Deutsches Haus has returned to Mid-City! Construction is completed at its beautiful new location on Bayou Saint John at 1700 Moss Street in New Orleans, Lousiana. Construction of the new building was completed in Autumn 2018. The Haus opened on November 18, 2018 which was the 90th anniversary of the Deutsches Haus organization in New Orleans.
The piece of land has an interesting history. In 1884, the State of Louisiana built Camp Nicholls, a home for disabled Civil War veterans. The old oak trees on the lot are present in photos from that era. When the last veteran died in the 1940’s at the age of 106, the state used the facility for World War II social services, mostly for children. After the war, until 1977, it was a Louisiana National Guard facility. From 1977 until Hurricane Katrina, it was leased to the New Orleans Police Department for the Third District police station for the New Orleans Police Department. Deutsches Haus purchased the Moss Street lot after the State of Louisiana expropriated the original Galvez Street property to build the new Veterans Administration/University Medical Complex.
In summer 2017, the site was prepared and services brought in so that the 2017 Oktoberfest could take place at the new location. The first thing to be built was a warehouse which was built on an existing slab: not everyone is lucky enough to inherit a slab built to support Korean War era Army tanks. Construction on the Haus proper started in the winter. The foundation was completed in January 2018.
On March 9th, a traditional German builder’s topping out ceremony, or Richtfest, was held to celebrate the completion of the roof frame and to ask for blessings and luck for the building. *More about Richtfest here*
A view from across the bayou shows the shape forming. It may be only basic sheathing of plywood for walls, tar paper on the roof, and air for windows, but it’s beginning to look like the artists conception of the new Haus below.
Link to more views of the new Haus plans.
The lovely back terrace looks towards the oak trees and should be shaded in the afternoon.
The interior photo below shows sheetrock going up. To the left is what will be a glass-fronted display case for steins and to the right is a bar.
Now, in October, the work that remains is detailing in the interior and waiting for inspections and permits. The exterior was cleaned up and Oktoberfest 2018 preparations took place on the lot.
Several features were saved from the Old Galvez Street Haus before it was torn down. Wood from the old bowling alley was salvaged to make bars. A telephone exchange man hole cover was saved and will be embedded in concrete at the new Haus. (The old Galvez Haus was a telephone exchange building before it became the property of Deutsches Haus.)
November 2018: The construction is finished. The lights are on. Grand opening November 18, 2018 on the 90th anniversary of the founding of the Deutches Haus organization.
Location of New Haus
1700 Moss Street
New Orleans, LA 70119