I’ll be the first to tell you that I don’t hold onto old papers, pamphlets, flyers, brochures or even (gasp!) greeting cards. My recycle bin overflows every week with the stuff that I toss out in hopes that I never become an episode of Hoarders.

But it’s pretty cool to run across a piece of Algiers history. A friend shared these original ads for Aurora Gardens when it was brand new and I’m marveling at (a) the fact that someone kept them and (b) how times and marketing have changed.

Part of the marketing for this neighborhood included reference to the new Mississippi River Bridge that made the community just “a 10 minute ride, via boulevards and expressway, to Canal Street”.

You might not be able to read all of the copy, so here it is:

Aurora Gardens is the national award-winning community being developed on the site of the historic Aurora Plantation, which figured in the Battle of New Orleans. The 200 year old plantation house overlooks a community that will ultimately have 4,000 homes and the South’s largest regional shopping center. Because of its interesting story, combined with the best in land planning and architectural design, Aurora Gardens has been featured in Living for Young Home Makers, House and Home and other national magazines; and was recently shown on coast to coast television by Dave Garroway on the NBC-TV “Today” show. It is the only New Orleans winner of the Neighborhood Development Award of the National Association of Home Builders of the United States.

I found this flyer a definite departure from today’s marketing, where the focus is on the property and not the people.

And then there were the features for “gracious living”, such as air conditioning, birch cabinets, built-ins, glass walls, trees, and more.

One thing that hasn’t changed over the years in real estate marketing is the emphasis on the amenities a neighborhood has to offer. How cool to see these old pictures of Alice M. Harte Elementary (top photo) and St. Andrew the Apostle (middle right photo).

Isn’t history a wonderful thing?

Homes for sale in Aurora Gardens