LA -- New Orleans -- French Quarter:
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- Wikipedia Description: French Quarter
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The French Quarter is the oldest and most famous neighborhood in the city of New Orleans, Louisiana. When La Nouvelle Orléans ("New Orleans" in French) was founded in 1718 by Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville, the city was originally centered around the French Quarter, or the Vieux Carré ("Old Square" in French) as it was known then. While the area is still referred to as the Vieux Carré by some, it is more commonly known as the French Quarter today, or simply "The Quarter."
Boundaries:
Location of the French Quarter and Central Business District in New OrleansThe most common definition of the French Quarter includes all the land stretching along the Mississippi River from Canal Street to Esplanade Avenue (12 blocks) and inland to Rampart Street (seven to nine blocks). Some definitions, such as city zoning laws, exclude the properties facing Canal Street, which had already been redeveloped by the time architectural preservation was considered, and the section between Decatur Street and the river, much of which had long served industrial and warehousing functions. Any alteration to structures in the remaining blocks is subject to review by the Vieux Carré Commission, which determines whether the proposal is appropriate for the historic character of the district.
History:
Many of the buildings date from before New Orleans became part of the United States, although there are some late 19th century and early 20th century buildings in the area as well. Since the 1920s the historic buildings have been protected by law and cannot be demolished, and any renovations or new construction in the neighborhood must be done according to regulations to match the period historic architectural style.
Despite the name, much of the architecture was built during the Spanish rule over New Orleans rather than the French. The Great New Orleans Fire (1788) and another great fire in 1794 destroyed most of the Quarter's old French colonial architecture, leaving the colony's new Spanish overlords to rebuild it according to more modern tastes -- and strict new fire codes, which mandated that all structures be physically adjacent and close to the curb to create a firewall. The old French peaked roofs were replaced with flat tiled ones, and now-banned wooden siding with fire-resistant stucco, painted in the pastel hues fashionable at the time. As a result, colorful walls and roofs and elaborately decorated ironwork balconies and galleries from both the 18th century and 19th centuries abound. (In southeast Louisiana, a distinction is made between "balconies", which are self supporting and attached to the side of the building, and "galleries" which are supported from the ground by poles or columns.)
Long after the U.S. purchase of Louisiana, descendants of French colonists lived in this part of town, and the French language was often heard there as late as the start of the 20th century.
When the Americans began to move in after the Louisiana Purchase, they mostly built just upriver, across modern day Canal Street (local landowners had retained architect and surveyor Barthelemy Lafon to subdivide their property to create an American suburb). The median of the wide boulevard became a place where the two contentious populations could meet and do business. As such, it became known as the "neutral ground", and this name persists in the New Orleans area for medians.
In the late 19th century the Old Quarter became a less fashionable part of town, and many immigrants from southern Italy settled in the section. In the early 20th century the Quarter's cheap rents and air of age and neglected decay attracted a bohemian and artistic community.
On December 21, 1965, the "Vieux Carré Historic District" was designated a National Historic Landmark. This was partly in response to the planned Vieux Carré Riverfront Expressway. Preservation activities were led by Jacob Haight Morrison, IV (1905-1974), an attorney who headed the Vieux Carre Property Owners and Association, Inc. He was the half-brother of Mayor deLesseps Story "Chep" Morrison, Sr. (1912-1963)
In the 1980s many long-term Quarter residents were evicted or driven away by rising rents as property values rose dramatically with expectations of windfalls from the planned 1984 World's Fair nearby. More of the neighborhood became developed for the benefit of tourism. The French Quarter remains a combination of residential and commercial properties.
Impact of Hurricane Katrina:
At the end of August 2005, the majority of New Orleans was flooded due to levee breaches after Hurricane Katrina (see: Effect of Hurricane Katrina on New Orleans). The French Quarter, like most of the parts of town developed before the late 19th century, was one of the areas to remain substantially dry, since it was built on dry land that predated New Orleans' levee systems and sits 5 feet (1.5 metres) above sea level. Some streets experienced minor flooding, and several buildings experienced significant wind damage. Most of the major landmarks suffered only minor damage and most have since reopened or are scheduled to reopen . The Quarter largely escaped the looting and violence after the storm highlighted by large national and international media outlets; nearly all the fine antique and art shops in the French Quarter, for example, were untouched.
Mayor Ray Nagin officially reopened the French Quarter on September 26, 2005 to business owners to inspect property and clean up. Within a month, a large selection of French Quarter businesses were back open.
Jackson Square: (see separate listing)
Other French Quarter sights:
Other well known sights in the French Quarter include the French Market; Bourbon Street (The most famous of the French Quarter streets, which includes a row of bars and clubs much visited by tourists); and Royal Street (with elegant antique shops and art galleries).
Bars:
The French Quarter is famous, or perhaps notorious, for drinking establishments. Most of the ones commonly patronized by tourists on upper Bourbon Street are more recent businesses in old buildings, but the Quarter also has a number of notable bars with interesting histories.
The Old Absinthe House on Bourbon Street keeps its name even though absinthe has not been legally sold in Louisiana since the early 20th century.
Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop is a tavern located on the corner of Bourbon Street and St. Phillip Street. The tavern's building, built sometime before 1772, is one of the older still standing structures in New Orleans (the Ursuline Convent, for example, is older) and has been called the oldest continually occupied bar in the United States. According to legend the structure was once owned by the pirate Jean Lafitte, though as with many things involving Lafitte, no documentation of this exists.
The Napoleon House bar & restaurant is in the former home of mayor Nicholas Girod; the name comes from an unrealized plot to rescue Napoleon I from his exile in St. Helena and bring him to New Orleans.
The original Johnny White's bar is a favorite of bikers. In 2005 an off-shoot called Johnny White's Hole in the Wall, along with Molly's at the Market, drew national media attention as the only businesses in the city to stay open throughout Hurricane Katrina and the tribulations of the weeks after the storm.
The "Bourbon Pub" and "Oz," located at the intersection of Bourbon Street and St.Ann Street, are the two largest gay clubs in New Orleans.
Restaurants:
The neighborhood contains many restaurants, ranging from formal to casual, patronized by both visitors and locals. Some are well known landmarks, such as Antoine's, Galatoire's, and Tujague's, which have been in business since the 19th century; Arnaud's and Brennan's are only slightly less venerable. A less historical, but also well-known establishment is NOLA, owned by renowned chef Emeril Lagasse.
Hotels:
There are many types of accommodations in the French Quarter ranging from large chains to small bed and breakfasts. Hotel Maison De Ville and the Audubon Cottages was built as a townhouse in 1800 and was home to Antoine Amedee Peychaud during its history. Tennessee Williams was a frequent guest and the hotel works to maintain its historic ambiance.
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