In 1834-35 the Jackson Barracks were erected away from what was then the town, and McDonogh's buildings were no longer in demand. So, in 1837 he unloaded his white elephant on the city by selling to the Mayor Denis Prieur. The following year, the city demolished their portion of the barracks, commenting at the time that they were in a "surprising state of perservation".

Seemingly the city let the land lie fallow, and as was common in New Orleans in those days, wherever there was a vacuum, fun flowed in. This great empty tract was a popular place for public entertainment, and one performance followed another Everything form minageries to public shows were performed in this empty tract - The Great Philadelphia Zooligical Garden put on an exhibition, minstrel shows performed, horse shows were given - the place seemed to be a ferment of entertainment from one season to another, and the pleasure-loving Creoles supported these ventures with enthusiasm.

But such a large plot could not go unused indefinitely, and in 1845 the city resurveyed the land and placed it on the market again. The corner of Chartres and Governor Nicholls went to the Tiblier Brothers; the rest of the tract was acquired by Dominique Lanata. Immediately, Lanata planned to develop this land and sought the architect de Pouilly to execute his dream which included the construction of five upper class townhomes. After the properties were finished, Lanata bought out his partners and rented all the houses to substantial citizens. On the whole, the properties did not change hands very often, but remained rental property. But as the Quarter became declasse, the value of the properties began to sink.

And so this row of pretty picturesque domestic dwellings sank so low that a onetime chairman of the Vieux Carre Commision branded them "the worst looking buildings in the Quarter". Meantime, however, two things happened to change their fate. A real estate developer, harking back to his prototype Dominique Lanata, saw possibilities in the the great corner furniture factory (Le Richelieu) and the whole quaint row of Chartres Street. At the same time, the Vieux Carre Survey documented this site, recorded and photographed all the de Pouilly elevations and ground plans for this cityscape. (read on...)