St. Elizabeth's, the redbrick Uptown landmark once owned by author Anne Rice, has vanished under a colossal striped fumigation tent that now blankets nearly an entire block of Napoleon Avenue. The massive red, white and bluish-black plastic tarp has turned the former orphanage and its condo complex into what looks like a low-slung, technicolor bunker, as crews carry out an intensive drywood termite fumigation.
According to WGNO, Terminix measured the job at about 1.2 million cubic feet and said the fumigation would run roughly a week, a scale company representatives described as unprecedented for the local office. Axios New Orleans published aerial shots that show the property wrapped in custom tarps that crews said had to be specially ordered and took several days to assemble. Neighbors and passersby have been gawking at the surreal sight, while residents say they are mostly just glad a long-running termite problem is finally being tackled head-on.
Terminix Calls It Their Biggest Local Job
Joe Martin, a board-certified entomologist who heads Terminix's New Orleans operation, told WWL the tarps had to be special-ordered and that crews spent days getting them into place. Industry coverage has noted Martin's long experience handling termite work in the city, and company officials described this project as a large drywood termite fumigation designed to reach colonies scattered throughout the sprawling, converted orphanage.
Why Drywood Termites Force Tenting
Drywood termites live and feed inside finished wood and leave behind tiny, six-sided fecal pellets that look a lot like sawdust or coffee grounds, a classic red flag for infestation, according to extension guides. When multiple colonies have tunneled through a large, historic structure, simple spot treatments or injections often cannot reach every hidden gallery. In those cases, whole-structure fumigation under a sealed tent is the standard way to kill termites throughout the building. Federal reviews and industry guidance note that fumigation uses sulfuryl fluoride gas and must be closely monitored, with air-clearance testing required before anyone is allowed back inside.
Historic Building, Modern Headache
St. Elizabeth's started life in the 19th century as a boarding school and orphanage; the complex at 1314 Napoleon Avenue was later converted into condominiums and became closely linked to Anne Rice, who owned the property for years. The Library of Congress's Historic American Buildings Survey documents its architecture and history, while developer materials detail the early-2000s transformation into luxury condos, including a dramatic chapel-sized residence carved out of the former sanctuary. Today, owners and residents are juggling the familiar New Orleans puzzle of preserving historic fabric while paying for and living through a major pest treatment.
Neighbors, Residents and Safety
Whole-structure fumigations require everyone, pets included, to clear out while gas permeates the building and then dissipates. Federal guidance lays out protocols meant to prevent accidental exposure and to verify safe air levels before reentry. Local reporting has noted that tenants at St. Elizabeth's were relocated for the roughly weeklong job and that crews conducted air monitoring and follow-up checks before giving the all-clear, according to company statements to reporters. Building managers said they were working closely with residents on logistics and would confirm exact return dates once all safety clearances were finalized.
Termite season in south Louisiana stretches into the summer, and experts say older, wood-heavy buildings in New Orleans remain prime targets for both drywood and Formosan termites. For now, the giant tent wrapped around St. Elizabeth's stands as a very public reminder that historic properties need regular inspections and proactive pest plans to protect both the people who live in them and the architectural details that make them special.
