ST. ROCH MARKET (Faubourg St. Roch, 1875)

Of the dozens of historic public markets which once dotted the city, St. Roch is one of the few still standing. Nestled on a narrow neutral ground in the neighborhood of the same name, the market was built in 1875 as an open-air space, with 24 cast iron columns at the perimeter and a steamboat design scheme. A WPA renovation in the 1930s added such luxuries of the day as refrigeration and plumbing. The building was enclosed after World War II, when the public market system was dissolved and the building was threatened with demolition. Only public outcry saved it. Post Hurricane Katrina, the market sits vacant, awaiting a return to public use.
THREAT: neglect
Update: The St. Roch Market received funding from FEMA for a new metal roof and basic structural repairs. It is an anchor in one of the City’s new “target zones” for redevelopment, raising hopes that it will receive further funding and attention from the City.