PapaMarshall

Day 5 – 2/21 – More of the same

Following breakfast this morning we had a lecture on the architectural history of New Orleans.

Then we got on the bus and rode out to the “Garden District” to take an architectural walking tour

Our guide talked about the history and form of several key examples

There are some beautiful houses in the district (west of downtown, firmly in the “American sector”)

Our route took us along St. Charles Avenue, one of the main parade route streets during Carnival

There were beads everywhere!

We had a couple of hours to kill before supper so we took the opportunity to check out the Ursuline convent (now a museum) and the museum in the Cabildo.  The former was interesting, although the tour guide was very much an amateur volunteer. here’s the alter in their chapel:

The latter was also interesting.  We learned quite a bit about the 1814 Battle of New Orleans (just after the end of the war of 1812) and life on plantations.

Structurally, one of the interesting things about the building is the exposed rafters. These 60 foot Cyprus beams (secured with wooden pegs date to 1790.

We were due to meet the bus at 5:00 so we headed back to the meeting spot, stopping along the way to enjoy another street band

Again, I’m really sorry I can’t post videos. I’ll have to work on that.

As a bonus, here are a couple of architectural notes:

this is the cover of a “termite detector”. They are all over the place. Below this cap is a block of wood. Periodically the wood is pulled up and any termite activity is noted. Another reason I’m glad we live in Idaho!
There are two kinds of balcony railings. The simpler (older) railing on the left is wrought iron. It’s made by pounding heated iron into shape. It’s simple but sturdy. On the right is cast iron, made by pouring molten iron into a mold. This process is much quicker, and easier to create complex exactly repeating patterns. However the iron is more brittle and must be kept painted or it will rust thru quickly. Now you know.

Also, even though these railings are in the “French Quarter” the one on the left is more French style. The one on the right dates from the period when the Spanish controlled New Orleans.

After dinner (at a famous Creole restaurant) we returned to the hotel for another concert.  This one a clarinet/banjo/bass combo that played great Dixieland Jazz

Tom is a crack-up. The Banjo player has an amazingly dry sense of humor and the Bass player was just having a great time.

Following the performance I introduced myself to the leader, clarinetist Tom Fisher, and pointed out that I’m Brad Marshall’s brother.

In college (at Indiana) Tom and Brad played in a Dixieland band together.

After that it was off to load pictures (Check last night’s post for newly loaded pics.), write up the day, and head for bed.

Tomorrow is the WW II Museum.

laissez le bon temps rouler (“Let the Good Times Roll”)

R

2 Comments

    1. She did. She indicated similar structures in west Senegal with a possible route thru Haiti. The shotgun’s simple roofline and lack of halls make it very inexpensive to build. Most often it will be raised to allow airflow underneath. While African examples are more in open rural settings the style works well in dense urban settings with little high ground where lots are narrow and deep. She also pointed out that the “dutch canal house” is a “vertical shotgun” design – multiple 1 room stories stacked upon each other. There are two common variations to the shotgun; a “Double Barrel” is two shotgun houses joined by a common wall, and a “camelback” with a two story addition on the back. In New Orleans the Double Barrel is actually the most commonly seen version of the shotgun. One additional note. You are correct that the “standard template” of the energy efficient “Brad Pitt houses” is a shotgun. These houses are unique in that his organization brought in designers from all over to add character and uniqueness to the houses.

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