Marlyville-Fontainebleau Area Real Estate And Homes For Sale In New Orleans, LA

New Orleans has a long history of Spanish influence. Many forget that the city was actually under Spanish colonial rule from 1762-1800. During this time, many of the structures we see in the French Quarter were constructed - making the French Quarter more architecturally Spanish than French. It was actually the Treaty of Fontainebleau that ceded the portion of Louisiana that includes New Orleans to the Spanish after Britain bested France in the Seven Years War - but none of this has anything to do with the Spanish Revival homes located in the New Orleans neighborhood of Marlyville-Fontainbleau.

Most of the historic homes in Marlyville-Fontainebleau were constructed between 1910-1930, an era which saw the opening of the Panama Canal, and the proliferation of California culture throughout the United States. Both of these events had much more to do with the Spanish Mission / Spanish Revival style homes that were constructed in the area at the time. An exposition in San Diego in 1915 after the completion of the Panama Canal caused Spanish Architectural fever throughout the United States - New Orleans being no exception. Additionally, California was attracting more and more citizens seeking fortune and opportunity. The Christian Spanish Missions of California, which go as far north as Sonoma County, were the true inspiration for the architectural style we see today.

Typical characteristics of Spanish Revival homes include a stucco exterior, often, but not always, painted, barrel tile roofs (the clay tiles are usually a beautiful red color, but you may see multi-colored tiles on some roofs), non symmetrical placement of windows, and extensive use of arches in both doorways and window design. Often, design embellishments such as parapets, twisted columns, decorative cornices and appliques around entranceways, and intricate wrought iron are utilized. Homes in this style have a romantic appeal and loyal following - almost every home on private road of Trianon Plaza in Marlyville-Fontainebleau are of the style.

Marlyville-Fontainebleau is full of adorable Bungalow style homes. This architectural style was introduced and became popular in New Orleans between 1910-1940, the era during which this neighborhood was being developed. The style originated in California, and often these homes are referred to as being of the "California Style." Typical features of this architectural style include: low house (1 or 1.5 story), large roofs with exposed rafters, and porches and/or galleries. These are most often associated with the Arts & Crafts movement, which favored simple, hand-crafted ornamentation that could be created on site, as opposed to elaborate, machine-made ornamentation.

In New Orleans, there are two other iterations of the Bungalow style that are prominent. First, many of these homes are raised due to the prominence of the style in areas that are prone to flooding. These raised bungalows have certain unique elements of their own, such as wide, flared stucco steps that usually feature a landing prior to the covered porch or gallery. In New Orleans, one sometimes sees these stairs featuring decorative elements such as planters, or even small statues of lions or greyhound-like dogs.

The Bungalow Shotgun Double is another common version of the California Bungalow that is prominent in New Orleans. The standard Shotgun Double that has been popular in New Orleans since the mid-19th century is given the stylistic elements of the Bungalow Style. Examples include tapered wooden posts flanking the covered front porch, long roofs with exposed raters, and arts and crafts style brackets as opposed to the Italianate style brackets seen on many shotgun style homes.

One thing that many people who live in New Orleans do not realize is that the ground on which we walk, build, and live is extremely young. All of the soil that makes up the land of Southeast Louisiana is under 4,500 years old. To give a bit of perspective, that means early humans were already developing agriculture in the Mediterranean and Europe when our soil was just being deposited! Our soil is also not native to our area, but was brought here by the Mississippi River from places as far away as Montana. Over millennia, the boulders eroded and became rocks, the rocks became stones, and the stones became clay. The clay and finer particles are what made it to the greater New Orleans area, and are what we build our homes on today.

The neighborhood of Marlyville-Fontainebleau was once a swamp, which is extremely influential as to the soil that is found here. This neighborhood is made up of two types of soil - Sharkey Clay and Harahan Clay. The latter makes up the majority of soil in this area, and is the finest possible sediment. Sharkey Clay is generally located in the portions of the neighborhood closer to the river, that may have been the banks of what early New Orleans residents called the "backswamp." Sharkey Clay is slightly less fine than Harahan clay, and therefore less susceptible to subsidence, or settlement.

You may be thinking, "why do I need to know about what kind of soil is in this neighborhood?" The type of soil in a neighborhood is extremely important - influencing everything from how much flood insurance you will pay to what kinds of plants you can place in your garden. The type of soil on which you are building will even influence how you design and construct your home, due to the water table and rates of settlement. Soil may not be the most fun part about choosing a neighborhood, but it is certainly important. The more you know about the neighborhood in which you live or are looking to buy, the better!

Marlyville and Fontainebleu are listed jointly as one neighborhood by the City Planning Commission of New Orleans. Located in the general area of Uptown, near Tulane University, on what was once swampland, the neighborhood is largely defined by S Carrollton Avenue, S Claiborne Avenue, Jefferson Avenue, and Colapissa Street.

There is a small portion of the neighborhood that extends across the thoroughfare of S Claiborne Avenue, forming an area that could be confused with the adjacent neighborhood of East Carrollton. This section of Marlyville-Fontainebleau is defined by the intersections of Lowerline Street and S Caliborne Avenue, Lowerline Street and Spruce Street, and Spruce Street and S Carrollton Avenue, and includes the beautiful tree-lined street of Neron Place. Marlyville-Fontainebleau is often confused with adjacent Broadmoor, as it was developed at the same time, in the early 20th century after the invention of advanced drainage systems.