908 North Rendon

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article and photo used with permission of the Preservation Resource Center
photo by Ian Cockburn

Home of Ben Gauslin
By Gabrielle Begue
THIS MODEST, TWO-BAY shotgun was likely built as a rental house around 1906 by French Quarter travel agent Albert Ducombs, whose residence was one block away at 3230 Dumaine, but the property’s chain of title originates with entrepreneur and philanthropist John McDonogh.

Upon his death in 1850, McDonogh donated his vast real estate holdings to the City of New Orleans, which parceled the land in 1859 and sold it off to various parties, who in turn divided up and sold their parcels as smaller lots.

Due to its long-term use as a rental, this bargeboard single saw numerous interior alterations, yet its simple, sturdy bones were still evident to first-time homeowner, architect and Web developer Ben Gauslin, who purchased the house in 2010.
With spare, neutral furnishings and plenty of negative space, the house spotlights the architecture and feels more spacious that the shotgun’s limited dimensions. Each room features a different wall color, the refreshing blues, pinks, and yellows echoing the traditional Caribbean-influenced hues found throughout the city while also highlighting the spaces’ geometry in a decidedly modern way.

Combining his minimalist modern aesthetic with a respect for traditional building methods, Gauslin stripped out unoriginal elements and gutted the house to its worn, glowing pine floors and bargeboard walls. Gauslin re-covered most of the boards with insulation and plaster but chose to leave one interior wall exposed as a celebration of the house’s humble architectural roots. Its dark wood adds warmth and texture to the expansive parlor at the front of the house, which Gauslin created by knocking out an original non-supporting wall that had cut the space into two smaller living and dining areas.

A streamlined, chrome-and-white IKEA kitchen with ample storage space now stretches the length of one wall, offering a study in how to creatively use the challenging, narrow spaces of the shotgun layout.

While most buildings of this type feature a small backyard and side alleys, this house’s unusual off-center placement on the 28-foot-wide lot provides an ample side yard, which Gauslin is currently converting from a cracked concrete driveway to a landscaped patio for grilling, lounging with friends, and playing with his Catahoula-mix dog, Calvin.

Click here to view the original article as printed in the March, 2012 issue of Preservation in Print. Article and photo used with permission of the Preservation Resource Center.

Doesn’t this house sound great? You can see more of this house and many more during the Preservation Resource Center’s Shotgun Tour of Faubourg St. John homes on Saturday, March 31st from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The headquarters for the PRC’s Shotgun Tour of Faubourg St. John will be at the PITOT HOUSE at 1440 Moss Street on Bayou St. John.

The tour is just…
$16 for PRC and Louisiana Landmarks Society members
$20 for non-members
$10 each for groups of 10 or more

All tickets are $25 at the Pitot House on the day of the tour so get your tickets early!

Ticketholders will receive discounts from area businesses including Bayou Beer Garden, Cafe Degas, CC’s Coffee House, Cork & Bottle Wine Shop, Fair Grinds Coffee House, Liuzza’s by the Track, Lux Day Spa, Pal’s Lounge, and Swirl Wine Bar & Market.

For more information call (504) 581-7032 or visit prcno.org

SPONSORS of the PRC Home Tour
Abry Brothers, Inc.
Cork & Bottle Wine Shop
Louisiana Landmarks Society
Mothership Foundation
Parkway Bakery & Tavern
Soprano’s Meat Market
Stafford Tile
Uptown Insurance Agency

Tour Headquarters: PITOT HOUSE

Built in 1799, the Pitot House is one of the oldest Creole country house buildings in New Orleans. It is traditional stucco-covered, brick-between-post construction with a double hipped roof and wide galleries. The house is named for James Pitot, the first mayor of incorporated New Orleans, who lived here from 1810 -1819.

Now open for tours and special events, the house was restored in 1960 by the Louisiana Landmarks Society, which uses the building as its headquarters.

Shotgun House ticket holders will have the opportunity to visit the historic Pitot House.

Great Neighborhood Sellabration

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Many thanks to Mona McMahon and Conrad Abadie who along with Charlie & Brenda London represented Faubourg St. John at today’s Great Neighborhood Sellabration!

Mona McMahon at the Faubourg St. John table.

Conrad Abadie shows off one of the Faubourg St. John Home Tour booklets provided by Karen and Scott Smuck.

Thanks too to Bonnie Lee for her display of photos from previous events, Karen and Scott Smuck for providing a box of 2001 Home Tour booklets to give away, and to Linda Landesberg for storing the large FSJNA sign which was proudly displayed at the Faubourg St. John booth

View this information on our blog: http://wp.me/prA7R-1qh

The PRC's Great Neighborhood Sellabration
Saturday, Sept. 17
9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

At the PRC
923 Tchoupitoulas St.
(in the Warehouse District)

This annual homebuyer fair promotes homeownership in historic New Orleans neighborhoods by providing prospective homebuyers with the tools they need to find, purchase, and renovate a historic home.

This year's Great Neighborhood Sellabration will feature exhibitions about historic New Orleans neighborhoods, along with workshops on how to buy, finance, and renovate a historic home. Also featuring hundreds of properties for sale throughout New Orleans!

Realtors, lenders and contractors will be available to answer questions and provide information.

Participating neighborhood associations that will have information on homes available in their neighborhood include: Algiers Riverview Association, Bywater Neighborhood Association, Fontainebleau Improvement Association, Northwest Carrollton Civic Association, O.C. Haley Main Street, Felicity Street Redevelopment Project, Esplanade Ridge and Treme Civic Association, Faubourg St. John Neighborhood Association, Historic Faubourg Treme Association, Faubourg Marigny Improvement Association, Gentilly Terrace & Gardens Improvement Association, Holy Cross Neighborhood Association, Coliseum Square Neighborhood Association, Mid-City Neighborhood Association, Faubourg St. Roch Improvement Association, Audubon Riverside Neighborhood Association, and Maple Area Residents, Inc.

Each attendee will receive a complimentary resource book on buying and renovating a historic house in New Orleans.

Workshop Schedule:
9:30 a.m. – "Buy Right": Presented by Jo-Ann Fitzpatrick Broussard, Latter & Blum Realty
11 a.m. – "Finance Right": Presented by City of New Orleans. Presentation will focus on the new soft second mortgage program. Lagniappe: Using a renovation loan to purchase and renovate your historic home, presented by Joe Uzee, Mortgage Loan Originator at Gulf Coast Bank & Trust.
1:15 p.m. – "Renovate Right": Presented by Patricia H. Gay, Executive Director of PRC

FREE and open to the public.

Pre-registration is encouraged. Pre-registration will enable you to receive information from the PRC that may help you find, finance, and purchase your historic home. When you arrive at Great Neighborhood Sellabration, please proceed to the pre-registration Will Call to receive your free resource booklet. Pre-registration is available at www.prcno.org

Parking:
Available at 901 Convention Center Blvd. for $8 (mention "Preservation Resource Center" to receive the $8 parking rate).
Parking also available on the street and several area lots.

—
Michelle Kimball
Senior Advocate
Preservation Resource Center of New Orleans