Dedicated to preserving the historic and unique architectural character of New Orleans’ neighborhoods, the PRC has been in the forefront of preservation efforts throughout its thirty-plus years of existence. The center was founded by the Junior League of New Orleans in 1974 and has grown in both size and influence since that time. Since its founding, the PRC has saved and/or renovated over 1,400 properties within New Orleans and the surrounding area. Visitors can discuss the history and architecture of the city with experts at the PRC. The center itself features both permanent and rotating exhibits on New Orleans architecture and historic neighborhoods.
Originally opened as the D-Day Museum in 2000, the National WW II Museum has expanded to share the overall history of the American experience in the war. Since its inception, the museum has experienced a drastic expansion and now features several large exhibit halls on its campus. From authentic war aircraft to soldiers' diaries, the stories from the war can be experienced through numerous exhibits in this New Orleans institution, which became the National World War II Museum in 2003.
Confederate Memorial Hall Museum is one of the largest repositories of Confederate artifacts and memorabilia in the United States, in addition to being the oldest continuously operating museum in Louisiana. The Louisiana Historical Association built and opened the museum in 1891, and its exterior sandstone construction and cathedral-like appearance stand out in contrast to its more recent surroundings on the edge of New Orleans’ Warehouse Arts District.
Home to the world’s largest collection of Southern art, the Ogden Museum first opened its doors to the public in 2003. The museum’s collection contains over 4,000 paintings, watercolors, prints, drawings, photographs and sculptures that are housed in several buildings located near Lee Circle. Affiliated with the University of New Orleans, the museum was started with the donation of over 1,200 items from New Orleans businessman and philanthropist, Roger Ogden. Its focus is on Southern visual art from 1733 to the present.
In 1884, the city of New Orleans dedicated a statue and renamed this traffic circle was in honor of Confederate general Robert E. Lee. Prior to this time, the area was known as Trivoli Square. The movement to create a monument and rename the area in honor of the former Confederate leader was spurred by the Robert E. Lee Monumental Association, a group of Southerners who worked to create monuments following Lee's death in 1870. In recent years, this and other monuments that honor Confederate leaders has become a source of controversy. After renewed debates in 2015, the city council and mayor ordered the removal of this and three other statues. This monument was removed on May 19, 2017, following the removal of three other New Orleans monuments: the Liberty Place monument, a statue of Jefferson Davis, and a statue of Confederate General P.G.T. Beauregard. You can watch a video and read the full transcript of Mayor Mitch Landrieu's May 19 speech at the link below.
Established in 1835, St. Charles Streetcar Line is among the oldest light-rail services in continuous operation in the world, the oldest in the country, and at 13.2 mi (21.2 km) it is also the largest streetcar line in the United States. St. Charles is testament to the city's, and the nation's, history of street railway engineering. The entire historic St. Charles streetcar line was designated a Mechanical Engineering Landmark by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers in 1984 and was added to the List of National Historic Landmarks in Louisiana in August 2014.
This marker, installed on the corner of the building at Magazine and Julia Streets, indicates the starting point of the first Mardi Gras parade in New Orleans, which took place on February 24, 1857. The Mistick Krewe of Comus led the parade, which went west on Julia Street. From this point forward, Mardi Gras parades would become a cherished New Orleans tradition. Mardi Gras parades would soon influence other Carnival parades around the country and abroad.
St. Patrick's Church is one of the earliest, largest, finest examples of Gothic Revival style architecture in the city and country. The parish, the second oldest in New Orleans behind St. Louis Parish, was founded in 1833. St. Patrick's was designed in 1837 and built in 1840, and remains in use to this day. The church was added to the National Register of Historic Places and designated a National Historic Landmark in 1974.
The John Minor Wisdom U.S. Court of Appeals Building is an historic courthouse for the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 2015 for its extensive role in adjudicating issues of the American Civil Rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s. John Minor Wisdom, for whom it is now named, was a judge on the Fifth Circuit during that period. Judge Wisdom issued many rulings that ran in favor of the Civil Rights Movements, desegregating schools, and voter rights. He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1993.
A prime green space in the heart of New Orleans' Central Business District (CBD), Lafayette Square is considered by most sources the second oldest park in the city (City Park holds the first place). Created in 1788 to support the then-neighborhood Faubourg Sainte Marie, Lafayette Square features at its center a statue of Henry Clay, a bronze sculpture moved there in 1900. It is bound by N and S Maestri streets to the north and south, respectively, Saint Charles Avenue to the west, and Camp Street to the east.
Though no longer used for its original purpose as city hall, Gallier Hall still plays a prominent role in New Orleans civic and social life. It was built between 1845-1853 and designed by Irishman James Gallier during a period of Greek Revival style in America. Many argue the building stands as Gallier's finest work; it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. The building once stood as one of three bodies of government when different races ruled different parts of the city, but as the city grew to become white-dominated, the government consolidated and Gallier Hall became the city's center of government. In 1957, city hall moved to another building, which resulted in the town renaming the building "Gallier Hall," and using it for special events.
This New Orleans office building was constructed in 1920 for the United Fruit Company, one of the most controversial global companies of the 20th century. Founded in 1899 by a sailor who recognized the potential of bringing bananas and other tropical fruit to American consumers, United Fruit grew to control eighty percent of the banana import business and soon devoted some of its profits to paying bribes to complicit foreign leaders in exchange for preferential treatment. The company's own history acknowledges many "actions that would not live up to the Core Values we hold today." It seems instructive that the company's official history utilizes a number of passive phrases that minimize their role in controversial events such as the 1954 coup that overthrew the democratically-elected President of Guatemala. For example, the company's website includes a page titled "Our Complex History" that includes only one sentence acknowledging that the company participated in the 1954 coup. "United Fruit ships were used in U.S. government-backed overthrow of the Guatemalan government," the company website reported in 2001.
This building was constructed in 1921 to house the New Orleans Cotton Exchange, which was formed in 1871. The exchange's original building was located on the corner of Carondelet and Gravier Streets. It remained on that corner, but in a series of three difference buildings, until the exchange ceased operations in 1964. This building, which now houses an AC Hotel by Marriott, was designated a National Historic Landmark and placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977.
This 24-story, 330 feet-tall building was completed in 1929 and housed the New Orleans branch of American Bank and Trust. One of New Orleans tallest buildings, the first couple floors were reserved for banking and the upper stories were leased office spaces. In 1949, the bank changed their name to National American Bank, but went back to their original name in 1981. The bank sold this building in 1985 and it was mainly vacant for the next few decades. The building, with its distinctive octagonal Art Deco style water tower top capped by a bronze and steel lantern, was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1986 for its architecture. After being renovated in the first decade of the twenty-first century, the building is now an apartment complex called "200 Carondelet" after the building's address.
This 11-story building became New Orleans' first skyscraper when it was completed in 1895. It remained the city's tallest building until 1904. The building still features dozens of projecting bay windows topped by cast iron balconies and bas-relief sculptures of eagles and pelicans. The skyscraper, originally built for commercial use, has been re-purposed as luxury apartments. Once among New Orleans' largest hotels, the building now houses the Maritme condos. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2007.
Constructed four years before the Civil War, Immaculate Conception Jesuit Church is one of the most elegant of New Orleans' historic churches and is just steps from the intersection of Baronne and Canal Streets. The church's original building was completed in 1857 and later suffered severe structural damage the early 20th century. Immaculate Conception was then rebuilt and dedicated in 1930. The interior is replete with art and decoration in Moorish Revival style, as is the building's grand façade.
This Tour is a Walking Tour.
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This walking tour includes a variety of historic buildings and other landmarks throughout downtown district. The tour starts at the Preservation Resource Center and includes leading museums, Civil War monuments, and buildings that were once home to major international companies such as United Fruit.
