UPDATE: A partner in Historic Marigny Investments, LLC has reached out to clarify that the group does not own 808 Royal St. Curbed NOLA regrets the error and is currently working on uncovering the identity of the current owner of the property. It appears that Elaine D Petrie owns 810 Royal, however.
It shocks and saddens us to report that 808-810 Royal St has collapsed less than a day after its facade began inexplicably crumbling. In honor of this circa 1801 three story, we take a look at its history as well as its connected structures at 800 Royal and 635-637 St Ann. First, let's start with our fallen comrade.
Chain of title for the lot where 808-810 was erected dates all the way back to 1722 via a de la Tour Map of the area. Little is known about its life in the late 1700s, except that it was in the Rivard (originally Riviere) family. Its transfer in 1798 included the St Ann and additional Royal St properties and was reportedly passed on to Dona Magdalena Cartier Beauregard upon her husband's passing, a former Attorney General. The Beauregards sold the lot to Francois Picard, who then sold it to Francois Balthzar Languille.
Languille would be the man to construct property at 808-810 Royal. The structure next door, 800 Royal, was also erected — at the time, the city's highest and therefore only "skyscraper". 808-810 Royal was considered one of the first three story buildings in the area as well. Residents Blache & Todd patented and created a silhouette machine in 1805 dubbed the Physiognotrace, an early note of the area's creative occupants. Languille's properties on Royal and St Ann passed to his sons Jean Francios and Pierre Joseph in 1828, who then sold them to Pierre (yes, that one) Maspero.
The property would leave the Masperos in 1884 and continue to change hands and undergo anachronistic alterations throughout the decades, with the earliest recorded price just $10K in 1956. The property was last sold by itself in 1997 for $70K. Over the years, its tenants have included innumerable artists, retailers, and is part of a bundle of properties purchased by Historic Marigny Investments, LLC in 2008.
This bizarre collapse is still under investigation. RIP 808-810 Royal St.
· 800, 808-810 Royal Street; 635-637 St. Ann Street Citations [HNOC]
· 808-810 Royal Street [HNOC]
· French Quarter building collapses Wednesday afternoon [Advocate]
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