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The Faubourg Marigny Historic District is bounded by Esplanade Avenue, St. Claude Avenue, Press Street, and the Mississippi River. The Marigny area is one of the first extensions of the original city plan, dating back to 1806 when the plan of the streets and city blocks was prepared by Nicolas de Finiels.
The architectural character of the district is dominated by two house types: the Creole cottage and the shotgun cottage. The Creole cottage is the earlier of the two types, and is most readily identified by its one and a half story height, the upper half story set under the gable ended roof that slopes toward the front and rear of the house. These houses are most often built flush with the front property line, alongside the sidewalk. Fine examples of this house type are located at 1809 Dauphine Street built in the 1830s, 2035-37 Dauphine Street, an 1830s design which was totally remodeled in the 1850s, and at 826 Frenchmen Street, a three bay cottage with a single main doorway.
Shotgun cottages began appearing in the area in the late 1840s, and continued to be built until the early years of the 20th century. One of the finest Greek Revival style cottages in Marigny is located at 920 Spain Street, built on the front property line in the manner of Creole cottages. Later shotguns and side hall houses continued to be built close to the front of the lot, but by the end of the 19th century small front yards became popular, with ornamental cast-iron fences across the fronts of the lots. Good examples of these late styles can be found at 2311-13 Chartres Street, and at 2525 North Rampart Street, both of which date from the 1890s and feature ornate machined millwork.
While the dominant scale of the buildings in Marigny is rather small, there are a number of two and three story structures, with the majority of these larger residences being located on Esplanade Avenue. In contrast to the French Quarter, where common wall townhouses are most common, in Marigny, most of the large townhouses are free-standing, or have only one common wall neighbor. Scattered throughout the area are a number of two story commercial/residential structures, often located on corner lots. Examples of this building type can be found at 704 Marigny Street and 2000 Burgundy Street.
The character of Faubourg Marigny is defined by a very high density in terms of the proximity of one structure to its neighbors. Front yards are not common, and when they do exist they are generally small in size. Vacant land is relatively scarce, as are incompatible modern buildings, leaving the area with a strong 19th century flavor.