Built on a site containing the ruins of a colonial-era fort, the approximately 330-acre Lake Vista neighborhood is a subdivision located within the Lakeview District. The subdivision is bordered by Lake Pontchartrain to the north, Bayou St. John to the east, Robert E. Lee Boulevard to the south, and the Orleans Avenue Canal to the west. Growing out of the New Orleans Lakefront Reclamation efforts during the 1920s, the state diverted funds to infill the marsh and construct a seawall and public park. The new park improved the desirability of the neighborhood, leading to the construction of Lake Vista during the 1930s. A master plan for the neighborhood was devised by Hamilton Reynolds, an engineer and contractor who sat on the City Planning Commission. It was the first of several mid-century lakefront developments.
The design of the subdivision was influenced by the Garden City movement, a city planning concept that focused on self-sufficient communities with concentric site-planning and ample greenspace. All of the roads in Lake Vista originate at perimeter parkways and terminate in cul-de-sacs near the center of the property. The roads are edged with narrow sidewalks and lined with mature pine trees. The cul-de-sacs contain islands planted with a holly, palmetto, or pine tree. Diagonal parks crisscross the subdivision, dividing the property into quadrants with a campus at the center containing two churches, a shopping center, and a school. The homes at Lake Vista are built in a variety of architectural styles, and fronted by open lawns. Living rooms face the parkland or wooded backyards. Property sales slowed when the United States entered World War II, but sales and construction resumed on empty lots after the conclusion of the war.
