Upper Pontabla Building

The Upper Pontabla Building was erected in 1849-50 by Michela Almonester, Baroness Pontabla, working first with architect James Gallier and then with architect Henry Howard, with Samuel Stewart as builder. In 1724 the corner was the site of officers’ barracks that were later used as a temporary church, a warehouse, and finally as the residence of M. de Loubois, major of the town. On the rest of the block, barracks designed by I. F. Broutin were begun in 1734, completed in 1738, and demolished in 1769. The site was later acquired by Don Andres Almonester y Roxas, whose widow erected an imposing mansion on the Decatur Street corner in 1811. That mansion and other buildings on the site were demolished to build the present structure. The Baroness Pontabla lived here with two of her sons in 1850-51, and Jenny Lind lived here in 1851 during her New Orleans visit. The building has been owned by the City of New Orleans since 1930.

New Orleans, Louisiana · United States