We're no Nostradamus but Curbed NOLA can proudly say it got quite a bit right when predicting what the future would hold for 2014. More bizarre rentals did indeed hit Craigslist, as did celebrity homes hit the market. Oh, and let's not forget the blow we were dealt when 808-810 Royal fell. We laughed, we cried, we had a year. Check out our top ten list of what made it momentous.
10) 808-810 Royal St Has Fallen, Let's Celebrate its History Due to decades of neglect, 808-810 began a slow-to-swift collapse in the fall. We honored one of the first "high rise" buildings in the French Quarter with a eulogy tracing its history from 1722 to the present day.
9) Soap Opera Star Lists His Uptown Home for $1,190,000
The Young and the Restless star Christian Leblanc took his home off the rental scene and onto the real estate market. The Laurence Fabaucher-built estate wasn't the only property on Fabaucher's Row to seek a buyer this year but it was perhaps the largest at five bedrooms, five baths.
8) See What Robért Fresh Market Has in Store for St. Claude Ave.
The former Robért Fresh Market is returning to St. Claude and Elysian grander than ever and readers were more than curious to see the renderings of this proposed project. Reader opinions ranged from joy to disgust, which pretty much mirrors the emotions one can go through makin' groceries.
7) Here Now, 10 Great Hotel Pools in New Orleans
Just before our picture perfect springtime weather broke out into the fever sweat of summer, we counted down ten places to take a dip at New Orleans hotels, almost all of which would allow non-guests to cool off.
6) 14 Ways New Orleans Will be a Whole Different City by 2015
Ah, yes — our predictions for the year. Theatres are indeed making a fantastic comeback, art is everywhere thanks (in part) to Prospect.3 and our most damning predictions of overly expensive rents have slowed to a trickle. Next year, it may very well be all about the expensive sale.
5) The Judgmental Map of New Orleans is Here
Readers embraced the snarky titles of their respective neighborhoods that ranged from the yuppies in the CBD to Northshore folks crossing the White Flight bridge. One reader further judged the map, echoing the sentiments of all true New Orleanians in asking "where are the y'ats?"
4) Rent Lenny Kravitz's Old French Quarter Pad For Just $12K/Mo.
Lenny Kravitz's old French Quarter home hit the rental scene at an astonishing price and with equally elaborate amenities — $12K rent check? full, bizarre furnishings that include the added touch of flashy wallpaper from local firm Flavor Paper, housekeeping, and even an Apple TV back when those were more novel.
3) If This "Rental" Doesn't Get You Pumped Up, Nothing Will
This Craigslist gem arrived just in time for Voodoo Fest. Its tourist-pandering ad included free beer and king cake, which may not have been enough to justify its $299 a night price.
2) NOLA Art House & Insane Tree House Just Listed For $475K
The storied home that allegedly inspired "House of the Rising Sun" hit the market this year, along with its just as inspiring backyard treehouse capturing the imagination of the masses.
1) This Irish Bayou Castle Could Be All Yours For $150,000
The "Fisherman's Castle" built during the 1984 World's Fair turned heads and drew readers to assess its grandeur as well as its blight.