Old House Gets Lift

 The old house at 424 East 21st Avenue, near St. Scholastica Academy in Covington, is being raised several feet off the ground to accommodate required foundation work, according to a person at the SSA Office. It was formerly the home of Mrs. Jeanne Theresa Connaughton and has most recently housed the admissions office of the school.

Click on the images to make them larger. 

Pictures before the uplifting

The home was built around 1895 and is drawn in on the 1915 Sanborn building map. It is located within the downtown Covington historic district and is described as what is architectually known as a "Queen Anne Cottage" Its style was designated as a Colonial Revival in the Historical Building Survey of Covington. 

More uplifting photographs

In this Sanborn building map from 1915, the house is shown outlined in red. At that time Vermont was opened south of Rutland, and East 21st Avenue was named Asia Street. Jahncke Avenue had originally been known as Louisiana St. On the northeast corner of the Rutland Street/Massachusetts Street intersection was a Roman Catholic Church with a parochial school mid-block, across the street from where St. Scholastica Academy is today. That half of the block is currently the location of a two story brick building and communications tower owned by AT&T. 

Abita House Makes Way For Library Branch in 1972

 Here is an article from 1972, published in the St. Tammany Farmer, about an Abita Springs house that had to be demolished to make way for the new library branch.

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Text from the above article:

Abita Landmark Swaps Old For New

An 88-year-old structure, a landmark in Abita Springs, is being razed to make way for construction of a new branch library. The building, a large one-story in its latter years, was originally a 2-story frame structure with a bar on the first floor and a dance hall overhead. It was known then as Conrad's Hall.

Mayor and Mrs. John Leveson acquired the property in 1948 and for some time, the dwelling was rented as a residence. Lawrence Flot, an 80-year-old resident of Abita Springs who was born and reared there, recalls the building was constructed when the first railroad came through Abita---in 1884. Flot is now a retired carpenter-contractor.

Abita Springs, was incorporated Feb. 26. 1903 with Henry Strubbe as first mayor and Emile Aubert, John Caubert and Joseph Rausch aldermen and Herbert Oalman marshal. The first .meetings of the town council were held in Conrad's Hall.

In 1900 the late Charles W. Smith operated a grocery store and post office on the lower floor. Later, it returned to a barroom when it was known as Monprat's Saloon. Then followed a drug store, which was owned and operated by the late George McNulty, father of Arthur McNulty of Covington, who was born there. The latter McNulty says the family left there when he was about one year old. He said living quarters were in conjunction with the drug store at that time.

Site of the old building is centrally located, across from the post office building, with moss-draped oaks to be retained in the transition from old to new.

End of article

The 1922 Sanborn Map shows that the site was the location of the Mutti Hotel. 

Mandeville Pro Hardware

 In 1973, fifty years ago, The Mandeville Sunday Bantam newspaper ran this article about the new building location for Mandeville Pro Hardware. Click on the images to make them larger and more readable. 

Burns Furniture Company - 1925

 Here is an interior picture of Burns Furniture Company, New Hampshire Street in Covington, around 1925. Click on the image to make it larger. 

Here is the outside of the building in 1973

See also:

Philip Burns Recalls Life In Covington - The 1910's

Burns Furniture Ad 1930

Burns Family Portrait - 1963

Interior Photographs of Stores

Abita Springs Pavilion Early Postcards

 This postcard of the Abita Springs Pavilion is before the turn of the century, the 20th century that is. Photo source: Louisiana Digital Archives

The Abita Springs Pavilion was a favorite photographic subject in the early 1900's. The one below was taken in 1909. Click on the images to make them larger. 

Underneath the pavilion was the springs, this photo taken in 1950

The above photo was taken two years later, in 1952

See also:

Abita Springs Pavilion On The Move

Abita Springs Pavilion Postcards

New Restaurant Next To Star

 The Tavi Restaurant in the 300 block of North New Hampshire St. in Covington has opened. It is located between the Star Theater and the old courthouse. An attorney's office and barber shop used to occupy the building, but it was recently extensively renovated. 

According to their website: "Tavi is an Israeli restaurant serving made-to-order pita from a wood-fired oven, elaborately finished hummus plates, and small and large plates drawing from the same modern Israeli inspiration as its sister restaurant, Shaya. The name Tavi is inspired by the Hebrew word meaning “good or beloved” and that’s what Tavi aims to deliver to the Covington community. Executive Chef Fariz Choumali leads the kitchen and brings his Lebanese Roots to life through staples from the Shaya menu plus new dishes. The menu will highlight an array of small plates, hummus, sandwiches, and slow-roasted meats."

Here are some photographs and the menu. 

The Tavi Restaurant

Click on the images to make them larger. 

See also:

https://www.tavirestaurant.com/

Fenwick Demolished

 The building that once housed the Fenwick Sanitarium on New Hampshire Street in Covington is being demolished this week. It sustained damage during Hurricane Ida. Click on the images to make them larger. 

Advertisement from 1926

An overhead view of the roof

Demolition photographs from 2023

The building was constructed in 1925-26 and served as a sanitarium and rest home. 

It was converted to residential apartments in 1974.

1974

For the full story on the Fenwick Sanitarium, CLICK HERE.

See also:

Himel Auto Parts Building Demolished

Hadden Hall History

The Holiday Inn Demolished