“Century-old Uptown church reborn as modern upscale event venue” neworleanscitybusiness.com/blog/2025/10/1
Our Lady of Lourdes Church (2400 Napoleon) has been “converted” and “transformed” into The Josephine on Napoleon event space—for Tulanians from out of town, we’re guessing.
Sez Steve Pettus of Dickie Brennan & Co., which will operate the space:
“The new venue gives us accommodation for upwards of 1,000 guests and offers a versatile overflow solution. We can offer the Josephine when Audubon [Institute] properties overbook, and vice-versa, all while maintaining our signature service and event experience.”
Hold the phone, Steve. I was so busy contemplating the smutty new name for a place formerly consecrated to the Blessed Virgin that I forgot about the Eternal Question that dogs commercial development—and “event experience”—in the historic neighborhoods of New Orleans.
Where are the 1,000 overflowing guests (or even a few of them) supposed to park their cars? It was a big topic at the city meetings about the development; and the City Planning Commission Staff obligingly calculated that no off-street parking was required. This helped on paper, but not on Napoleon Avenue. Finally Mike Sherman of Sherman Strategies suggested that people could park next door in the parking lot of the new Trader Joe’s, where the old school building would be torn down by Zach Kupperman for his “gateway to Freret Street.”
In other words, just ignore the problem…
See the CPC’s recent Land Use Barriers Study (Sept. 24, 2025) for an extended application of this principle.
“Parking Reforms—Outdated and overly rigid required off-street parking regulations are among the most frequently cited barriers to housing production and economic development in New Orleans. Research and stakeholder feedback consistently identify parking minimums as a major deterrent, especially in dense or historic neighborhoods, due to their impact on development costs, buildable area, and overall project feasibility.” (p. 71)
New and noteworthy:
On 10/14/25, development team member Chris Prasad registered a new business, The Wolf of NOLA, LLC, with the La. Secretary of State—the only place where the name is showing up so far.