2025 | New Construction + Historic Renovation | 49,500 sq. ft.
400 Block of South Rampart Street
Rampart Street Development
The 400 block of South Rampart Street in New Orleans was once the main street of Back-a-Town, which functioned as downtown for black New Orleanians at the turn of the twentieth century. Also known as Storyville, this area of the city was where jazz music began, and featured multiple night clubs and businesses catering to the industry, featuring notable musicians Buddy Bolden and Louis Armstrong.
Once a vibrant part of the city, the block is currently a mix of empty historic buildings and surface parking lots. Studio West was selected by the developer GBX, to design and plan the new construction and historic renovation of the 400 block of South Rampart, which includes four new construction buildings, reconstruction of the Karnofsky Tailor Shop destroyed during Hurricane Ida in 2021, and renovation of the historic Iroquois Theatre and Eagle Saloon.
Re-enlivening the birthplace of Jazz Music
Design and planning for the 400 block of S. Rampart Street preserves existing structures and proposes a combination of new cultural and community buildings that celebrate the history of the site with exhibition and educational programming. New construction buildings will bring entertainment and hospitality uses back to this formerly vibrant commercial corridor, providing the revenue to sustain the mixed-use redevelopment.
Project Type
Services
Working with the property owners, GBX, Studio West facilitated and presented at multiple community stakeholder engagement events to solicit feedback from members of the community directly involved in preserving New Orleans Jazz and cultural traditions. As the project evolves, these conversations are planned to continue and will be meaningful to the long-term success of the development.
