A Historic Former Courthouse Is Revived as a Senior Living Community
In uptown New Orleans, an iconic 1850s-era Greek Revival structure has been transformed into a distinctive senior living community.
Designed in 1855 by acclaimed New Orleans architect Henry Howard, the historic building originally served as a courthouse for Jefferson Parish before the town of Carrollton was annexed by the city in 1874. For the next several decades, the 2-story structure served as home base for a series of K-12 schools
Two years after the building was vacated in 2013, it earned an unenviable position on the Louisiana Landmarks Society’s list of most endangered local historic landmarks, as well as the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s list of America’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places.
After narrowly surviving the wrecking ball, the 16,500-square-foot structure underwent a $28.5 million renovation initiated by Felicity Property Company, a local real-estate development and brokerage firm, and Liberty Healthcare Management, which owns and operates numerous senior living facilities across the Southeast.
New Orleans-based RNGD served as construction manager and Waggonner & Ball was the architect that oversaw the building’s transformation, which involved restoring the original courthouse building and adding 200,000 square feet of new construction. The two new wings that flank the historic structure now house the majority of The Carrollton’s 93 assisted living and memory care residences. Its studio and one-bedroom units range in size from 500 to 800 square feet.
Designed to complement the original structure, the whitewashed brick and simple form of the wings are deferential to the courthouse’s grand colonnade. Steel balconies nod to the typology common on New Orleans’ avenues and balance the composition of the front elevation.
The historic building’s grand interior environment now provides elegant common spaces for residents and visitors with a spacious lobby, sitting and entertainment areas, a formal restaurant-style dining room, cocktail bar and bistro, private dining room for large gatherings, library, salon and an exercise room. Common areas are adorned with original works curated by the New Orleans Arts Council.
Crafting an Exceptional Environment
Meticulous craftsmanship is evident in the former courthouse’s intricate trim details, which include multi-tiered crown molding at the ceilings, wainscotting around the windows and distinctive mosaic tiling on the floors. Reclaimed wood framing from the historic structure was milled and repurposed as stair treads and risers. Original wood elements also were repurposed into a custom entry desk and a rail cap in the light well.
The addition of a new entrance at the rear offers convenient access for residents and visitors while concealing the site’s required parking. The code-minimum 48 parking spaces are sensitively hidden under the new wings by masonry walls that maintain the integrity and rhythm of the walls and openings above.
A pair of courtyards between the new wings offer sheltered outdoor spaces for residents to gather and socialize. Each courtyard backs up to a porch with a modern colonnade that overlooks the tree canopy of Carrollton Avenue, a major Crescent City parade route.
A network of sculptural stormwater ponds retains 100 percent of the block’s rainfall onsite. These stormwater-retention areas are located in the front gardens, adjacent to the main entry and on the south side of the site wrapping each parking area.
Overcoming the Obstacles
Prior to rehabilitating the vacant 1850s-era historic courthouse, the construction team had to address several challenges, including a collapsing truss, termite-eaten wood, stripped wires, and extensive vandalism caused by squatters and wild animals that had been occupying the space.
When demolition work began, RNGD discovered extensive structural damage that needed to be repaired before construction could continue. Rotted wooden lintels above the existing windows required the crew to install more than 60 custom-fabricated structural steel lintels over all window openings and doorways. This time-consuming process involved installation of temporary lintels followed by the meticulous placement of new permanent lintels to ensure precision.
The discovery of asbestos in several portions of the historic structure led to the shutdown of specific areas of the job site while an asbestos-abatement plan could be developed and implemented.
To stabilize the foundation of the courthouse building, structural foam blocks were used in lieu of sand, which would’ve added too much weight to the existing corbel footings.
Because the foundations of the new structures ?are built on piles and the historic structure is built ?on corbel footings, crew members installed expansion joints that wrap the perimeter of the two connector wings to ensure that the buildings will not sustain structural damage from differential settlement issues.
RNGD also managed an extensive masonry tuckpointing process and oversaw precise framing of the windows to ensure all the elevations and sightlines are consistent across the entire complex.
In repairing the courthouse’s four 35-foot-tall front columns, crews had to precisely match the parapet’s clay coping tiles and restore three failing brick arches to their original profile.
Material cost escalation and supply-chain issues caused additional complications. To help the owner avoid future cost increases, the construction team released a number of work packages—including metal studs, structural joists, decking and windows—several months in advance.
Because of limited laydown space and indoor environments for storing construction materials at the job site, the construction team identified several area warehouses and an empty lot at another job site where materials could be stored until they were needed during the construction process. Team members relied on constant communication to manage the logistics of transporting specific materials to the site to coordinate with construction activities.
Despite the formidable challenges, The Carrollton opened to widespread acclaim in early 2023. The senior living community has established itself as a premier residence for New Orleans seniors and a community asset that will continue to serve the neighborhood and region for decades to come.
Originally published on July 15, 2024 on retrofitmagazine.com.
