April 11 at 10:30am — 12:00pm
Constructed in 1931, this complex was built by the U.S. Public Health Service as a quarantine station for incoming ships and crewmembers, according to documents on the National Register of Historic Places database. Located in Algiers approximately four miles downriver from the Port of New Orleans, the station “began as an 18-building complex. Today, six original buildings and some site features remain after parts of the complex were sold and subsequently demolished beginning in the 1970s,” according to the National Register.
The property’s new owners, Joel and Lindsey Snodgrass, have carefully restored and repurposed this formerly abandoned station into an event venue.
For more than a century, a city ordinance required quarantine stations to be located at least 70 miles from the city due to the fear that diseases could spread miles through the air. Eventually, scientists disproved that theory, allowing the new station to be built only a few miles from the Port of New Orleans and more than 90 miles closer to the city than the original station. It would ultimately save shippers thousands of dollars by preventing the spoiling of goods.
Originally spanning 10 acres across eight city blocks, the site included buildings in the Colonial Revival, Classical Revival and Neoclassical styles designed by architect Louis Adolphe Simon, the supervising architect for the U.S. Treasury. As health care, shipping and travel evolved, quarantine stations became a thing of the past, and this station closed in 1970s. Portions of the property were sold to the City of New Orleans and the New Orleans School Board. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security was the final occupant of The Patterson section, and it departed the complex in 2018.
On the original 10 acres, the two largest buildings were a hospital and a quarantine barracks. These buildings also served as housing for wartime detainees during World War II. During the war, the U.S Justice Department operated the facility as a detention center for those considered enemies of the state. It became known as the “camp of the innocent” because the population largely consisted of Jewish refugees from Germany and other anti-Nazi individuals from Europe and South America. During their time on site, they were permitted to go downtown, attend public school and church, and sell items in the market. These buildings eventually were demolished.
The remaining Commanding Officer’s residence is now Saint Claire Restaurant. On the north side, The Patterson sits directly on the river and consists of six historic administration buildings. The renovation involved peeling back layers of “updates” as the functionality of the site changed over the years. Wood floors were discovered beneath layers of commercial tile, a garden parkway had been converted into a helipad, and a mechanic shop had been transformed into a gym. One significant element of the restoration involved reconstructing a two-story, 70-foot-long porch that had been removed when employees no longer slept on site.
In addition to Lindsey and Joel Snodgrass, the project’s team included Robert Wolfe Construction and EMS Renovations. Today, The Patterson offers multiple buildings and event spaces.
Beams & Brews offers a chance to view the ongoing construction, hear from the project’s managers, and enjoy free drinks.
The PRC’s Beams & Brews series is generously sponsored by the presenting sponsor, Dixie Construction, our beams sponsor, True Title, with brews provided by Urban South Brewery.
Help make our Beams & Brews possible and volunteer!
Presenting Sponsor
Beams and Brews sponsors
Interested in sponsoring the Beams and Brews series? Contact Kearney Gay at [email protected].
