The house on the corner
I find myself thoroughly intrigued by the house that used to stand on the corner of Moss and St. John Court. I was getting my teeth cleaned the other day and, again held captive by my garrulous dental hygienist, I learned that she used to live in this neighborhood, right behind me. She said she moved after Jack Bartlett died. She said, she lived in a house she loved with her husband and two children, who rode their bikes down the street by themselves every day. And she said, on Moss lived an architect or they were both architects and they had three boys, or twin boys, I can’t remember, and she said Jack’s mother lived down Dumaine and every day he would ride his bike after supper and go see her. Much in the same way I’d like to do if my mother were closer by.
One day, some boys had robbed the little store on Carrolton across from the snowball stand, and they were running down Dumaine and Jack was riding his bike towards his mother’s house and for some reason these boys thought he saw them rob the store and they chased him down and shot him dead.
She said she couldn’t bear to have her kids riding their bike in the streets after that and so they left and moved to Lakeview, where they were one of the few streets that missed the water from Katrina by the hair of their chinny chin chins. But she said, I remember the great big beautiful house on the corner of Moss and the Court, it had a gallery that went all the way around it. It was one of those old beauties.
I’d love to find a photograph of this house – I’ve only known it as an empty lot which before had cars from the Court residents parked on the grass and now has these stupid fence poles stuck up all the way around it. I worry what might go up there because I’ve seen imitations of the past and I’ve seen preposterous attempts at the new.
November 9th, 2008 at 11:21 am
I’m sure you could find a picture of it in Tulane’s Southeastern Architectural Archive. If not there – try the Preservation Resource Center or the Historic New Orleans Collection.
The Williams research center:
http://www.hnoc.org/collections/research-center.php
has an e-mail reference system — you can ask them and maybe they will get back to you.
P.s. I used to live in your neighborhood, too. Our oldest daughter was born on Moss and went to Cabrini’s Crescent Cradle. Unfortunately, Our landlords raised our rent after Katrina and we had to move away. All I do is long to get back to the bayou. My hope is that one day we will.
P.P.S. I read your blog for the sights and smells and life along the bayou. It makes me feel better while in exile.
November 9th, 2008 at 7:01 pm
Tatjana told me that Tulane might be a good resource as she researched her own house uptown where she has a condo. I’m going to do that and thanks for the tip. On the bayou, I went out this afternoon right at dusk to hula hoop. When I walked out the door, I had this immediate reaction like ‘god, how lucky am I to come out every day and see this sight’ – the dome on the church is illuminated against a pink sky and I had this sudden revelation as if I needn’t go anywhere else in the world because I had everything right here – I wonder now if Emerson’s “the whole world exists in your backyard” came from him loving so much where he was – it makes quite a difference. BTW: the bells are starting their 6 o’clock ring as I close this response.