Abandoned Holy Cross Catholic School (New Orleans)

 Holy Cross Catholic School was founded in New Orleans, LA back in 1849 by The Congregation of the Holy Cross and a man by the name of Basil Moreau. In 1871, this school acquired the St. Isidore's farm that now sits as 4950 Dauphine Street in the Lower 9th Ward. Isidore's College was constructed and opened in 1879 and the name had eventually changed to Holy Cross College in the mid-1890s.

A three-story administration building was erected in 1895 along with two wings that were added in 1912. This all-boys Catholic school served as a college-preparatory school from grades pre-k - 12.

In late August 2005, Hurricane Katrina made its way to New Orleans submerging the Lower Ninth Ward along with the Holy Cross School in 20 feet of water after the levees failed. Water was then pumped back into Mississippi River which took weeks to be completed. A new campus has since been erected in 2010, located in Gentilly neighborhood of New Orleans (7 miles from the original location).

Fast forward to 2018, the school sits abandoned and is in critical condition. Upon arriving, the school grounds were open to everyone due to barbed fences being cut open by former trespassers. The main hallway was very dark with newly built support beams that the city probably placed within the past couple of months to prevent it from collapsing.

I made my way to the cafeteria which appeared to be untouched since the flooding as stoves, cafeteria tables, fridges, and packaged food remained. The floor inside was very damped due to the leaks from the ceiling. Some areas even had puddles of water but didn't see any reptiles, bugs, or animals while I was there.

The upstairs of the school was very unstable with 30% of it collapsed to the first floor. The stairs were also in bad shape with the first few steps being severely weakened from water damage. I eventually found a more stable staircase that was made out of concrete. Upon arriving on the second floor, there were lockers in the hallway still filled with school textbooks and school supplies left by students. The classrooms upstairs were very bright due to the large holes in the roof. I didn't get a chance to make it far on the second floor, because it was very unstable and would be a risk of me falling through.

As I made my way back downstairs, I explored three more rooms before leaving which were the principal's office, music room, and the computer lab. Computers were still intact in the computer lab, which was more than likely damaged by the water. I was able to grab some photos of the lab. The principal's office had a lot of student records in the filing cabinets and some containing pictures of the students. The music room was the last room explored before leaving. The music room had posters still mounted on the wall along with a deteriorated piano that was sitting in the back corner of the room.

Redevelopment plans have been sent to city transform the school into apartment complexes and assisted living. None of those plans have been finalized due to funds and neighbors not wanting to add extra traffic to the neighborhoods.


As of May 31, 2018, this school has been listed as one of the 9 most endangered historic sites in New Orleans. No further work has been done since my visit last year.

Gallery

Cafeteria

Computer Lab

Restrooms

Classrooms

Principal's Office

Main Hallway

Exterior