The rumor started with gossip website TMZ, claiming the Knowles family purchased a church in the Garden District; however, the article is unsourced and provides no further detail.
The real estate in question is on Camp Street and was purchased for an undisclosed amount on Friday, May 11. Evidence of this deal is found in the Orleans Parish land records. The paperwork was signed by Vernell Jackson Keys, who is supposedly close to the Knowles family.
Keys is a trustee at the Noble Jones Trust, which owns at least one other property: a French Quarter home where Solange, Beyoncé, and other family members have been spotted watching the Krewe of Barkus during Mardi Gras.
It is unclear what the property will be used for, as it would take tons of renovation to convert it from church to house. The property is zoned under HU-RD1, which allows for “limited non-residential uses such as places of worship, historic neighborhood commercial establishments, and recreational facilities that are compatible with surrounding residential neighborhoods.”
The church is 5 blocks away from a Garden District home, whose mailing address is linked to Beyoncé’s Parkwood Entertainment.
