Skip to content
The Historic New Orleans Collection
Visit
Calendar
HNOC in the News

WVUE: HNOC Curator Explores the History of Shotgun Houses

May 22, 2026

WVUE Fox 8 New Orleans spoke with Lydia Blackmore to discuss the history, features, and legacy of one of New Orleans’s most iconic building styles.

HNOC curator Lydia Blackmore discusses the history of shotgun houses in a segment on WVUE Fox 8 New Orleans.
FOX 8 use this one
“You see the first shotgun houses in New Orleans in the early 1800s, which are very much associated with the wave of refugees and immigrants coming after the Haitian Revolution. They show the influences of Caribbean colonization and the huge impact that people of color have made here in New Orleans. Many of the first builders of shotgun houses were free people of color.”

Lydia Blackmore, HNOC curator

Watch on Fox 8 Watch on Fox 8

Shotgun Style: A Look at the History of Shotgun Houses

Courtesy of WVUE Fox 8 New Orleans

Related Stories

View More
First Draft

Beyond Nottoway

The mansion at Nottoway Plantation burned to the ground, but related sites survive across the South.

View View
First Draft

Masonic and Odd Fellows Buildings in New Orleans

Society halls and temples have had a lasting impact on the local architectural landscape. Here’s where to find them.

View View

Related Collection Highlights

View More
A person stands outdoors, holding a translucent fabric over their head against a textured wall. The shadow casts an intricate pattern on the wall. A potted plant and some grass are visible in the foreground.

Clarence John Laughlin Archive

Through his dreamlike black-and-white images, the surrealist Louisiana photographer explored, amplified, and commented on the mystique of the South.

Learn More
Etching of a courtyard in New Orleans by Louis Conrad Rosenberg. The scene features tables, chairs, a large tree, a fountain at the center, and buildings in the background. There are people seated and walking, adding a lively atmosphere to the setting.

The Court of Two Sisters

A pictorial memento of the landmark restaurant’s history

Learn More
A nun stands outside a building with three large arched windows. She is facing the windows, holding a book. The building is white with some visible plants and a tree on the right. The scene has a quiet, contemplative atmosphere.

Mother St. Croix Photographs of Ursuline Convent

The ebullient nun documented her cloisters, sisters, and pupils with care and skill. In doing so she became the earliest known woman to photographically record daily life in New Orleans

Learn More

Related presentations

View More
Presentations

Vieux Carré Survey Case Study

This case study uses HNOC’s Vieux Carré Survey to trace the evolution of the Ursuline Convent and its surroundings.
View View
A black-and-white vintage map showing the layout of St. Marys School and the Archbishops Residence at the intersection of Ursuline Street and another street. The map includes detailed building outlines and street names.

Related Books

View More
Cover of Henry Howard: Louisiana’s Architect by Robert S. Brantley, featuring a historic white mansion with columns and a large porch, surrounded by green trees and a manicured lawn.

Henry Howard: Louisiana’s Architect

by Robert S. Brantley with Victor McGee

Learn More Buy Now Buy Now
Cover of Furnishing Louisiana: Creole and Acadian Furniture, 1735-1835 by The Historic New Orleans Collection. Features ornate wooden furniture detail with decorative patterns and tassel-like designs.

Furnishing Louisiana: Creole and Acadian Furniture, 1735–1835

by Jack D. Holden, H. Parrott Bacot, and Cybèle T. Gontar, with Brian J. Costello and Francis J. Puig
edited by Jessica Dorman and Sarah R. Doerries

Learn More Buy Now Buy Now
Book cover for Guidebooks to Sin by Pamela D. Arceneaux. Features an outline of a woman in blue and red, with images of vintage blue books above the title. Subtext includes a foreword by Emily Epstein Landau.

Guidebooks to Sin: The Blue Books of Storyville, New Orleans

by Pamela D. Arceneaux
with a foreword by Emily Epstein Landau

Learn More Buy Now Buy Now

Related News

View More
A street view of 416 Chartres Street
HNOC in the News

NOLA.com Features HNOC’s Paul Prudhomme Building Among 19 Award-Winning Historic Renovation Projects

May 30, 2026
HNOC’s renovation of 416 Chartres Street received a Louisiana Landmarks Society 2026 Award for Excellence in Historic Preservation.
Read More
A group of people gathers around a table in a room with golden walls and blue patterned carpet. They appear to be discussing something on the table. A large light fixture is set up above them. The room is decorated with red chairs.
HNOC in the News

HNOC’s Lydia Blackmore Becomes Guest Antiques Expert on TV

November 23, 2023
Read More
A pedestrian walks past the former K-Paul's Louisiana Kitchen on Chartres Street in New Orleans.
HNOC in the News

NOLA.com: This Former French Quarter Restaurant Will Now Tell New Orleans History After $6.4M Renovation

July 7, 2025
“The Times Picayune” checks in on the progress of HNOC’s renovation of 416 Chartres Street, the former site of K-Paul’s Louisiana Kitchen.
Read More
Stay Connected

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

2015 0364 51 o6