New Orleans Architectural Styles

In New Orleans architecture, it’s the little details that make everything so interesting. Before you start exploring the homes on our oak-lined streets, read about the architectural styles you’ll find.

Creole Cottage

1790-1850
Found mainly in the French Quarter and surrounding areas, Creole Cottages are single-story homes with steeply pitched roofs and front porches that almost touch the street. They are a distinct blend of Caribbean and French Canadian design.

American Townhouse

1820-1850
Found in the Central Business District and Lower Garden District, these narrow brick or stucco three-story structures feature asymmetric windows and iron balconies on the second or third floor.

Creole Townhouse

1788-mid-1800s
Found in the French Quarter and surrounding neighborhoods, Creole Townhouses often have shops below and homes above, brick or stucco exteriors and arched windows. Built after the Great Fires of 1788 and 1794, these two to four-story structures have a strong Spanish influence in the details.

Raised Center-Hall Cottage

1803-1870
Found in the Garden District, Uptown, Carrollton and elsewhere, these homes are urban versions of French-Colonial plantations. These houses are raised enough above street-level that there is sometime a garage or work area on the ground level. They feature porches that stretch all the way across the front with columns. Greek Revival and Italianate Center Hall Cottages are most common in New Orleans, but Queen Anne/Eastlake and other Victorian styles can also be found here.

Shotgun House

1850-1910
Found all over New Orleans, these long and narrow single-story homes have a wood exterior and are easy to spot. Many feature charming Victorian embellishments beneath the large front eve. Some have a camelback – a second story set at rear of house. The term “shotgun” originates from the idea that when standing in the front of the house, you can shoot a bullet clear through every room in the house.