Storyville District

    The Storyville red-light district opened in 1897 as a result of a municipal ordinance aimed at controlling the spread of prostitution across New Orleans. Storyville was also a way for politicians to make a profit. State Senator Thomas C. Anderson operated several saloons and played a large part in the development of Storyville. In the time before Storyville, Anderson overlooked an area called Anderson County where he was known as The Boss. Anderson County was a localized area of prostitution.

Storyville bordered the French Quarter and the rapidly developing New Orleans business district. Boundary disputes kept Storyville from officially opening until 1900, although prostitution still occurred there. The ordinance that created Storyville also created another red-light district known as “Uptown” or “Black Storyville”. Storyville was meant to contain prostitution, but flaunted it instead. Some of the famous Madams were Lulu White, Willie Piazza, Josie Arlington, and Emma Johnson. There were guides called Blue Books that listed brothels and women according to race. These books also featured ads highlighting bordellos, liquor, and pharmacists that peddled cures for S.T.Ds. One of the attractions of Storyville was that sex across color lines was allowed and prevalent. Due to the influence of Spanish and French colonial control New Orleans had a foreign feel. The mixed-race women gave Storyville an exotic feel. There were also women who were purportedly 1/8 Black that were exclusively available to white men. This later applied to colored and Black women as well.

Even though Storyville was famous for women, it was also well-known for being one of the birthplaces of Jazz music. Jazz musicians played in saloons, dance halls, and brothels. Famous musicians that got their start in Storyville were Jelly Roll Morton and Louis Armstrong. As New Orleans developed, Storyville’s back of town location became more centralized and they fell under scrutiny from the community. In 1908 train terminals at Canal and Basin Streets were created one Black away from Storyville. As the trains passed by naked prostitutes would wave at commuters from building balconies. Citizen groups began to attack Storyville and urged the mayor to either move Storyville or close the district entirely. Some people thought that Storyville itself represented a threat to women and social order. In 1917 there was an attempt made to relocate all of the non-white prostitutes to the Uptown district, but Madams such as Piazza and White fought the measure. Once the Naval Training Station's Naval Secretary Josephus Daniels made it clear that it was his desire to see Storyville closed, Mayor Martin Behrman agreed and ordered it closed by midnight on November 12, 1917. In 1937 the buildings of Storyville were demolished in order to construct the Iberville Housing Project. Uptown Storyville now contains hotels, parking lots, offices, and municipal buildings including City Hall.   

Landau, Emily. Storyville, 64 Parishes. Accessed July 12th 2020. https://64parishes.org/entry/storyville-2.

Branley, Edward. NOLA History: The Legendary Storyville District, Nola.com. May 3rd 2012. Accessed July 12th 2020. https://gonola.com/things-to-do-in-new-orleans/arts-culture/nola-history-the-legendary-storyville-district.