Walgreens

5518 Magazine Street | New Orleans, Louisiana

The What And The Why

The Flagship Walgreens development on Magazine Street is an adaptive reuse of a former American Legion Hall on a historically significant retail corridor in Uptown New Orleans. The site is the original home of the Ed Brauner American Legion Post #307 whose origins date back to 1947. After a full redesign and redevelopment, the new 13,000 square-foot building is now a Flagship Walgreens store with a drive-thru window, full-service pharmacy, and a Look Boutique specializing in high end cosmetics.

Our Challenge

Over several decades, the American Legion constructed numerous additions to the original building which made design and construction difficult. Stirling had to balance a complex redevelopment project with the desires of the surrounding community, a restrictive regulatory environment, and the needs of the proposed tenant. Stirling worked closely with the City of New Orleans, our design team, and Walgreens to achieve a project that would serve the needs of all.

Our Strategy

Stirling Properties worked closely with Magazine Street business owners, neighborhood associations, and World War II Veterans to create a vision of what this distressed building could ultimately become. The front and rear facades of the building were replaced and the interior fully demolished. The new design features large windows to showcase the building’s interior, a pedestrian entrance on Magazine Street, and a rear parking lot with a drive-thru window. To pay homage to War Veterans and the building’s former use as a meeting spot for them, several American Legion images and symbols were incorporated into the new store’s design.

Our Results

The design and subsequent development of the new building was achieved only after numerous meetings with all the interested parties. Without public input, citizen participation, and careful consideration to our client’s needs, we could never have realized a finished product that exceeded everyone’s lofty expectations.

Stirling Properties is proud to bring a once distressed but historically significant property back to prominence once again.