New Orleans, Orleans Parish story
A New Life for an Old Church
In 1853, a grand building was designed by Theodore Giraud to serve as a German Catholic Church in the Faubourg Marigny. For over a century, it served its congregation, but by 1997…
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In 1853, a grand building was designed by Theodore Giraud to serve as a German Catholic Church in the Faubourg Marigny. For over a century, it served its congregation, but by 1997, the Archdiocese of New Orleans closed its doors. For years, the building sat in silence, but New Orleans has a way of reimagining its spaces.
In 2011, the structure was renovated and adapted, officially reopening on January 2, 2012, as the Marigny Opera House. Rather than letting the architecture fade, it was transformed into a non-denominational church of the arts, later housing the Marigny Opera Ballet. It's a beautiful example of how a community can take a space of old faith and turn it into a space of new creativity.
Updated June 2026