The Preservation Resource Center is proud to have nominated this treasured historic neighborhood in New Orleans’ Lower Ninth Ward. For more information about some of the PRC’s many historic properties for sale in Holy Cross, visit www.prcno.org or contact Lisa Ross, Real Estate Marketing Manager, at 504.636.3078 or lross@prcno.org.
This Old House has selected Holy Cross as one of only 64 “Best Old House Neighborhoods” in the country! Holy Cross is listed as one of the best in six separate categories: The South, Bargains, Fixer-Uppers, Waterfront, Singles, and Gardening.
According to This Old House criteria, “For the fourth year in a row, we’ve tracked down North America’s most timeless neighborhoods – places where lovingly crafted old houses have extraordinary pasts and unarguably promising futures. With help from our friends at Portland, Oregon-based PreservationDirectory.com – who distributed our nomination forms to more than 14,000 historical societies, neighborhood groups, and preservation nonprofits – we’ve assembled our biggest-ever list of off-the-beaten-path places that are worth eyeing for a great old home.”
From the website of This Old House:
After being inundated by more than 10 feet of water from Hurricane Katrina, this historic working-class New Orleans neighborhood on the Mississippi River seemed about as likely to resurface as Atlantis. But soon after the water receded, a group of dedicated architects, residents, preservationists – and some guy named Norm Abram – ran to Holy Cross’s rescue, restoring the old shotgun houses and Creole Cottages and constructing sustainable housing. Norm and This Old House TV brought a flood-damaged 1892 shotgun back to life here in 2007. Now this old NOLA section, built on a former sugar-plantation site, is seeing new life, as families, artists, and, of course, jazz musicians, stake their claim on its increasingly bright future.
The Houses
These houses were built to last, with thick wood walls salvaged from old river barges, heavy hurricane shutters, and sturdy cypress woodwork. The area is dominated by 19th-century Creole Cottages and 19th- and early-20th-century single or double shotgun houses, some of which have second stories, called camelbacks, built on the rear. A gutted shotgun can be grabbed for as little as $19,000; restored, they tend to sell for $89,000 to $180,000, depending on size and location.
Why Buy Here?
Just over half of Holy Cross’s pre-Katrina population has returned, and the area is included in a program called Operation Comeback, run by the Preservation Resource Center of New Orleans. The organization has employed a revolving fund to restore dozens of houses here, selling them to first-time and repeat buyers. Talk of a new streetcar line and a new grocery store bode well for Holy Cross’s continuing comeback.
Among the best for: The South, Bargains, Fixer-Uppers, Waterfront, Singles, Gardening.
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For more information about the “Best Old House Neighborhoods”, visit This Old House online at ThisOldHouse.com.
For more information about some of the PRC’s many historic properties for sale in Holy Cross, visit www.prcno.org or contact Lisa Ross, Real Estate Marketing Manager, at 504.636.3078 or lross@prcno.org.
MEDIA CONTACT: Lynn Long / L2Media & Marketing (504.669.0576 / L2Media@cox.net)
The Preservation Resource Center of New Orleans (PRC) was founded in 1974 as a non-profit organization to promote the preservation, restoration and revitalization of New Orleans’ historic architecture and neighborhoods. The organization has helped renovate more than 1,200 homes citywide by involving citizens in preservation projects and services that enhance living in New Orleans. PRC provides resources and education to convey the economic, cultural and aesthetic importance of historic preservation in New Orleans and throughout the world. For more information about the PRC’s hurricane recovery efforts, including the homeowner assistance program, call 504.581.7032 or visit www.prcno.org.
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