The jewel of America's great avenues, St. Charles Avenue is a five-mile journey through a century of architectural styles. Presented here are never-published interiors, with all the visual poetry and lyricism of this sultry southern city.
Intricate Queen Anne houses and stately Italianate and Richardsonian mansions rise among the oaks and palms. Through it all, the world's oldest working streetcar line runs like a silver ribbon connecting the eighteenth-century French colonial enclave at one end to fin de si 1/2cle villas in the shadow of Audubon Park at the other.
Once called Cours des Na 1/2ades by the French architect who designed the classical plan for the avenue and the surrounding streets, St. Charles follows the course of the Mississippi River. The grand homes evocative of New Orleans' unique, multi-layered history are truly a legacy of the river nymphs.