How to Use the Images

Table of
Contents

Photo 5: Facade of a Creole townhouse.

Photo 5:
The Creole townhouse was the most common of housing units when the city was rebuilt after the fires of 1788 and 1794. They were rectangular, two to four stories high with wrought iron balconies. The passageway to the courtyard was large enough for one person to walk through. Most Creole townhouses had pitched roofs and roof dormer windows.

Photo 6: Facade of a Porte-Cochere
Creole townhouse.

Photo 6:
The Porte-Cochere Creole townhouse, whose name means "coach door," was common from about 1800 to 1850. These two- to four-story houses had a carriageway entrance leading to a rear courtyard. The ground floor was generally used as a shop, while the upper floor/floors were used as living space.

Photo 7: Facade of an American
(Greek Revival) townhouse.

Photo 7:
The American townhouse features an interior stairway while Creole townhouses have passageways and stairways on the exterior of the house.

Questions for Photos 5-7

1. Examine Photos 5-7 and read the descriptive matter. Make a list of the architectural features that are similar in the three townhouses. Make a list of the differences. Would you assume that these buildings are in the same neighborhood? Why or why not?

2. Based on what you learned in the readings, what culture had the greatest influence on the architectural styles of these buildings? What other factors had an influence on the design of the townhouses?

3. Locate a townhouse in your community or research townhouses in an area where they are prevalent such as the east coast. Make sketches or take photographs based on your findings and compare them with the types found in New Orleans.

* The photos on this screen have a resolution of 72 dots per inch (dpi), and therefore will print poorly. You can obtain a high quality version of Photo 5, Photo 6, and Photo 7, but be aware that each file will take as much as 35 seconds to load with a 28.8K modem.