This lovely Greek Revival “shotgun” house in New Orleans is a beautiful example of a common style of southern residential architecture. Shotguns were the most popular style of house in the south from the end of the Civil War to about the 1920’s. They are believed to have originated in New Orleans, but are widely seen throughout the South.
I came across this one several years ago when on a shoot in New Orleans and fell in love with it. Even in its abandoned state it is beautiful and speaks a language all its own. I included this photo in my book on abandoned architecture entitled RUIN, Photographs of a Vanishing America, a photographic study of abandoned architecture, published in 2009 by Rowman & Littlefield. Recently I had the opportunity to be in New Orleans again and went looking for this house, but could not find it. It was in a part of the city which was hard hit by hurricane Katrina and I fear that it was lost in the storm. I’m glad I shot it when I did….
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