Prior to the late 1800's, many areas within the present boundaries of New Orleans were unusable for residential or commercial development, mainly due to the fact that the city was mostly below sea level, and areas north and west of the Mississippi were swamp land and prone to flooding.

In the late 1800's, the New Orleans Sewerage and Water Board, under the direction of engineer A. Baldwin Woods, constructed artificial levees and a mechanical drainage system which permitted the draining of rain water from the swamps. This spurred the development of areas such as Gentilly, Broadmoor, and the Canal Street Corridor which extends from downtown to the cemetery area at Metairie Road.

Soon after the new land was opened for development, the Canal Street Corridor became a prime residential area, and a number of the city's wealthiest citizens procured land along Canal Street in order to build large homes. Many of these homes remain today, although most have been turned into apartment or commercial properties.

In keeping with the shifting population, and given that a large number citizens of New Orleans were Roman Catholic, the Archdiocese undertook a major building program in the era ranging from 1910 through 1929. In most cases, the building activity directly tracked the outward migration into those newly available areas of the city. Churches built in this era included not only St. Anthony of Padua, but also a new church to replace the smaller Sacred Heart of Jesus Church further up Canal Street, St. Rose of Lima in the Bayou Road section, St. Rita Of Cascia in Broadmoor, and several others.