Hotel Peter & Paul
In New Orleans, local history is often elevated to a spiritual experience.
The renowned hotelier ASH made its Southern debut by transforming the former Sts. Peter and Paul church, school house, convent, and rectory into a 71-room boutique hotel in the heart of the Marigny.
How might its rich past be honored while giving future visitors an authentic sense of place?
“The Holy Ghosts” was a multimedia series that paid tribute to those in the neighborhood who sustained this place for over 150 years, and whose spirits can still be felt today.
SELECT WORKS
“The Holy Ghosts” — Michelle’s Story
A series of short stories collected as part of a public memory project during the site restoration, featuring custodians, students, parents, and nuns who each illustrate the power of place in our lives. Watch the full series here.
Immersive Audio Walk
Self-guided experience to encounter oral histories that chronicle the evolution of the neighborhood and how the smallest moments may become milestones. Explore more here.
GALLERY
Upon opening, Hotel Peter & Paul was named as one of the world’s 100 greatest hotels by Time Magazine.
The names of former students scratched into the walls leading to the bell tower.
A printed map leads visitors on the audio journey throughout the buildings.
Ron McCalin describes his experience as the first Black altar boy in the late 60s during a period of intense cultural change across New Orleans.
Phil Pusateri lived directly across the street from the school and recounts deadly storms and trap doors.
In conversation
Visiting can feel like living through an imaginative fictional remix of their actual histories.
— The New York Times