Do you find beauty in stucco and stone, poetry in ironwork
and archways? Then welcome to the French Quarter, one of
the country's most remarkable collections of living architecture
and history. If you're like many visitors, you'll begin
your rambles at Jackson Square, a lovely, cast-iron-fenced
oasis of grass and flowering trees located between St. Ann
and St. Peter Streets across Decatur Street from the river.
Originally called the Place d'Armes, the square in the past
served as both a military parade ground and the staging
point for public executions. Its bloody history long behind
it, Jackson Square is now a popular gathering spot and tranquil
anchor for some of the best-preserved 19th-century architecture
in the U.S.
Encircling the square are
the magnificent St. Louis Cathedral, the oldest cathedral
in the U.S., the two-hundred-year-old Presbytere (http://lsm.crt.state.la.us/presbex.htm)
and Cabildo (http://lsm.crt.state.la.us/cabex.htm), both
of which house prized collections belonging to The Louisiana
State Museum (http://lsm.crt.state.la.us), and the oldest
apartments in the U.S., a pair of handsome, 1850's-era red-brick
structures called the Upper and Lower Pontalba buildings.
In the Lower Pontalba, on the downriver side of the square,
one can visit another adjunct of the Louisiana State Museum,
the 1850 House (http://lsm.crt.state.la.us/1850ex.htm),
with its compelling depiction of life during New Orleans'
heyday, or Belle Époque. The Louisiana Office of Tourism
(http://www.louisianatravel.com) has an office here as well,
and is an excellent information resource for visitors to
the French Quarter. Downriver from Jackson Square on Decatur
Street is the historic French Market (http://www.frenchmarket.org/),
which began its existence in 1791 as a farmer's market and
continues to house vendors selling produce, fresh seafood,
and assorted Louisiana delicacies 24 hours a day. The oldest
in the U.S., the farmer's market has been expanded and today
incorporates a bustling flea market as well. Just past the
French Market lies the Old U.S. Mint (http://lsm.crt.state.la.us/mintex.htm)
(1835), which is now part of the Louisiana State Museum
and houses interesting exhibits relating to the histories
of both Mardi Gras and Jazz.
The French Market and Jackson
Square offer a delightful taste of the French Quarter but
are merely a prelude to its architectural majesty. For many,
the enchantment begins on Rue Royale - Royal Street, the
Quarter's most fashionable boulevard throughout much of
its past and an absolute must for lovers of history and
architecture. Royal runs the length of the Quarter on the
other side of the Cathedral from Jackson Square; here, one
will find a virtually unbroken string of well-preserved
Creole buildings dating to the early 1800's.
Heading upriver (towards
Canal Street and the CBD) on Royal Street, one encounters
the LaBranche House (700 Royal) with its multi-storied tiers
of lacy ironwork balconies, the striking Court of Two Lions
(541 Royal), built in 1798, and The Merieult House (533
Royal), the oldest house on Royal Street (1792) and gateway
to The Historic New Orleans Collection (http://www.hnoc.org).
THNOC is a complex of historic buildings and courtyards
that offers visitors a fascinating glimpse into a bygone
era.
Further down Royal one can
view the richly crafted cast-iron balconies of the Coudreau
Mansion (427 Royal) and the place where the cocktail was
invented (437 Royal) before reaching the imposing Municipal
Courts Building at 400 Royal. An entire block of old Creole
homes and businesses was razed to built it in 1908, bringing
attention to the need for preservation in the French Quarter.
Even so, its majestic appearance and fine detailing now
make it an architectural beauty in its own right.
Some of the finest wrought
iron in the Quarter is found at the old Bank of the United
States (343 Royal), which dates to the early 1800's (most
of the ironwork in the French Quarter is actually cast iron
and dates to the 1850's when this type of adornment became
wildly popular). Also of note on this end of Royal is the
Bank of Louisiana (1826) at 334 Royal, now home to the Vieux
Carre Commission and Police Station.
You've just been on a virtual
tour of half of one of the French Quarter's most captivating
avenues. Now, we'll traverse its upper end, which in typical,
topsy-turvy New Orleans fashion is actually downriver.
Heading to the right after
reaching Royal from the Cathedral, one finds the wonderfully
Creole Dejan House at 824 Royal, which has changed little
since it was constructed in 1813. The magnificent Cornstalk
Fence at 915 Royal stands in eternal tribute to the man
who in the 1850s commissioned the fence for his homesick
Midwesterner wife. Their home burned shortly thereafter
and was replaced with the present hotel, which offers a
suitable counterpoint to the iron treasure. At 934 Royal
stands the home of Civil War General P.G.T. Beauregard,
who lived here with his son after the war.
Farther along at 1105-1141
Royal one finds Architect's Row, a series of once-identical
row houses built in 1832 and modified individually over
time. Across from them, at 1132 Royal, is the Gallier House
(http://home.gnofn.org/~hggh), a fabulous structure built
in 1857 that now houses a superb collection of furnishings
and decorative accessories from the 1860's. At the very
edge of the Quarter on the corner of Esplanade and Royal
stands the Gauche Villa, a sumptuous Italianate mansion
built in 1856. (When the Quarter became too crowded, the
wealthy Creoles built many fine mansions along Esplanade
Avenue, which forms the downriver boundary of the French
Quarter.)
Our stroll down Royal Street
has introduced you to much, but not all, of its glorious
history. Even with all its magnificence, however, Royal
represents a mere fraction of the grandeur of the Vieux
Carre. Architectural jewels are sprinkled about the Quarter
like doubloons thrown from a Mardi Gras float - to visit
them all would take days, if not weeks.
Of special note is the old
Ursuline Convent (http://www.accesscom.net/ursuline) at
1112 Chartres. Dating to 1727, it is quite possibly the
oldest building in the Mississippi Valley. Its challenger
is the recently reopened, Louisiana State Museum-run Madame
John's Legacy (http://lsm.crt.state.la.us/madam.htm) at
632 Dumaine, which was built in 1727 and either rebuilt
or repaired after the fire of 1788 (therein lies the controversy).
Among the many structures
of note throughout the Quarter are also the Mercier House
(1806) at 630 St. Peter Street, the Formento House (1835)
at 823 Chartres, and the DeLaronde House (1807) at 1021
Chartres. Arguably the most striking homeplace in the Quarter
is the 175-year-old Beauregard-Keyes House (http://neworleansonline.com/hisho-beaukeye.htm)
at 1113 Chartres, which was formerly the home of both General
P.G.T. Beauregard and author Frances Parkinson Keyes. Another
contender is the Hermann-Grima House (http://home.gnofn.org/~hggh)
at 820 St. Louis Street, an 1831 Federal mansion painstakingly
restored to its former glory and now open as a museum depicting
Creole life in the mid 1800's. Are you curious as to what
we've overlooked? Well, we've intentionally saved a few
interesting places for other itineraries - visit our other
itineraries to indulge in fine food, enjoy good music, discover
the world of art and antiquities, and more.
If you yearn for a lover's
intimacy with this most romantic of old cities, then order
the Rene
Beaujolais' French Quarter Guide. Filled with photographs
and descriptions of the Quarter's many exquisite historic
buildings, plus a delightful smattering of folklore and
legend, the guide represents an extraordinary value at only
$6.25, including shipping and handling.
