After a historic building crumbled to the ground, it was built back brick by brick
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The Karnofsky building as its reconstruction was nearing completion. Photo: Courtesy of Studio West
When Hurricane Ida made landfall in 2021, one of its casualties was the Karnofsky Shop on the 400 block of Rampart Street.
Why it matters: The building crumbled to the ground — but a local architecture firm managed to put it back together, brick by brick.
The big picture: The Karnofsky Shop at 427 Rampart St. is part of a stretch of New Orleans' "back-a-town" known for fostering the city's once-young jazz scene, including the Eagle Saloon, Iroquois Theater and Little Gem Saloon.
- In the early 1900s, the Karnofsky family hired a young Louis Armstrong, striking up a friendship strong enough to inspire a song he later performed, according to WWOZ's A Closer Walk NOLA.
- One of the family's sons, Morris Karnofsky, even opened a music shop in the first-floor space.

Catch up quick: In 2021, the Karnofsky building was vacant, and when Ida arrived, it spawned a wind vortex that caused it to essentially explode, says Studio West architect Jennie West.
- Its owner, out-of-town developer GBX, turned to Studio West, asking what could be done.
- "We were excited," West tells Axios New Orleans, "but Karnofsky was such a puzzle for us. ... We inherited a pile of bricks."
How they did it: The firm gathered as many historical images as they could and began sorting through the six to eight different types of bricks they gathered from the collapse.
- Unleashed in some ways from historical requirements that would have applied had the building still technically existed, Studio West created a plan to recreate the Karnofsky while also bringing it up to current codes and considering sustainability.
What they're saying: "It was a crazy project. We've never worked on anything like it and, truthfully, I'm not sure anything like it has been rebuilt in Louisiana, especially not in an urban city," West says.
- It's also "a really interesting story of climate change and, when these things happen, how do you put it together amid a conversation around preservation?"
What's next: GBX is seeking a new tenant for the space in line with a larger vision for the block that honors its history, West says.
- For the Karnofsky, she says, the owner wants a tenant with a focus on music education or performance.
