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The Holy Cross Historic District is roughly bounded by the Mississippi River, Delery Street, Burgundy Street and the Industrial Canal. It represents the final area of eastward (downriver) expansion of the old city of New Orleans. It is mainly a residential district, with most of the current building stock dating from the 1880s to the mid-twentieth century. The district takes its name from Holy Cross High School, established in 1859. The present main building dates from 1895. The Holy Cross school grounds still give a sense of how the area once looked during its earliest period as plantations.

Development of the Holy Cross area began in earnest around 1850. The district’s oldest buildings date from this time, because none of the original plantation buildings from the earliest development remain. Although it was subdivided, parts of the neighborhood were used for truck farming until the 1940s. Thus, compared to other New Orleans urban areas, Holy Cross has larger lots and a lower density. This helps give the district the feeling of a village on the edge of a large city. This perception was intensified in 1912 when the Industrial Canal was built between Holy Cross and the rest of New Orleans.

The neighborhood also has four important landmarks. The previously mentioned Holy Cross School building is a three-story brick Italianate structure with decorative cast iron galleries. Another landmark, St. Maurice Church, is a stuccoed Romanesque Revival building from the late nineteenth century. By far the most significant buildings in the district are the two identical Doullut houses. They are known as the Steamboat Houses for their resemblance to the high style steamboats that once plied the Mississippi River that these houses overlook. They were among the first local landmarks that the Historic District Landmarks Commission designated.

Major building types in the district include Creole cottages, shotgun houses, camelbacks, side hall plan houses, bungalows and a few commercial buildings. Styles include Greek Revival, Italianate, Eastlake, Arts and Crafts, and twentieth century eclectic.