St. Alphonsus Church granted local landmark status
The HDLC also advanced the final home of jazz musician Isidore Barbarin for study as a potential local landmark.
St. Alphonsus Church in the Irish Channel is New Orleans newest local landmark after the Historic District Landmarks Commission voted Aug. 12 to designate the deconsecrated church at 2025 Constance St. The Italianate-style building is architecturally notable for its sophisticated brickwork and refined, symmetrical façade, which features two square towers, bracketed cornices, corbelled brick panels, arched openings and paired pilasters.
The Preservation Resource Center enthusiastically supported the designation of this exceptional building as a local landmark and thanks Louisiana Landmarks Society for nominating the church in 2024.
The former church sits across the street from St. Mary’s Assumption, another significant 19th-century edifice. Beyond their architectural importance, the two churches tell part of New Orleans’ mid-19th-century immigration story: St. Alphonsus served the Irish community, while St. Mary’s served the German community. A third nearby, Notre Dame de Bon Secours, served French residents but was demolished in 1925. All three churches were built by members of the Redemptorists order of priests.
In the 1830s, Irish and German immigrants arrived in New Orleans in great numbers, many settling along the riverfront upriver from the original city. From 1832 to 1838, excavation of the New Basin Canal between Faubourg St. Mary and Lake Pontchartrain employed, and resulted in the deaths, of thousands of Irish laborers. As Irish immigrants continued arriving during the 1840s and 50s, more English-speaking Catholic churches were established to serve this population, including St. Alphonsus. Completed in 1857, the church was designed by Baltimore architect Louis Long and built by Thomas and Daniel Mulligan.
After the final church service in July 1979, the building fell into neglect. Friends of St. Alphonsus, a local nonprofit founded in 1990 to preserve the church, has worked over the last three decades to maintain the property, which needs significant repairs. With local landmark protection now in place, future changes to the exterior will be subject to HDLC review, helping ensure that work meets appropriate preservation standards.
The church was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. Its status was further elevated in 1996, when it was named a National Historic Landmark – one of only 54 in Louisiana. The PRC appreciates the HDLC staff for their research and support for this nomination and applauds the commission’s favorable vote, which recognizes the church’s exceptional architectural, historical and cultural importance.
HDLC advances Barbarin residence for landmark study
The HDLC also voted to nominate the final residence of local jazz legend Isidore Barbarin, at 1737 New Orleans St., for study as a potential local landmark. A family member nominated the home for its significant association with the Barbarin family, described on a plaque at the family tomb as a “dynasty of New Orleans jazz.” Isidore played trumpet and mellophone, and his three sons – Paul, Louis and Lucien – all became jazz drummers. The former homes of Paul and Louis were included in the PRC’s Jazz Houses Plaque Program.
After the HDLC staff evaluates the New Orleans Street property, the commission will vote to designate the property at a future meeting.
Help Us Protect New Orleans’ Historic Places
St. Alphonsus Church’s new landmark status is a reminder of what preservation advocacy can accomplish. PRC members help support our ongoing advocacy for New Orleans’ historic buildings, neighborhoods and architectural heritage.
Join PRC today and help us continue protecting the places that tell New Orleans’ story.
