NEW ORLEANS— The Pythian Temple was developed in 1909 by Smith W. Green. Green was a formerly enslaved man who became a self-made millionaire from working as a grocer and doing work in insurance and print media. He was a leader in the fraternity, The Colored Knights of Pythias and was a member of the NAACP along with his friend A.P. Tureaud.
Over the years, the Pythian has evolved and about seven years ago, Green Coast Enterprises, a developer that focuses primarily on historically significant property restoration, transformed the Pythian Temple into an homage of it’s former glory as a mixed use space.
Jackie Dadakis is the building developer and says, “it was important to us to take seriously the history of this building. This building was almost the first of it’s kind in the south. It was develped by an African American businessman, with the intention of providing office space for black businesses in the city of New Orleans. When you go back and look at the few photos we could find from that time period, the craftsmanship was spectacular. We restored the original facade down to the cartouches, which are fruit cornucopias over the main door.”
The Pythian was the center of black life at the turn of 20th century New Orleans. Inside were the offices of many prominent organizations from the Zulu Social Aid and Pleasure Club, to the NAACP. There was an auditorium for concerts and a rooftop garden. A.P. Tureaud’s parents are said to have met at the Pythian.
“We believe it also, might have been one of the first places that Louis Armstrong performed publicly,” says Dadakis.
Likes it’s past, the building today is many things. There are 25 affordable apartments and a venue for private gatherings, ceremonies and parties. The bottom floor is home to the nine restaurants of the Pythian Market.
One of restaurant booths inside is Willie Mae’s at the Market, the second location of the famous Willie Mae’s Scotch House. Kerry Seaton Stewart, the owner shares the history of Willie Mae’s saying, “we were started by my great grand mother Willie Mae Seaton. I had been over at the original restaurant, running it, since after Hurricane Katrina. I decided to open up a second location at the Pythian. I wanted to be part of an eclectic, multicultural mix of food. These markets are becoming ever more popular. Fast casual is the way of the world now. We are lucky to have gotten on that train when we did, because with this pandemic, it was vital.”
Whether enjoying some fried chicken and red beans from Willie Mae’s or some curry goat, plantains and cabbage from 14 Parishes Jamaican Restaurant. Just like the building itself, there is something to be said about the importance of being well seasoned and most New Orleans’ buildings are just that. They are deliciously rich in history, just like the restaurants inside of the Pythian Market.
Jackie Dadakis believes there’s a unique and beautiful opportunity for developers in a city 300-years old, saying, “it is a privilege to take a building that has history, rediscover that history, bring that history forward and let that history inform the next chapter.”