 It fell into a long period of decline after World War II, and by the 1980s had become blighted.In 2001, Michael E. Arth, a California artist, urban designer and filmmaker, bought twenty-seven dilapidated structures, renamed the area the Garden District, and lobbied to create a new historic district.During the following eight years he restored or rebuilt 32 homes and businesses, which have become the core of a neighborhood revival.