Pontalba Buildings
Encyclopedia
The Pontalba Buildings form two sides of Jackson Square
in the French Quarter
of New Orleans, Louisiana
.
These are matching red-brick block long 4‑story buildings built in the 1840s by the Baroness Micaela Almonester Pontalba
. The ground floors house shops and restaurants; the upper floors are apartments that are the oldest continuously rented such apartments in the United States
.
In the short story Hidden Gardens, Truman Capote
describes the Pontalba Buildings as "...the oldest, in some ways most somberly elegant, apartment houses in America, the Pontalba Buildings."
They were declared a National Historic Landmark
in 1974.
Jackson Square, New Orleans
Jackson Square, also known as Place d'Armes, is a historic park in the French Quarter of New Orleans, Louisiana. It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1960.-Design:...
in the French Quarter
French Quarter
The French Quarter, also known as Vieux Carré, is the oldest neighborhood in the city of New Orleans. When New Orleans was founded in 1718 by Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville, the city was originally centered on the French Quarter, or the Vieux Carré as it was known then...
of New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
.
These are matching red-brick block long 4‑story buildings built in the 1840s by the Baroness Micaela Almonester Pontalba
Baroness Micaela Almonester Pontalba
Baroness Micaela Almonester de Pontalba was a wealthy New Orleans businesswoman, and one of the most vibrant personalities of that city's history...
. The ground floors house shops and restaurants; the upper floors are apartments that are the oldest continuously rented such apartments in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
In the short story Hidden Gardens, Truman Capote
Truman Capote
Truman Streckfus Persons , known as Truman Capote , was an American author, many of whose short stories, novels, plays, and nonfiction are recognized literary classics, including the novella Breakfast at Tiffany's and the true crime novel In Cold Blood , which he labeled a "nonfiction novel." At...
describes the Pontalba Buildings as "...the oldest, in some ways most somberly elegant, apartment houses in America, the Pontalba Buildings."
They were declared a National Historic Landmark
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
in 1974.