St. Ann Square adds another gem to historic Treme

Story by Beth Donze, Clarion Herald; photos by Beth Donze and courtesy of Providence Community Housing

The city’s inventory of affordable senior housing just received a major boost with the completion of a three-year construction and renovation project in the heart of Treme.

The newly reopened and refurbished St. Ann Square, located next to the historic Shrine of St. Ann in the 2100 block of Ursulines Avenue, boasts 59 beautifully updated apartments nestled within an expanded campus of five historic buildings and one ultra-modern new building constructed on its North Johnson Street perimeter.

St. Ann Square is accepting applications for residency among its offerings of studio, one-bedroom and two-bedroom apartments.

“Providence is thrilled to welcome seniors back home to St. Ann Square,” said Terri North, president and CEO of Providence Community Housing, a 501(c)3 nonprofit real estate development organization that has preserved and developed more than 1,600 units of affordable housing in the Greater New Orleans area.

“Our residents will enjoy fully renovated apartments and a beautifully landscaped campus in this historic neighborhood where many have family roots,” North added.

The property is being managed by Christopher Homes, the Archdiocese of New Orleans ministry that specializes in developing and managing dignified and affordable housing for low-income seniors. The agency currently manages 21 properties that house about 2,500 people ages 62 and older.

Deacon Dennis Adams, executive director of Christopher Homes, said St. Ann Square will be a stylistic departure in his agency’s portfolio in that it will house seniors in a series of free-standing properties rather than carving out residential units in a single historic building or multi-story apartment tower.

“This property is unique because it’s a city square in Treme that has a mix of residences – double homes that have been converted into apartments, a large historic building that has been fully renovated and new construction,” Deacon Adams said.

An expanded footprint

Bounded by Ursulines Avenue, North Galvez, Governor Nicholls and North Johnson streets, St. Ann Square received upgrades to three structures that already had been retrofitted into 44 units of affordable senior housing when it was first developed into a residential community in 2000:

• The massive red-brick building fronting Ursulines, which once did triple duty as St. Ann Church, elementary school and auditorium, still occupies the historic and visual heart of the square. Vestiges of the building’s use as a Catholic parish include its rooftop cross and front tablature inscribed with the name of St. Ann, its saintly patroness, and its construction year of 1924, the latter spelled out in Roman numerals: MCMXXIV.

Apartments carved out of the former church retain the columns that once punctuated the church’s center aisle. That aisle – now a wide hallway flanked by the doors to private apartments – leads to the church’s original sanctuary and double-height ceiling. The freshly painted and lit space will provide a place for residents to gather for faith-based events and other meetings near the church’s refinished oak altar decorated with a metallic relief of the “Lamb of God.” Two stained-glass windows also tell of the area’s former use, as does a statue of St. Ann with her daughter Mary, set to occupy a place of honor in a niche above the altar.

• The adjoining school building at the church’s rear, a residential addition built in 2000 and a free-standing, two-story Italianate home on the corner of Ursulines and North Galvez round out St. Ann Square’s original footprint. The latter, built in 1860, underwent a complete restoration, including preservation of its double-columned gallery and numerous floor-to-ceiling windows.

Campus incorporates neighboring homes

When Providence launched plans to redevelop St. Ann Square in 2017, the non-profit acquired three abutting homes on North Galvez that were in various stages of dilapidation: a two-story, craftsman-style double, now painted a cheerful lilac and the site of two spacious apartments; and a pair of double Creole cottages – one painted yellow and the other blue –  that will provide an additional four residential units at St. Ann Square.

A gazebo and pockets of grass between the three homes cleverly unify buildings that “were never intended to play together” when they were first built, said Ryan Herringshaw, Providence’s chief operating officer and director of real estate development. 

Care was taken to retain as many original architectural elements as possible when the homes were stripped down to their studs, including flooring and windows, while packing the structures with energy-saving insulation. Gaps in the homes’ cypress siding were replaced with wood, and missing brackets and gingerbreading were re-milled to replicate the homes’ historic curb appeal.

An additional nine residential units were created in a brand-new building at 1119 North Johnson, which also serves as the public entrance to St. Ann Square and the onsite office of Christopher Homes.

Sustainably built

Each apartment at smoke-free, pet-friendly St. Ann Square boasts an electric range-oven, microwave, frost-free refrigerator, ADA-compliant bathroom, spacious closets and phone, cable and internet access. Residents have their pick of three on-site laundry rooms equipped with coin-operated “Energy Star” washer and dryer units.

Other features tailored to St. Ann Square’s senior population include durable and comfortable laminate plank flooring (except in areas where original floors could be restored), color-contrasting countertops for impaired vision and easy-to-operate, lever-style door handles. Color-coded walls throughout the complex help residents to find their desired floor level while disembarking from elevators – although signs posted throughout the site encourage all who can to use the stairs.

Attention to detail is also evident in the property’s “Enterprise Green Communities” certification, a green building program designed explicitly for affordable housing. Energy-saving features at the site include ceiling fans, blinds, high-efficiency water heaters, individually controlled thermostats in each apartment and a HERS-rated HVAC system.

“We have underground stormwater retention tanks under our two parking lots,” said Herringshaw of yet another forward-thinking feature at St. Ann Square. “It’s designed to catch and retain the first inch and a half of stormwater. That allows (captured water) to essentially subside into the earth – to the tanks – instead of overflowing into the city’s stormwater system, which helps prevent widespread flooding.”

Herringshaw added that all exterior lighting on the campus is “Dark Sky” compliant, which means that light can only be cast straight ahead or downward – never upward – “so it prevents light pollution.” 

Allays fear of housing poverty

The fully landscaped campus has on-site maintenance and service coordination for its residents, 24-hour CCTV cameras, secure parking and a quarter-mile of walking paths. Community spaces include a recreation room with small tables, a sun porch and a “shade porch” equipped with ventilating louvers.

St. Ann Square’s apartments are exclusively available to individuals ages 62 and older whose maximum annual income does not exceed $24,650 (or $28,200 for a family of two). Rent is based on 30 percent of a resident’s monthly income, which is a comfort to those on fixed incomes who never dreamed a safe and modern apartment was within their reach.

“Many of our residents have come from situations in which they were living with fear (of losing their homes) hanging over their heads all the time,” North said. “One of the things this can at least provide is stability as a home. That is huge for people. Otherwise, they don’t know when their landlord is going to come raise the rent; they don’t know when their landlord is going to come fix anything. When you move, it destabilizes everything.”

Ties to St. Peter Claver

Although St. Ann Square sits on the parcel of land occupied by the historic shrine, the shrine continues to operate as a place of prayer that is managed by community members and parishioners of nearby St. Peter Claver Church.

St. Peter Claver subsumed the original St. Ann’s parish grounds after the church and the National Shrine of St. Ann relocated to Metairie in 1974.

The buildings languished until 2000, when Edmundite Father Michael Jacques, St. Peter Claver’s late pastor, and Ujamaa CDC, a neighborhood community action group, spearheaded the initial conversion of the church and school building into apartments for low-income seniors. After sustaining damage in Hurricane Katrina, Providence Community Housing partnered with Ujamaa to repair and reopen the buildings to senior residents by 2007. Conversations on needed upgrades at St. Ann Square continued between the two entities, culminating with Providence’s acquisition of the property and the historic houses on North Galvez from Ujamaa in 2017.

During the site’s three-year overhaul, Christopher Homes and Providence relocated all of St. Ann Square’s previous residents to other Section 8 facilities no more than a half-mile from their beloved homes.

“We kept people local, we kept their rents the same as they were, we paid for all of their moving charges and expenses – we oversaw all of that,” Herringshaw noted. “On top of that, each one of those residents had the first right to return to the facility. We kept track of them for two years, making sure that they had what they needed and that they were as comfortable as they could be.” 

Debra Stepter, contract administrator for Christopher Homes, said the best part of her job is “seeing the happy faces of people” as they move into their new homes. 

“They’re happy just knowing that their rents are going to be much cheaper and that they can live in a brand-new, beautiful place that has so much history,” Stepter said. 

To finance the $17 million project, Providence secured a 9% Low Income Housing Tax Credit from the Louisiana Housing Corporation; federal and state historic tax credits through the National Park Service and the Louisiana Division of Historic Preservation; $875,000 in Community Development Block Grant funds from the City of New Orleans’ Office of Community and Economic Development; and a 40-year HUD mortgage through Capital One. Providence was also able to leverage $500,000 toward a pre-development loan from funds awarded through the Capital Magnet Fund.

The project’s principal architect was Kimberly Finney Architect LLC. Milton J. Womack, Inc. was the general contractor. A seventh building on St. Ann Square – a center hall Creole cottage at 2117 Ursulines that dates to 1826, was restored by Providence for use as its New Orleans headquarters.

For leasing information, call Christopher Homes at (504) 227-3313 or visit https://www.christopherhomes.org/st-ann-square. Christopher Homes coordinates with the Housing Authority of New Orleans to assign a housing voucher to a prospective resident. Low-income seniors (ages 62 and older) interested in starting the qualification process can do so at https://hano.apply4housing.com.

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