St. Katharine Drexel Chapel

Completed in 2012, the Drexel Chapel is the first house of worship designed by the celebrated architecture firm Pelli Clarke Pelli. Topped with a copper roof and clad in Portuguese limestone, the octagonal structure visually rhymes with the other buildings on the campus of Xavier University, which commissioned the church. The foundation was built four feet above sea level, to comply with flood-mitigating regulations.

Frank Gehry House

In 2007, Brad Pitt founded Make It Right, a nonprofit dedicated to rebuilding the Lower Ninth Ward with affordable houses built to LEED Platinum certification standards. Among the notable architects who became involved with the group was Frank Gehry, who designed this 1,780-square-foot bungalow in 2012. “I wanted to make a house that I would like to live in and one that responded to the history, vernacular, and climate of New Orleans,” Gehry has said.

James M. Singleton Head Start Center

Nestled in the New Orleans East community of Little Woods, this 13,000-square-foot child-care center won a 2013 AIA New Orleans Merit Award for its design by Trapolin-Peer Architects. Run by the nonprofit group Total Community Action, the center provides social services for children with disabilities.

Lavin-Bernick Center for University Life

Just 14 months after Tulane’s campus flooded in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the university debuted this 142,000-square-foot student center designed by Vincent James Associates Architects. An existing two-story concrete-framed building was enlarged to include a 300-seat auditorium, a bookstore, a dining hall, and study facilities.

930 Poydras

Located in the city’s Central Business District, 930 Poydras was completed in 2010 and designed by Louisiana firm Eskew+Dumez+Ripple. The 250-unit residential building, which features a cantilevered sky lobby, pool deck, and movie-screening lounge, reached full occupancy just five months after the first tenants moved in. Clad in glass and highly articulated metal, the 21-floor building received the 2010 AIA Louisiana Award of Merit, among other design accolades.

New Orleans BioInnovation Center

Designed by Eskew+Dumez+Ripple, the New Orleans BioInnovation Center opened in June 2011 on a former industrial site on Canal Street. Its striking glazed façade features a series of sunscreens that protect the finish, limiting energy costs and providing storm protection. The 65,000-square-foot lab, which acts as a biotechnology and research incubator, achieved LEED Gold certification and can accommodate about 40 to 50 companies.

Saenger Theatre

After being shuttered in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the 1927 Saenger Theatre underwent a $50 million–plus renovation led by Martinez+Johnson Architecture, ACE Theatrical, and the Canal Street Development Corporation. Highlights of the overhaul include a reconfiguration of the auditorium layout (with roomier seats), the restoration of the sparkling night-sky ceiling, and a refresh of the intricately carved proscenium. To mitigate damage from any future flooding, electrical and mechanical systems were relocated from the basement. The official reopening gala was held in October 2013.

The Maritime

At 11 stories, the Maritime (formerly known as the Hennen Building) towered over New Orleans when it was completed in 1893 by architect Thomas Sully. Located in the Central Business District, the Beaux Arts building was rehabilitated in 2010 by developer Marcel Wisznia, who transformed it into a mixed-use property with 105 luxury apartments and ground-floor retail. In 2013, the building received a National Preservation Award from the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

The Saint Hotel New Orleans

When developer David Mark Wyant purchased the Audubon Building in April 2010, the eight-story former office had been in flux for over a decade. Hurricane Katrina stalled the previous hotel conversion plan, and the property had fallen into foreclosure. Built in 1909, the Beaux Arts building was reborn in January 2012 as the Saint Hotel, Autograph Collection. The luxury hotel now sports a soaring lobby with black-and-white photo murals of the area, and offers 166 guest rooms, some of which feature original brickwork and marble baths.

AC Hotel New Orleans Bourbon

Texas developers NewcrestImage purchased the 1921 New Orleans Cotton Exchange, a National Historic Landmark, in June 2013. After a $12 million renovation by Campo Architects, the eight-story masonry-clad building made its debut as the 220-room AC Hotel New Orleans Bourbon in November 2014. The project also uncovered some historical elements—including a marble archway and lobby floor tiles—which were integrated into the new design.