Hotel Peter & Paul

PROJECT OVERVIEW

Once a Catholic church complex in New Orleans’s Faubourg Marigny neighborhood, the new Hotel Peter & Paul redefined what a parish campus could be. The four buildings on the site – a deconsecrated church, rectory, school, and convent – have been transformed into a hotel, bar, and gathering space by owners Nathalie Jordi and ASH NYC. MHA’s Gabrielle Begue and Beth Jacob consulted on the federal and state historic tax credits that were utilized to help finance the nationally-celebrated rehabilitation project.

HISTORY

The Saints Peter and Paul complex sits within the Faubourg Marigny Historic District in New Orleans. The church was constructed in 1862 and designed by renowned New Orleans architect Henry Howard. It served as the seat of the Irish Catholic Saints Peter and Paul Parish which was founded in 1848 and served the community until the church closed in 2002. The other three buildings—the convent, rectory, and school—were constructed between circa 1875 and 1900.

REHABILITATION WORK

Rehabilitation work focused primarily on preserving and restoring the historic fabric found throughout the complex while using the lightest touch possible to transform the property for its new use. The complex now houses a hotel with no two rooms alike. The Elysian Bar can be found in the former rectory. This approach has won Hotel Peter & Paul accolades locally and nationally as a space to be enjoyed by all, from out-of-town travelers to the local community.

Preservation work included mortar repair and brick cleaning, window repairs, restoration of historic wainscoting, repairing termite damage, and other material repairs. Certain lost architectural features were replicated using original drawings where possible.

In areas where new finishes were required, the design team chose durable, modern materials that simulated their historic precedents. Many later additions and changes were reversed in order to bring the complex as close to its historic appearance as possible. Hotel Peter & Paul demonstrates yet another creative reuse of historic structures.