by The AirBnB listing stated something like: “Garden District condo close St. Charles trolley.” Quickly I booked it and when I arrived I discovered that description is (almost) true. “Garden District Adjacent” would probably be more accurate. The condo is actually located in Faubourg Delassize and is across the street from hundreds of Grand White Mansions–some converted to other uses–that have made the Garden District famous. The trolley stop is 2 blocks away.
I’ve also discovered that this local area of the Garden District has some quirks. There definitely is a north-south divide and the St. Charles trolley tracks are the line of demarcation. On the Northern side in the Faubourg Delassize, where I am staying, the Grand White Mansions are only one row deep. On the south side the big mansions for on for block after block.
Confederate quartermaster to Nazi spy to happy brides
A couple of blocks from the condo is the grand and elegant Elms Mansion, built by a Confederate Army Quartermaster and capitalist/investor for his family. Decades passed, owners changed and by the 1930s the home was the residence of a German Officer/Spy who reported to Hitler’s government about shipping in and out of the Port of New Orleans until he was tossed out of the country in 1941. It’s now an events center. It’s part of the single layer of white mansions on the north side of the tracks. Behind it are much smaller homes.
Once a grand residence for a Confederate Quartermaster Capitalist and relative of Jefferson Davis, decades later a Nazi German spy during WWII called it home. The Elms Mansion today is a special events venue.
New condos in a “French style” are on the south side–the Garden District side–of the St. Charles trolley tracks. Also on the south side is this mansion belonging to a Krewe group that sponsors a Mardi Gras parade. At least the French style condos are painted in colors other than white.
“Gracious” is the name of this corner cafe/bakery a couple of blocks away. On the Garden District side of the trolley lines, it is a welcoming place for a lunch or a light dinner. Their hand pies are delicious, especially the peach one. These two buildings are quite typical of “smaller mansions” in the area.
Now on to Faubourg Delassize
On the north side of the St. Charles trolley route and a half a block from the condo is McDonald’s. I can just walk down an alley and pick up a sausage biscuit whenever I want and be back in the condo in 2 minutes. The building is completely out of character for both the Garden District and Faubourg Delassize.
Now if you prefer to cook for yourself, just enter the large building below. Originally built as a funeral parlor–a really big one–it later was a book store and is now the Fresh Market, the New Orleans equivalent of Whole Foods. It’s on the Garden District side of the St. Charles Trolley tracks.
But if you don’t want to spend your entire paycheck on upscale groceries, there is another corner grocery–on the north side of the tracks–but you may have to know the secret password to enter.
One block further north of the condo is a Neighborhood Discount Market. Two women came up to the door and knocked and waited. Then someone opened the door and they disappeared inside. This is 3 blocks from the Fresh Market and a world away!
The homes in Faubourg Delassize, while small, are very well kept up, many freshly painted and more colorful than homes to the south of the trolley line in the Garden District where the mansions are almost all painted unimaginatively white. There is also a building near the Discount grocery that houses several dance companies and a spectacular 3 story mural at the end street watching over it all.
An African-American man dressed in Indian regalia is, if I remember correctly, a key figure in Mardi Gras festivities. This mural was sponsored by the City of New Orleans. You can see other murals near Elysian Fields.
Discover what’s happening in Tucson these days.
