New Orleans-based Trapolin-Peer Architects has recently completed the design for the Peche Seafood Grill. Opening as the fifth and latest addition to chef Donald Link’s dining venues in New Orleans, the restaurant marks the first completed phase of the new 800 Magazine Street historic restoration project.
Photo by Chris Ganger
Set in the Warehouse district, the historic building was originally used as a livery and funeral home in the 1840s and is famed for witnessing the embalmment of President Jefferson Davis. In the 1940s, it was purchased by the American Coffee Company to serve as a roasting facility. The building was then bought in 2008 by Katherine and Tony Gelderman⎯⎯who financed the private $7 million project to help rebuild the city after Hurricane Katrina.
Photo by Chris Ganger
Trapolin-Peer Architects and Landis Construction Company encountered several challenges with the former parking garage, including an un-level floor and significant termite damage. To address the foundation issue, sub-contractor Abry Brothers removed the termite-eaten beams and lifted the first and second floors of the building.
Photo by Chris Ganger
Now the newly opened 4,800-square-foot restaurant centers on a large, open-flamed grill made of Isokern (a volcanic ash material). The building also boasts 100 percent of its original masonry.
Photo by Chris Ganger
