New Orleans’ Nine Most Endangered Sites of 2025

Louisiana Landmarks Society, which promotes historic preservation through education, advocacy, and operation of the Pitot House, today announced the sites selected for its 2025 New Orleans’ Nine Most Endangered list. Modeled on the National Trust for Historic Preservation's listing of America's 11 Most Endangered Historic Places, the New Orleans’ Nine was inaugurated by Louisiana Landmarks Society in 2005. The list aims to save historic sites and facilities that may be threatened by demolition, neglect, or bureaucracy. Through an annual announcement the Society seeks to gain publicity for endangered places, to advocate for sound preservation policies, and to educate the public that the loss of these resources would diminish the community.

“Our list this year includes not only specific historic properties, such as the First African Baptist Church and the Eagle Saloon, but serious issues facing New Orleans citywide.  From Code Enforcement to the adherence to the Rule of Law for an open, transparent and accountable city government, all of which are essential to the lifeblood of our city and its infrastructure. These selections, along with the other sites and are in serious need of attention for the sake of our unique New Orleans community,” said Tony Marino, Landmarks Society First Vice-President and New Orleans’ Nine Selection Committee Chair.

The naming of the New Orleans’ Nine follows a citywide call for nominations from individuals, neighborhood associations, and historic and architectural organizations. The final choices are based upon selection criteria such as historic, architectural, civic and cultural value, the severity of the threat, and the degree of community commitment to save properties and sites. But increasingly some selections include citywide issues and policies which threaten the very fabric of the New Orleans area.  

Besides Marino, the Selection Committee included: Landmarks Society Chair of Advocacy Committee and past president Sandra L. Stokes; Landmarks Society past president Michael Duplantier, Landmarks Society board members Jessica Knox, Jim Goodwin, and Brian Luckett, architectural historian Hilary Somerville Irvin, Historic District Landmarks Commission Principal Architectural Historian Yvette Tyler, Preservation Resource Center Director of Advocacy & Public Policy Research MaryNell Nolan-Wheatley, and Landmarks Society  members Keith Hardie and Gerald Greiner.

First African Baptist Church

LOCATION: 2216 Third Street
THREAT: Damage and Lack of Funding

With roots dating to 1817, the First African Baptist Church is the oldest Black Baptist congregation in New Orleans and by some accounts the oldest continuous African American church in Louisiana. Construction began in 1904 on this Spanish Revival-style church in Central City that served as a space for religious and community gatherings, educational and cultural events, and political activism. The local landmark remained home to a thriving congregation until it became unusable after sustaining significant damage during Hurricane Ida in 2021. The congregation urgently needs funding to restore this significant site before the building becomes unsalvageable.

The Eagle Saloon

LOCATION: 401 South Rampart Street
THREAT: Demolition by Neglect

Built in 1850, the Eagle Saloon stands as a nationally significant early jazz landmark—one of the last survivors of "Black Storyville" along South Rampart Street. This sacred ground witnessed the musical genesis of legends like Buddy Bolden and Joe "King" Oliver, while serving the diverse "Back of Town" neighborhood that shaped Louis Armstrong's youth. Despite its 2002 National Register designation, the Eagle Saloon remains shamefully neglected: vacant, deteriorating, and forgotten. Redevelopment of other buildings in this jazz corridor are complete or underway. The Eagle Saloon must be prioritized for renovation.

Historic Interiors

LOCATION: Citywide
THREAT: Removal of Historic Heritage

Contemporary taste for open floor plans and stark minimalism permanently removes much of our architectural heritage. Historic homes with lovingly restored exteriors are being brutally gutted and transformed into sterile white boxes that obliterate authentic character. Fireplaces, molding, trim, pocket doors, flooring, and sometimes entire walls are all sacrificed to appeal to the most generic market possible. While buildings may need updates for modern use, stripping away historic character doesn't necessarily improve functionality—it creates bland spaces devoid of the warmth, history, and authentic New Orleans charm that once defined them.

Dr. Alfred and Minnie King House

LOCATION: 2020 Farragut Street
THREAT: Demolition by Neglect

In 1932, Dr. Alfred King acquired an expansive parcel near Algiers Naval Station, where he and his wife built an idiosyncratic interpretation of a Colonial Revival-style raised cottage. After Dr. King died in 1933, his widow remained there until 1951, cultivating celebrated gardens. From 1952 until 1970, Dr. King’s nephew Vernon Lee Davis and his wife, both horticulturists, maintained this country home in the city. Today, the abandoned cottage is perilously dilapidated, obscured by vegetation. Although a developer acquired 2020 Farragut and the grounds of the demolished 2030 Farragut in 2017, neglect continues.

Excessive Industrialization

LOCATION: Ninth Ward 
THREAT: Uncoordinated Over-Industrialization

Excessive industrial intensification in the Ninth Ward threatens the area's hard-won post-Katrina recovery. The proposed grain train routing through residential streets, demolition of the historic St. Claude Bridge, creation of a Florida Avenue truck route, and replacement/relocation of the Industrial Canal lock prioritize industrial uses over neighborhood safety and sustainability. These projects sacrifice residential quality of life and local economies for expansion by non-local industries. They will devastate property values and drive out residents through increased noise, decade-plus construction, traffic, pollution, and flood risks. This uncoordinated hodgepodge approach lacks comprehensive planning and risks undoing decades of rebuilding efforts.

Code Enforcement Citing “Imminent Dangerous Conditions”

LOCATION: Citywide
THREAT: Demolition by Code Enforcement

In post-Civil War New Orleans, manure, blood and offal from numerous slaughterhouses contaminated water drawn from the Mississippi River, creating a public health hazard. Louisiana responded by mandating a single slaughterhouse downriver of the city. Butchers sued, claiming the 14th Amendment protected their livelihoods. The Supreme Court ruled against them, deciding that the 14th Amendment did not apply to state laws, thus setting the stage for Jim Crow laws. Owned by the Port of New Orleans, the slaughterhouse buildings, exemplars of 19th-century brickwork, are threatened by neglect.

The Rule of Law

LOCATION: Citywide
THREAT: Open, Transparent, Accountable City Government

The rule of law is under attack by the city administration through systematic violations of public record laws, open meetings laws, zoning regulations, public notice and altering public documents. This administration has undermined transparent governance and is now threatening the authority of the Master Plan. Public confidence in city institutions and the consistent application of the law has eroded in the face of cronyism, where laws, regulations, and permits are applied based on the applicant's connections rather than legal merit and fair process. The result is ever more contentious public hearings, divisive politics, resentment and circumvention of regulations.

Midcentury Modern Buildings

LOCATION: Citywide
THREAT: Lack of appreciation and Protection

From the 1930s to the 1970s, New Orleans witnessed a robust and lauded modernist movement that transformed the city's skyline. However, midcentury modern buildings are often dismissed as untraditional in New Orleans. The Historic District Landmark Commission cannot protect most of these buildings because they were constructed after the National Register-defined periods of significance for historic districts, which determines if a building contributes and must be regulated. Since the wave of midcentury modern demolitions following Hurricane Katrina, a troubling pattern has emerged where buildings from this era are labeled non-historic and unworthy of preservation.  

St. Claude Corridor

LOCATION: St. Claude Avenue
THREAT: Lack of Planning and Investment

St. Claude Avenue, once a thriving business corridor, has experienced disinvestment and blight since the 2005 flood. Empty storefronts, blighted buildings, graffiti, trash, and dangerous traffic conditions reinforce the downward spiral. The lack of planning and public investment in the corridor to restore city services, beautify the neutral ground, and calm traffic discourages new investments while driving businesses like bars and restaurants into adjacent residential neighborhoods, where they come into conflict with residents. As a state highway, the city does not have full jurisdiction and will need cooperation from the state legislature to enact improvements.