The Carver Theater District Plan (CTDP) is a phased development initiative designed to revitalize the area surrounding the historic Carver Theater. The plan introduces educational spaces, incubators, a youth hostel, a food market, and music studios, all organized around a central courtyard as part of a new music and technology district.

Although New Orleans is renowned worldwide for its musical heritage, the city lacks a thriving music economy. The CTDP aims to address this by leveraging the historic Carver Theater’s location, at the heart of the Treme neighborhood and just blocks from the French Quarter. The plan envisions a hub for the music industry, featuring recording studios, a film resource center, and a music production school linked to an incubator. This incubator will help nurture the local music scene by supporting vital industries such as intellectual property management, production, publishing, artist management, as well as legal and financial services, which are currently outsourced to other cities.

The project focuses on three sites along Orleans Avenue, between N Prieur St and N Miro St. It aims to blend seamlessly into the city’s existing fabric by preserving as many existing structures as possible and ensuring that no housing is removed or demolished in the process. The new structures are thoughtfully designed to reflect the scale, pattern, and rooflines of the historic Treme neighborhood. In the central lot, the development integrates with the existing buildings, connected by second-story exterior walkways and balconies overlooking a shared courtyard.

This design creates an opportunity for strong physical and creative synergies between local education and talent, while also establishing a home for New Orleans’ emerging music industry. In a place so deeply rooted in the history of music and culture, the Carver Theater District Plan aims to provide the infrastructure needed to support and grow the city’s creative economy.