516 Natchez is the rehabilitation of two adjoined three story brick row houses in the Central Business District. An exercise in urban density, the building houses a ground floor office space and a total of five apartments in an 8,200 square foot volume.

One of the row house buildings required total replacement of the structural framing, inspiring a split level concept where a central four-story volume offsets the floor planes within units. A fragmented historic brick wall on the back property line inspired a glass clad dining volume for the two-bedroom units. The double height curtain wall provides well-framed city views along the active Poydras Street thoroughfare.

Historic elements of the buildings architecture were preserved wherever possible, the highlight being an intricately detailed bathroom within a vaulted brick structure on the ground floor of the building. The project finishes emphasize it’s urban setting, with a timeless industrial aesthetic and the convenience of taking an elevator directly to one’s unit. The project signifies a larger movement within the city of a developing downtown district and savvy tenants who want to live in the center of the activity.