October 2, 2007

St. Charles Avenue in New Orleans Designated One of 10 Great Streets in America

World Renowned and Stunning As Ever

NEW ORLEANS, LA — The American Planning Association (APA) announced today that St. Charles Avenue in New Orleans has been designated as one of 10 Great Streets for 2007 through APA's Great Places in America program. APA Great Places exemplify exceptional character and highlight the role planners and planning play in creating communities of lasting value.

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The American Planning Association (APA) selected St. Charles Avenue as one of 10 Great Streets in America given its status as an icon of Southern style and charm, and its contributions to the cultural traditions of New Orleans.

APA Great Places offer better choices for where and how people work and live. They are enjoyable, safe, and desirable. They are places where people want to be — not only to visit, but to live and work everyday. America's truly great neighborhoods are defined by many criteria, including architectural features, accessibility, functionality, and community involvement. Through Great Places in America, APA recognizes the unique and authentic attributes of essential building blocks of great communities — streets, neighborhoods, and public spaces.

"We're excited to select St. Charles Avenue as one of our Great Streets this year," said APA Executive Director Paul Farmer, FAICP. "Whether riding a St. Charles streetcar or walking on one of its sidewalks, you're in for a delightful experience. Even after Katrina, the special nature of St. Charles Avenue still radiates through."

Since 1835 this oak-lined avenue has been home to the St. Charles Avenue streetcar, the oldest, continually operating line in the world that was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. Partially closed since hurricane Katrina, the streetcar line is expected to be fully functional in 2008.

St. Charles Avenue also is home to historic Audubon Park, Loyola, and Tulane universities, the city's renowned centers of higher education, and many historic churches and synagogues. But, it is best known as a place of residential grandeur, a place where the most affluent and powerful once lived.

The street contains one of the most magnificent collections of antebellum Greek Revival homes. Following the Civil War, more robust Italianate, Queen Anne, and Eastlake styles became popular, creating an eclectic group of residences in the Garden District. Despite its reputation for opulence, the district features many working class homes — predominantly double gallery and shotgun styles.

Following World War II, a number of historic houses were torn down and replaced by large-scale apartment and commercial buildings. The wave of redevelopment led the city in 1972 to adopt a moratorium preventing the demolition of older homes. Still, much of St. Charles Avenue is unprotected, causing a variety of incompatible development including fast-food restaurants.

The boulevard was given historic district status between Jackson Avenue and Jena Street in 1976. The majority of homes along this segment of the avenue are frame constructed and set back from the front property line behind ornamental cast-iron fences. The separation of the houses from one another, and from the sidewalks, adds to the perceived width of the street and provides additional areas for landscaping.

A source of local pride, St. Charles Avenue survives today, in part, because of its roots in the city's cultural traditions. St. Charles Avenue is the historic Carnival parade route and that of virtually every other major parade originating in the Uptown and Mid-City districts.

The nine other APA Great Streets for 2007 are Bull Street, Savannah, Georgia; Canyon Road, Santa Fe, New Mexico; Delmar Loop, University City and St. Louis, Missouri; Main Street, Northampton, Massachusetts; Monument Avenue, Richmond, Virginia; North Michigan Avenue, Chicago, Illinois; Ocean Drive, Miami Beach, Florida; 125th Street, Harlem, New York City; and South Temple Street, Salt Lake City, Utah. For more information about these streets, and the list of 10 APA Great Neighborhoods for 2007, visit www.planning.org/greatplaces.

This year's ten Great Streets and Great Neighborhoods will be celebrated as part of APA's National Community Planning Month in October 2007, designed to recognize and celebrate the many residents, leaders, officials, and professionals who contribute to making great communities. For more about National Community Planning Month, visit www.planning.org/ncpm.

Contact
Denny Johnson, APA, 202-349-1006; djohnson@planning.org