Archdiocese seeks to sell historic Black Catholic school in New Orleans

The Archdiocese of New Orleans is moving to sell a historic property once known as a center of African-American education in Louisiana—and which may be under a no-sell restriction willed by its Black Catholic former owner.

The 178-year-old property at 1941 Dauphine St., covered in the will of the 18th-century Creole philanthropist Marie Couvent, has been named as part of a court hearing this week in proceedings for the archdiocese’s ongoing bankruptcy petition. 

The chancery is seeking to sell the Couvent School complex, which for centuries housed a succession of Catholic institutions serving the poor, to help pay for settlements among hundreds of clergy sex abuse cases dating back decades.

Originally known as the Institute Catholique upon its founding in 1846, the school was once supported by a who’s-who of notable free people of color in New Orleans, including the Black Civil War hero André Cailloux, a famed poet in Armand Lanusse, and the philanthropist Thomy Lafon. Notable alumni include Rodolphe Desdunes, a major figure in the Reconstruction period.

A series of rebuilds and shifts in control reflected Couvent’s original stipulation in her will that the property be used “in perpetuity for the establishment of a free school for the colored orphans” in the Faubourg Marigny District, where the current building sits at the corner of Dauphine and Touro.

“I declare that said lands and buildings shall never be sold under any pretext whatsoever,” reads her last will and testament. The document was enacted in 1832, five years before her death, and is emblazoned on her tomb to this day at St. Louis Cemetery #2, less than a mile-and-a-half from the Dauphine St. grounds.

The archdiocese has been among several local entities that have sought to minimize focus on the Couvent legacy, in part because she—like many wealthy Creoles of color—owned enslaved African Americans.

“She writes a will in November of 1832 after a woman named Seraphine dies, who was a woman who was owned as a slave [by Couvent]... She freed Seraphine in 1831,” said Elizabeth C. “Libby” Neidenbach, a scholar who has done extensive research on the life and testaments of Couvent.

“Couvent writes this will where she leaves her Barracks St. property to the children of Seraphine, and she leaves her [Dauphine] property to be a free school for the orphans of color of the Faubourg Marigny.”

Other schools housed at the property since the closure of the Couvent School have included the Holy Redeemer Catholic School, backed by St. Katharine Drexel, the Bishop Perry Middle School, and the St. Gerard Majella Alternative School, which closed in 2012. It was later known as the Bishop Perry Center, a community resource outfit that closed in 2017.

By 2019, the Archdiocese of New Orleans was seeking to take over ownership of the property, having taken possession of it unofficially in 1920 after a previous, Black-led controlling organization became defunct. Louisiana law dictates that a property can be considered under the ownership of an entity if they have visibly occupied it for 30 years.

Despite the stipulations of Couvent’s will, the chancery has sought to sell the former school for top dollar—even as former students and advocates protest the move.

Kim M. Braud, an Atlanta-based businesswoman who attended Holy Redeemer, submitted a lease-purchase proposal to the archdiocese in September, seeking to transform the property into a “community hub” known as the Couvent Collective. 

“Unfortunately, I did not hear directly from the archdiocese after submitting a 100-page proposal and a $1.9 million offer to purchase the school,” she wrote online in October.

“Instead, I was contacted by the broker, who was very gracious. He informed me that the building is tied up in bankruptcy court and that a buyer has already been lined up.”

Braud’s proposal is among several offers mentioned in the archdiocese’s petition this month to sell the property, which would require clearance from a bankruptcy judge. The chancery, which did not respond to a request for comment from Black Catholic Messenger, has entered into an agreement to sell for $1.1M to Cambronne Real Estate.

This week’s hearing, scheduled for Thursday at 1:30pm CT at the U.S. District Courthouse for the Eastern District of Louisiana, will establish whether the archdiocese is “clear of all claims, liens, interests, and encumbrances” related to the sale.

Neidenbach noted that the archdiocese had previously sought to wrest control of the property more than a century ago when it was still Black-run. Now, with the property in their hands, it’s clear that finances are the main concern—even if it means the Couvent name might soon be forgotten.

“My connection to Marie Couvent feels personal. Like her, I’ve worked to support vulnerable communities. Through the Couvent Collective, I’m channeling that energy to preserve history, create opportunities, and help women and underserved groups rewrite their stories,” wrote Braud in late November.

“I tried to buy this property to continue her legacy and was ignored.”

“I think you can argue that it's more than just a piece of land… This little corner lot that this woman purchased in 1806 becomes so much more than that over time,” added Neidenach.

“She anticipated the continued and ongoing struggle for Black people that have access to Catholic education in the city.”

Nate Tinner-Williams is co-founder and editor of Black Catholic Messenger.

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