane is you can now admire the beauty of the buildings even more clearly through the thinned leaves (although this will change come spring as the trees fill back in). The residents of Esplanade Ridge, who've fought so hard to bring their neighborhood back from urban decay, aren't letting a hurricane stop them, and have quickly returned to clean up their homes and make the area shine. Take a walk down Esplanade Avenue when the mockingbirds are singing in the trees, and you'll know you're in a very special place. Quiet, elegant, and filled with the beauty of the past, Esplanade Ridge speaks to those who value an earlier time of gracious living and elegant Creole charm.
History As the city developed in the early part of the 19th century, the French Creoles, unwilling to live too close to their American neighbors, sought a place where they too could build large, hospitable structures in a neighborhood of wide gardens and shaded lawns. They chose Esplanade Ridge as the perfect setting for their own "suburbs", the Creole equivalent of the Garden District. The houses here reveal the strong influence of the plantation architecture of the Caribbean, while adopting many "American" touches like center halls and wide staircases. In the same way, this area welcomed French expatriates like Edgar Degas and rich American planters alike in the years following the Civil War. Today, Esplanade Ridge is attracting new homeowners with its promise of a unique living experience in the historic heart of a great city.
Landmarks
City Park
Schools
Bell Junior High
City Council Representative
James Carter - District C
Police District New Orleans Police Department 1st District
Demographics Very diverse from both an ethnic and family standpoint, including many gay residents.
Architecture Mid- to late-19th century with some 20th century additions.
Read More About Esplanade Ridge |
The large double-galleried houses and charming cottages that line Esplanade Avenue, from the river out to City Park, are some of the most beautiful in New Orleans, but for many years Esplanade Ridge has been a uniquely under-valued area. Its great live oaks and sycamores shade a boulevard as wide and impressive as St. Charles Avenue, but its homes still remain within reach of those whose love of history is accompanied by a more modest budget. Here you can find a mansion waiting for your tender loving care or a private home that's been restored back to all its 19th century charm...because Esplanade Ridge is rapidly becoming into one of the most desirable sections in town. If you can only dream of a white-columned residence on Prytania Street, such a home is waiting for you right now in Esplanade Ridge.
