After a historic building crumbled to the ground, it was built back brick by brick
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
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.