Orleans Parish – Algiers

Algiers Courthouse – New Orleans

Location: 225 Morgan Street ( Algiers ) / Bermuda Street

Built: 1896 – 1897

Style: Moorish

Architect: Linus Brown and Alonzo Bell

Contractor: John McNally

Description: The building faces north and is a two story rose pink colored stone and wood structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds on the south side of the Mississippi River across from the center of New Orleans. Known as the Algiers Court House, the building has a clock tower on the northeast corner and another tower on the northwest corner. There is a small portico on the north front with balcony on the second story. The windows are arched. The roof line is flat. Wood stairs ascend to the second story and the Second City Court courtroom is located at the southeast corner of the second story. The architect was Linus Brown and Alonzo Bell and the contractor was John McNally. The building was restored in 1979. The architect was Lyons & Hudson Architects, Ltd. and the contractor was R & G Construction Company. In 1984 the building was further restored. The architect was Lyons & Hudson Architects, Ltd. and the contractor was Spartan Building Corporation. In 2019, the building is undergoing a major renovation. The architect is Linfield Hunter & Junius Inc. of Metairie and the contractor is Dynamic Constructors. On the south side is the old stable which is now a museum. The building was renovated in 2004. The architect was Bailey & Associates and the contractor was Construction Masters, Inc.

Note: Officially the courthouse is New Orleans’ 2nd City Court and is the third-oldest courthouse in continuous use in Louisiana. The cost of renovations in 2019 were #1,200,000.

History: The parish was created in 1807 and New Orleans was selected as the parish seat. The first courthouse was the plantation home of Barthelemi Duverjé which was destroyed by fire in 1895. The second courthouse was a three story red colored brick structure designed and constructed by M A Orlopp Jr in 1892 to 1894 at Common Street and Basin Street where the Public Library now stands. The building was demolished in 1949. In 1896 the Algiers courthouse was constructed across the Mississippi River. The third courthouse constructed in 1908 to 1910 was a three story stone structure designed by Andrew Ten Eck Brown, Frederick W Brown and R Thoronton Marye and the contractor was Ambroise B Stannard of New York. The building now houses the Louisiana Supreme Court and the Fourth Court of Appeal. The fourth courthouse is the present Criminal Courthouse constructed in 1929 to 1930. The fifth courthouse is the Civil Courthouse constructed in 1954 to 1955.

See: The Orleans Parish courthouse is located in New Orleans.