Do you know the significance of the big iron gargoyle on the old building at 709 Jackson Ave.?

A fiberglass gargoyle, modeled from a bodybuilder, watches over an empty building on Jackson Avenue.

I guess it's pretty obvious that the gargoyle did not come with the synagogue that was built in 1867 for the congregation Sha'arai Tefillah, which translates into "gates of prayer." But, of course, there's a good story behind the gargoyle.

  The synagogue was purchased in 2004, and the owners replaced the glass in the building. In order to protect the new windows from vandals, the owners took out insurance. They found a fiberglass gargoyle in a shop on Magazine Street. The artist had created 18 of these figures using a small bodybuilder as a model. The owners bought one of the gargoyles and attached it to the side of the building. Restrictions placed on them by a preservation group prevented them from placing the gargoyle in front. The guard gargoyle's presence, however, has apparently done the trick as the building's windows have not been damaged.

  There are two other gargoyles in New Orleans just like this one, but the artist left town with the other 15.

There was a restaurant at 2037 Bayou Road — where Bayou Road and Barracks Street meet, near Esplanade Avenue — that was owned by the well-known and popular Steve Valenti. But he wasn't a fighter; he was a baseball player. During the 1920s and '30s, Valenti played professional baseball in leagues in Florida and Alabama.

  The establishment on Bayou Road was named Steve and Larry Valenti's Bar and Restaurant, and Valenti was the owner for 26 years until he died following a hit-and-run accident. On Oct. 12, 1965, Valenti stopped his car on the 2300 block of Esplanade Avenue, about four blocks from his restaurant, concerned that the hood catch was loose. He got out of the car to check the catch, and as he returned he was struck. He died a few hours later at Hotel Dieu Hospital.

For many years, the following tragic tale has been told to explain the grave. Buried there is Spanish officer Sancho Pablo, a victim of love. The dashing young officer fell in love with the daughter of a local Choctaw chief, Wah-he-wawa. The maiden, Owaissee, met with Capt. Pablo in secret beneath a nearby tree. Her father found out about their trysts and vowed to put a stop to the affair. He ambushed the young man one night and slew him.

  Though it is known as Old Spanish Fort, it actually was built by the French in 1701. A larger brick fort was built after Louisiana passed to Spanish control.