Curbed Cup 1st round: (2) Mid-City vs. (15) Uptown

The Curbed Cup, our annual award for the neighborhood of the year, is kicking off with 16 neighborhoods vying for the prestigious (fake) trophy. We’ll reveal each of the neighborhoods this week, and polls will be open for 24 hours so you can cast your vote as to which ones should advance. Let the eliminations commence!

Mid-City

Similar to last year, development blossomed for this Curbed Cup 2016 runner-up.

The relocation of the Ruby Slipper’s Cortez Street location is among Mid-City’s most recent developments. Opening this December, the new space—formerly a carpenters union hall—will have 3,500 square feet allotted to the restaurant. Its second floor will hold its corporate offices, which is currently based in the Bywater.

At the beginning of the year, fitness organization FitLot opened a 1,000-square-foot outdoor exercise facility on the Lafitte Greenway. Near St. Louis Street, the New Orleans Redevelopment Fund broke ground on its $4 million mixed-use complex, which will open in early 2018. Curbed NOLA created this development map to track the transformations on the Greenway.

Uptown

In Curbed Cup 2016, Mid-City crushed Uptown in the first round. Will this year be any different?

This tranquil neighborhood has scenic residences, especially along its section of St. Charles Avenue. Uptown is also known for its independent Prytania Theater, New Orleans Jewish Community Center, Evans Playground, Lawrence Square, and Valence Cemetery.

One of our favorite highlights this year in the neighborhood would be the renovation of Art Neville’s Pre-Katrina home. Now selling for $1.2 million, it has a gorgeous facade and an remodeled floorplan.

In the broader definition of Uptown, we’ve seen the New Orleans Children’s Hospital break ground on its new $225 million expansion near Audubon Park. On Napoleon, the St. Stephen Church is undergoing a $6.2 million renovation, the first in its 130-year history.

Now, the decision is in your hands: Which neighborhood should advance to the next round? Cast your vote in the poll below.