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French Quarter Information
The French Quarter is the oldest and most famous neighborhood in the city of
New Orleans, Louisiana. When La Nouvelle Orleans ("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 Carre ("Old Square" in French)
as it was known then. While the area is still referred to as the Vieux Carre by
some, it is more commonly known as the French Quarter today, or simply "The
Quarter."
The 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 Carre Commission, which
determines whether the proposal is appropriate for the historic character of the
district.
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. A great fire in 1794 destroyed much 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. 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 Carre Historic District" was designated a
National Historic Landmark. This was partly in response to the planned Vieux
Carre Riverfront Expressway.
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.