St. Thomas Development Neighborhood Apartments for Rent

The St. Thomas Development Neighborhood of New Orleans is situated along the shores of the Mississippi River. Its borders flow from the river along Felicity Street and up to Laurel Street. From Laurel a series of steps follow starting at St. Mary’s Street, on to Chippewa Street, then to Josephine Street and onto St. Thomas Street. From here, Jackson Avenue takes the boundary back to the river.

This neighborhood is probably best known for its most famous resident, Sister Helen Prejean. During the time she lived here, she also worked at Hope House on St. Andrews Street. Her ministry brought her to become a penpal with a prison inmate on death row named Patrick Sonnier. Her experiences with him and with the death penalty led her to write a book after witnessing his execution. Dead Man Walking: An Eyewitness Account of the Death Penalty in America became an international best seller. It was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize in 1993, and was made into a major motion picture in 1996.