Happy Favorite Building Friday! This week we head uptown to the Garden District to talk about the Morris Israel House, one of the best examples of Italianate architecture in the city. This house was designed in 1860 by Samuel Jamison. Mr. Jamison started his career as a craftsman working primarily in masonry and plaster. One of his more famous projects was the buildings of Factor’s Row in the Central Business District, known as the setting for Edgar Degas’ painting The Cotton Office in New Orleans. The Factor’s Row buildings were designed by Lewis Reynolds, and built by Samuel Jamison in[…]
Favorite Building Friday – Louisiana State Bank
Happy Favorite Building Friday! Today’s building is the Louisiana State Bank Building on Royal Street. I can guarantee that if you’ve spent any time in the French Quarter, you have walked right by this fabulous building, but you probably didn’t even notice it because your gaze would have fallen on the massive Beaux Arts Supreme Court across the street. That’s fine, the Louisiana State Bank isn’t mad at ya, but you might want to pay more attention next time! So let’s get down to it. The Louisiana State Bank was designed by Benjamin Henry Boneval Latrobe, known as the “Father[…]
Favorite Building Friday – Hibernia Bank Building
For our first installment of “Favorite Building Friday”, I’d like to tell you about my absolute favorite building in New Orleans. It is the Hibernia Bank Building, located at 812 Gravier Street in the Central Business District. It opened in late 1921. The building was designed by Favrot and Livaudais, an architecture firm responsible for many Louisiana landmarks. The overall style of this building is Beaux Arts, sometimes referred to as Italian Renaissance style. This architecture style was used all over the United States in this period and is characterized by the use of classical features to decorate 20th Century[…]
Municipal Auditorium Dedication (1930)
On this day in 1930, the dedication ceremony for the Municipal Auditorium was held. The Ceremony The program began with a prayer by Rev. Florence Sullivan, followed by a gun salute and speeches made by the Mayor Walmsley, Judge Rufus E. Foster, Edward Alexander Parsons, and Roland B. Howell. A prayer was also was also offered by Rabbi Louis Binstock. While the new building was being celebrated, much of the event was focused on remembering Memorial Day. In keeping with this holiday, men representing servicemen from all previous wars marched across the stage as different music selections were played by[…]
Gallier Hall Dedication Ceremony (1853)
On this day in 1853 Gallier Hall, located on St. Charles Avenue at Lafayette Square, was dedicated as the new New Orleans City Hall. Before Gallier Hall, the government offices in New Orleans were kept in the Cabildo, located on Jackson Square in the French Quarter. With the Louisiana Purchase of 1803, an influx of Americans led to tensions with the original Creole citizenry which led to a city ordinance that divided the city into three separate municipalities: the 1st -containing the French Quarter and Treme where the population was mostly French, Spanish, and French speaking Free People of Color,[…]