Jefferson Market
St. George's Episcopal School
Client: St. George’s Episcopal School
Scope: Renovation
Status: 2027
Size: 19,200 sq.ft
Budget: $2,500,000
Collaborators: Synergy Consulting Engineers, Marais Consultants
Blending STEM programming with the Arts
Jefferson Market, one of the city’s few remaining historic public markets, anchors the Main Campus along Magazine Street with its distinctive architecture and strong civic presence. The building houses key student spaces, including the gymnasium and the Forum—serving as the cafeteria—as well as a music classroom and associated support spaces on the ground floor. On the second floor, classrooms retain the building’s historic charm, featuring exposed steel trusses and high ceilings that create a unique learning environment.
Long valued by students as one of their favorite spaces on campus, the Forum’s multi-functional capabilities also make it a semi-public space for after-school events and arts programming. Renovations to the Forum are designed to enhance its role as a central gathering place for students and as a flexible venue for the broader community.
A new storage system along the corridor-facing wall allows for a seamless transition, enabling the space to function both as a public-facing facility during athletic and arts events and for major cultural events in New Orleans, such as Art for Art’s Sake.
On the second floor of Jefferson Market, the two existing classrooms on the west side of the building will be transformed into state-of-the-art science laboratories. The renovated laboratories will include shared storage areas and office spaces, with a dedicated area for the school’s growing robotics program—designed with sufficient space for a full-scale competition table to support collaborative and hands-on learning.
The renovation scope includes a comprehensive upgrade of the kitchen to support expanded food service, featuring a new commercial exhaust hood and a permanent student serving line. Interior finishes will be enhanced to improve acoustics and overall comfort.
The locker rooms and restrooms at Jefferson Market have remained unimproved since the building’s original renovation more than 30 years ago. Long overdue enhancements to physical education and music instruction spaces include a full renovation of the boys’ and girls’ locker rooms. A modest addition at the south end of the locker room wing will provide much-needed storage capacity for gymnasium equipment and athletics programming. Enhancements to the music room will include renovations to improve acoustics and classroom layout, encouraging greater student engagement during learning and rehearsals.
Currently, the second floor of Jefferson Market is only accessible via two staircases, limiting inclusivity and access to student life. A separate project will introduce a limited-use, limited-access (LULA) elevator to Jefferson Market. As part of this project, renovations will not only expand the music room and provide additional storage, but also preserve the building’s historic character.