Gentilly Woods, New Orleans

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Gentilly Woods is an area in the Gentilly neighborhood of New Orleans, Louisiana.

The Gentilly Woods subdivision was developed in the early 1950s, in an area adjacent to the Higgins Shipyards, which was located on the Industrial Canal.

During World War II, the Higgins plant occupied most of the land. At the factory there were homes constructed of plywood that employees were reported to have occupied during the war effort, they were aptly named Higgins Huts.

With the growth of the city after the war and the need for new housing, Gentilly Woods was developed. A corporation founded by W.H. Crawford and Associates began work, in early 1951, with a plan to constuct more than 1400 homes designed to meet the booming post-war housing market.

The City of New Orleans made arrangements for public transportation and the developers signed contracts for city sewerage, drainage, water mains, and other site improvements before a single house was begun. Land was secured along Gentilly Boulevard for a shopping center, to serve the new community, and approximately 12 acres were reserved for school (Saint Gabriel the Archangel and W.C.C. Claiborne grammar schools) and playground use.