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The Lafayette Square Historic District encompasses the area which had served as the residential section of the city's downtown in the 19th century. The street plan of the district dates from the late 18th century, including the placement of its public park, originally named Place Gravier and renamed in 1824 in honor of the Marquis de Lafayette. Development of this section of the city was slow in coming, with major construction of new residences starting in the 1820s.
The earliest remaining houses in the district are located at 535-545 Julia Street, which were constructed in 1832 by John Green. As the development of the neighborhood intensified, speculative developers constructed rows of townhouses for sale. The most noted surviving example of this practice is Julia Row, the thirteen residences that form the even numbered side of the 600 block of Julia. Begun in 1832 and completed the following year, these houses were designed by James Dakin for the New Orleans Building Company. The 1840s saw a continuation of residential construction, with the Greek Revival style becoming dominant. The finest of these period houses stands at 719 Camp Street, in the middle of a fine blockface of antebellum buildings.
The district also contains significant public buildings from the antebellum period. The most prominent is Gallier Hall, the former seat of city government, located at 545 St. Charles Avenue overlooking Lafayette Square. Built between 1845 and 1850, it is a masterwork of the architect James Gallier, Sr. At 724 Camp stands St. Patrick's Church, the district's major church structure. Begun in 1838 and completed in 1840, the church's Gothic Revival design is the work of Charles and James Dakin, with the church being completed by James Gallier, Sr.
The post Civil War years saw a slow change in the area's development, with commercial activities dominating on Magazine Street. The most impressive of these late 19th century structures is the former La Belle Creole Cigar Factory at 755 Magazine, built in 1882. The shift from residential to commercial use in the district accelerated greatly at the start of the 20th century. A large number of former residences were demolished and replaced with new structures designed for a range of business uses. Many of these new buildings were designed to display merchandise through large glass shop windows, as is the case with 710 Baronne Street. The coming of the automobile also led to the demolition of early buildings for service stations and parking lots. In recent years residential and accompanying service uses have returned.
As a result of contrasting periods of development, the district is a mixture of 19th and 20th century building types. A large percentage of all buildings in the district are built on the front property line, with most being at least two stories in height. There is precedent for buildings being set back slightly off of the property line, but most such buildings are of 20th century vintage. The district still contains significant vacant space which should be developed with sympathetic infill construction in the future.