Local investor Daniel McKearan has effectively taken the keys to the long-dormant Sacred Heart of Jesus campus on Canal Street in Mid-City, signing a long-term deal that hands his company control of the church, rectory and adjoining school buildings. The 2.25-acre complex includes a 1923 sanctuary and former school structures now used as low-income senior housing, and Unity of Greater New Orleans will stay put under an existing lease that runs into 2052. After years of sitting largely idle post-Hurricane Katrina, the landmark block is back under active stewardship, potentially setting the stage for historic restoration or a broader redevelopment play.
As reported by NOLA, McKearan's firm, Ducky Recovery, signed a roughly 50-year lease that hands the company control of the property while preserving UNITY's space. Court records reviewed by the outlet show that the lease bars the landlord from evicting UNITY or making changes that would interfere with the nonprofit's operation of the Sacred Heart Apartments until UNITY's lease runs out in 2052.
What Actually Sits On That Canal Street Block
The campus, covering the full 3200 block of Canal Street, totals about 2.25 acres and holds six masonry buildings that together add up to roughly 100,000 square feet. The sanctuary and rectory alone account for more than 31,000 square feet. The former school buildings now house 109 senior units operated by UNITY of Greater New Orleans, and the site's baptismal records even include an entry tied to Louis Armstrong. Those details, along with the site's redevelopment potential, are laid out in the property's offering memorandum. McEnery Company notes that the campus is eligible for historic tax credits and singles out the sanctuary and rectory as especially strong candidates for rehab.
Who Is Behind The Deal: Ducky Recovery's Local Footprint
McKearan runs Ducky Recovery, a Harahan-based disaster recovery and home rehab company that says it has completed thousands of projects and overseen hundreds of millions of dollars in recovery aid, according to the firm's website. Ducky Recovery casts itself as a seasoned operator in federally funded rebuilding programs across several states. Local reporting also notes that McKearan bought the former Bishop Perry Center on Dauphine Street in 2024, a move that fits into a larger pattern of local acquisitions. NOLA first reported both the Sacred Heart lease and the earlier Bishop Perry purchase.
What It Means For Residents And UNITY
UNITY continues to operate the Malta Square/Sacred Heart Apartments portion of the campus and still manages roughly 109 low-income senior units on the site. Its consolidated financial statements describe the ground lease and note that UNITY evaluated the option of buying the land in 2024. UNITY of Greater New Orleans reports that the organization hired an architect in September 2024 to study a potential purchase and rehab, but as of that filing the lease arrangement was unchanged and day-to-day operations at the apartments continued.
Next Steps And Redevelopment Prospects
Commercial marketing materials for the block position the sanctuary and rectory as prime redevelopment opportunities that could tap federal and state historic tax credits to finance a rehabilitation. The rectory and sanctuary have been effectively out of active parish use since Hurricane Katrina, and with the new control in place the buyer now holds the approvals and incentives needed to pursue restoration or adaptive reuse. No construction schedule has been made public, and details on renovation plans and financing are expected to surface as permits are filed and funding is lined up.
