1875 St. Roch Market

St. Roch Market at 2381 St. Claude Avenue (at St. Roch) was open selling fresh seafod until Hurricane Katrina.

In 1903 it was valued at $2000

By the 1930s, the building was in disrepair and cited for demolition by the city (who owned it) but area residents protested vehamently. So, in 1932 San Stone Jr. & Co. was commissioned to renovate the market (see below an image of his rendering) with full enclusures, refrigeration, and plumbing (which it had lacked). Stone & Co. also planned work on the building from 1937 through 1939.

The market was turned over to private ownership and for many years housed Lama's seafood market. Until Hurricane Katrina flooding it was operated by a family of Chinese immigrants who used a portion of it as a restaurant. Flooding caused structural damage and the building has not been occupied since (see http://theneworleansblightblog.wordpress.com/).

The photo below is from the New Orleans Public Library which captioned it "The interior of the St. Roch Market, 2381 St. Claude, before improvements made by the WPA in 1937. In 1935, there were 19 public markets in New Orleans, the St. Roch among them. That year, the city considered closing the deteriorating building, but a petition by residents of the neighborhood argued that the market was "an absolute necessity." Instead, the city secured the help of the WPA to renovate the St. Roch Market and five other public markets. WPA workers replaced open stalls with refrigerated units, added protective glass to shield fish and fresh meat, installed new plumbing and concrete floors, and separated the fish and vegetable markets. Ten years later, however, the St. Roch Market was declassified as a public market and leased to a private owner. The market survives to this day on the St. Roch Avenue neutral ground at St. Claude". [Louisiana Photograph Collection. WPA Collection}

Photos at http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:St._Roch_Market,_New_Orleans

Demolishing of rear portion of the St. Roch Market (St. Roch and St. Claude Avenues), preparatory to modernizing the building. This market was one of four repaired. Two other markets were co nstructed under the program.

The St. Roch Market (St. Roch and St. Claude Avenues) before WPA repairs and modernization.

1938 - The St. Roch Market (St. Roch and St. Claude Avenues), more than 100 years old, which has been completely reconditioned and is now in use.