Walking Tour 1

The French Quarter

Start: The intersection of Royal and Bienville streets.

Finish: Jackson Square.

Time: Allow approximately 1 1/2 hours, not including time spent in shops or historic homes.

Best Times: Any day before 8am (when it's still quiet and deserted), up to 10am (when the day begins in the French Quarter).

Worst Time: At night. Some attractions won't be open, and you won't be able to get a good look at the architecture.

Even if it's the only recreational time you spend in New Orleans, you owe it to yourself to experience the French Quarter, also known by the French name Vieux Carré, or "old square." The area is made up of just over 80 city blocks, and it's a living monument to history. Here, the colonial empires of France, Spain, and, to a lesser extent, Britain intersected with the emerging American nation. Still, somehow the place seems timeless, at once recognizably old and vibrantly alive. Today's residents and merchants are stewards of a rich tradition of individuality, creativity, and disregard for many of the concerns of the world beyond. This tour is designed to acquaint you with a bit of the style and history of this place and its important landmarks and to lead you through some of its more picturesque regions.

From the corner of Royal and Bienville streets, head into the Quarter (away from Canal St.). As you walk along Royal, imagine that streetcar named Desire rattling along its tracks. It traveled along Royal and Bourbon streets until 1948. (It was replaced by the bus named Desire. Really.) You can also imagine how noisy these narrow streets were when the streetcars were in place. Your first stop is:

1. 339-343 Royal St.

Also known as the Rillieux-Waldhorn House, this is now the home of Waldhorn Antiques (est. 1881). The building was built between 1795 and 1800 for Vincent Rillieux, the great-grandfather of the French Impressionist artist Edgar Degas. Offices of the (second) Bank of the United States occupied the building from 1820 until 1836 when, thanks to President Andrew Jackson's famous veto, its charter expired. Note the wrought-iron balconies -- an example of excellent Spanish colonial workmanship.

2.. The Bank of Louisiana

Across the street, this old bank was erected in 1826 at 334 Royal St. by Philip Hamblet and Tobias Bickle, after the designs of Benjamin Fox. Its Greek Revival edifice was erected in the early 1860s, and the bank was liquidated in 1867. The building has suffered a number of fires (in 1840, 1861, and 1931) and has served as the Louisiana State Capitol, an auction exchange, a criminal court, a juvenile court, and a social hall for the American Legion. It now houses the police station for the Vieux Carré.

Cross Conti Street to:

3. 403 Royal St.

Benjamin H. B. Latrobe died of yellow fever shortly after completing designs for the Louisiana State Bank, which opened in this building in 1821. At the time of his death, Latrobe was one of the nation's most eminent architects, having designed the Bank of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia (1796) and contributed to the design of the U.S. Capitol. You can see the monogram "LSB" on the Creole-style iron balcony railing.

4. Brennan's Restaurant

Brennan's opened in this building at 417 Royal St., also built by Vincent Rillieux, in 1855. The structure was erected after the fire of 1794 destroyed more than 200 of the original buildings along this street. (This is why we are so confident New Orleans will rise again. It's happened before!) From 1805 to 1841, it was home to the Banque de la Louisiane. The world-famous chess champion Paul Charles Morphy moved here as a child in 1841. The parents of Edgar Degas also lived here.

5. 437 Royal St.

Masonic lodge meetings were held regularly in a drugstore here in the early 1800s, but that's not what made the place famous. What did? Proprietor and druggist Antoine A. Peychaud served after-meeting drinks of bitters and cognac to lodge members in small egg cups, whose French name (coquetier) was Americanized to "cocktail."

6. New Orleans Court Building

Built in 1909, this courthouse at 400 Royal St. covers the length of the block across from Brennan's. The baroque edifice, made of Georgia marble, certainly seems out of place in the French Quarter -- especially considering that many Spanish-era structures were demolished to make way for it. Originally home to parish and state courts, the building was laboriously renovated over many years and is now the home of the Louisiana Supreme Court and the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals.

Cross St. Louis Street to:

7. The Brulatour Court

This structure at 520 Royal St. was built in 1816 as a home for François Seignouret, a furniture maker and wine importer from Bordeaux -- his furniture, with a signature "S" carved into each piece, still commands the respect of collectors. From 1870 to 1887, wine importer Pierre Brulatour occupied the building. WDSU-TV no longer maintains offices there, but during business hours you should still be welcome to walk into the courtyard -- it's one of the few four-walled courtyards in the French Quarter and among the more exotic. Also, from the street, notice the elaborate, fan-shaped guard screen (garde de frise) on the right end of the third-floor balcony -- look closely for Seignouret's "S" carved into the screen.

8. The Merieult House

Built for the merchant Jean François Merieult in 1792, this house at 533 Royal St. was the only building in the area left standing after the fire of 1794. Legend has it that Napoleon repeatedly offered Madame Merieult great riches in exchange for her hair (he wanted it for a wig to present to a Turkish sultan). She refused. Nowadays, it's home to the Historic New Orleans Collection-Museum/Research Center.

Cross Toulouse Street to:

9. The Court of Two Sisters

This structure at 613 Royal St. was built in 1832 for a local bank president on the site of the 18th-century home of a French governor. The two sisters were Emma and Bertha Camors (whose father owned the building); from 1886 to 1906, they ran a curio store here.

10. 627 Royal St.

Walk through the entrance of the Horizon Gallery to the back to see another of the French Quarter's magnificent courtyards. This 1777 building, the former home of the Old Town Praline Shop, is where opera singer Adelina Patti first came for a visit and then lived after becoming something of a local heroine in 1860. The 17-year-old girl's popularity as a last-minute stand-in lead soprano in Lucia di Lammermoor saved the local opera company from financial ruin.

11. Le Monnier Mansion

This 640 Royal St. structure, currently towering above every other French Quarter building as the city's first "skyscraper," was all of three stories high when it was built in 1811. A fourth story was added in 1876. George W. Cable, the celebrated author of Old Creole Days, chose this building as the residence of his fictional hero, Sieur George.

Cross St. Peter Street to:

12. The LaBranche House

This building at 700 Royal St. is probably the most photographed building in the Quarter -- and no wonder. Take a look at the lacy cast-iron grillwork, with its delicate oak leaf and acorn design that fairly drips from all three floors. There are actually 11 LaBranche buildings (three-story brick row houses built between 1835 and 1840 for the widow of wealthy sugar planter Jean Baptiste LaBranche). Eight face St. Peter Street, one faces Royal, and two face Pirates Alley.

Turn left at St. Peter Street and continue to:

13. 714 St. Peter St.

Built in 1829 by a prominent physician, this was a boardinghouse run by Antoine Alciatore for several years during the 1860s. His cooking became so popular with the locals that he eventually gave up catering to open the famous Antoine's restaurant, still operated today by his descendants.

14. Pat O'Brien's

You've probably heard of this famous New Orleans nightspot at 718 St. Peter St.. The building was completed in 1790 for a wealthy planter and was known as the Maison de Flechier. Later, Louis Tabary put on popular plays here. It's said that the first grand opera in America was performed within these walls. The courtyard is open to visitors and is well worth a look -- if you can see it past the crowds consuming the Hurricane drinks for which the place is famous.

15. Preservation Hall

Scores of people descend on this spot, at 726 St. Peter St., nightly to hear traditional New Orleans jazz. A daytime stop affords a glimpse, through the big, ornate iron gate, of a lush tropical courtyard in back. Erle Stanley Gardner, the author who brought us Perry Mason, lived in an apartment above the Hall.

16. Plique-LaBranche House

This house, at 730 St. Peter St., was built in 1825, sold to Giraud M. Plique in 1827, and sold to Jean Baptiste LaBranche in 1829. The wrought-iron balcony dates from the 1820s. This is believed to be the site of New Orleans's first theater, which burned in the fire of 1816, but that is the subject of some debate.

Continue up St. Peter Street until you reach Bourbon Street. Turn left onto Bourbon Street.

17. 623 Bourbon St.

Tennessee Williams and Truman Capote lived in this house, though not together (get your mind out of the gutter!). It's owned by Lindy Boggs, a much-beloved local politician (and mother of NPR and ABC commentator Cokie Roberts), who took over her husband's Congressional seat after his death. After her last political appointment (U.S. special envoy to the Vatican), Boggs now lends her name and support to various causes around town, including the Lindy Boggs National Center for Community Literacy and the Lindy Boggs Medical Center. (The latter has been closed since Katrina.)

Turn around and head the other way down Bourbon Street. At the corner of Bourbon and Orleans streets, look down Orleans Street, toward the river, at:

18. Bourbon Orleans Hotel

This building at 717 Orleans St. was the site of the famous quadroon balls, where wealthy white men would come to form alliances (read: acquire a mistress) with free women of color, who were one-eighth to one-fourth black. Look at the balcony and imagine the assignations that went on there while the balls were in session. The building later became a convent, home to the Sisters of the Holy Family, the second-oldest order of black nuns in the country. Their founder (whose mother was a quadroon mistress!), Henriette Delille, has been presented to the Vatican for consideration for sainthood.

Turn left onto Orleans and follow it a block to Dauphine (pronounced Daw-feen) Street. On the corner is:

19. Le Pretre Mansion

In 1839 Jean Baptiste Le Pretre bought this 1836 Greek Revival house at 716 Dauphine St. and added the romantic cast-iron galleries. The house is the subject of a real-life horror story: Sometime in the 19th century, a Turk, supposedly the brother of a sultan, arrived in New Orleans and rented the Le Pretre house. He was conspicuously wealthy, and his entourage included many servants and more than a few beautiful young girls -- all thought to have been stolen from the sultan.

Rumors quickly spread about the situation, even as the home became the scene of lavish entertainment with guest lists that included the cream of society. One night shrieks came from inside the house; the next morning, neighbors entered and found the tenant's body lying in a pool of blood surrounded by the bodies of the young beauties. The mystery remains unsolved. Local ghost experts say you can hear exotic music and shrieks on the right night.

Turn right on Dauphine Street and go 2 blocks to Dumaine Street and then turn right. You'll find an interesting little cottage at:

20. 707 Dumaine St.

After the 1794 fire, all houses in the French Quarter were required by law to have flat tile roofs. Most have since been covered with conventional roofs, but this Spanish colonial cottage is still in compliance with the flat-roof rule.

21. Madame John's Legacy

This structure, at 632 Dumaine St., was once thought to be the oldest building on the Mississippi River. Recent research suggests, however, that only a few parts of the original building survived the 1788 fire and were used in its reconstruction. The house was originally erected in 1726, 8 years after the founding of New Orleans. Its first owner was a ship captain who died in the 1729 Natchez Massacre; upon his death, the house passed to the captain of a Lafitte-era smuggling ship.

It has had no fewer than 21 owners since. The present structure is a fine example of a French "raised cottage." The aboveground basement is of brick-between-posts construction (locally made bricks were too soft to be the primary building material), covered with boards laid horizontally. The hipped, dormered roof extends out over the veranda. Its name, incidentally, comes from George W. Cable's fictional character that was bequeathed the house in the short story "Tite Poulette." Now a part of the Louisiana State Museum complex, it's open for tours.

Take a left at the corner of Dumaine and Chartres streets and follow Chartres to the next corner; make a left onto St. Philip Street and continue to the corner of St. Philip and Bourbon streets to:

22. Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop

For many years, this structure, at 941 Bourbon St., has been a bar, but the legend is that Jean Lafitte and his pirates posed as blacksmiths here while using it as headquarters for selling goods they'd plundered on the high seas. It has survived in its original condition, reflecting the architectural influence of French colonials who escaped St. Domingue in the late 1700s.

It may be the oldest building in the Mississippi Valley, but that has not been documented. Unfortunately, the exterior has been redone to replicate the original brick and plaster, which makes it look fake when it's actually not. Thus far, the modern-day owners of the building have resisted interior invasions of chrome and plastic, which makes this an excellent place to imagine life in the Quarter in the 19th century.

Turn right onto Bourbon Street and follow it 2 blocks to Governor Nicholls Street. Turn right to:

23. The Thierry House

The structure at 721 Governor Nicholls St. was built in 1814 and announced the arrival of the Greek Revival style of architecture in New Orleans. It was designed in part by architect Henry S. Boneval Latrobe, son of Benjamin H. B. Latrobe, when he was 19 years old.

Cross Royal Street to:

24. 618-630 Governor Nicholls St.

Henry Clay's brother, John, built a house for his wife here in 1828, and in 1871 a two-story building was added at the rear of its garden. In the rear building Frances Xavier Cabrini (now a Catholic saint) ran a school.

Backtrack to the corner of Royal and Governor Nicholls streets. Take a left onto Royal and look for:

25. The Lalaurie Home

Many people simply refer to this place, at 1140 Royal St., as "the haunted house." Here's why: When Madame Delphine Macarty de Lopez Blanque wed Dr. Louis Lalaurie, it was her third marriage -- she'd already been widowed twice. The Lalauries moved into this residence in 1832, and they soon were impressing the city with extravagant parties. One night in 1834, however, fire broke out and neighbors crashed through a locked door to find seven starving slaves chained in painful positions, unable to move. The sight, combined with Delphine's stories of past slaves having "committed suicide," enraged her neighbors. Madame Lalaurie and her family escaped a mob's wrath and fled to Paris. Several years later she died in Europe, and her body was returned to New Orleans -- and even then she had to be buried in secrecy.

The building was a Union headquarters during the Civil War and later was a gambling house. Through the years, stories have circulated of ghosts inhabiting the building, especially that of one young slave child who fell from the roof trying to escape Delphine's cruelties.

26. Gallier House Museum

This house, at 1132 Royal St., was built in 1857 by James Gallier, Jr., as his residence. Gallier and his father were two of the city's leading architects. Anne Rice was thinking of this house when she described where Lestat and Louis lived in Interview with the Vampire.

Turn left onto Ursulines Street, toward the river.

Take A Break

If you need a little rest or sustenance at this point, you can stop in the popular Croissant D'Or, 617 Ursulines St.; tel. 504/524-4663. The croissants and pastries here are very good, and the ambience -- inside or out on the patio -- even better.

At the corner of Ursulines and Chartres streets is the:

27. Beauregard-Keyes House

This "raised cottage" at 1113 Chartres St. was built as a residence in 1826 by Joseph Le Carpentier, though it has several other claims to fame. Notice the Doric columns and handsome twin staircases.

28. The Archbishop Antoine Blanc Memorial

Across the street, the complex at 1112-1114 Chartres St., which was completed in 1752, includes the Old Ursuline Convent and the Archiepiscopal Residence.

Turn left on to Chartres Street and continue walking until you get to Esplanade (pronounced Es-pla-nade) Avenue, which served as the parade ground for troops quartered on Barracks Street. Along with St. Charles Avenue, it is one of the city's most picturesque historic thoroughfares. Some of the grandest town houses built in the late 1800s grace this wide, tree-lined avenue. The entire 400 block of Esplanade is occupied by:

29. The Old U.S. Mint

This was once the site of Fort St. Charles, one of the defenses built to protect New Orleans in 1792. It was here that Andrew Jackson reviewed the "troops" -- pirates, volunteers, and a nucleus of trained soldiers -- he later led in the Battle of New Orleans.

Follow Esplanade toward the river and turn right at the corner of North Peters Street. Follow North Peters until it intersects with Decatur Street. This is the back end of:

30. The Old French Market

This European-style market has been here for well over 200 years, and today it has a farmers market and stalls featuring everything from gator on a stick to somewhat tacky souvenir items. On most days the Esplanade end of the market houses a "flea market," which is really just a collection of stalls of jewelry, T-shirts and knockoff purses, though more than one excellent souvenir or bargain has been found therein.

When you leave the French Market, exit on the side away from the river onto:

31. Decatur Street

Not long ago, this section of Decatur -- from Jackson Square all the way over to Esplanade -- was a seedy, run-down area of wild bars and cheap rooming houses. Fortunately, few of either remain. Instead, this portion of the strip has fallen into step with the rest of the Quarter, sporting a number of restaurants and noisy bars. (The stretch of Decatur between Ursulines and Esplanade sts. has retained more of the run-down aesthetic, with secondhand shops that are worth taking a browse through and smaller, darker bars.)

As you walk toward St. Ann Street along Decatur, you'll pass 923 and 919 Decatur St., where the Café de Refugies and Hôtel de la Marine were located in the 1700s and early 1800s. These were reputed to be gathering places for pirates, smugglers, and European refugees (some of them outlaws) -- a far cry from today's scene.

Take A Break

If you're walking in the area of 923 Decatur St. around lunchtime, pop into the Central Grocery, 923 Decatur St., tel. 504/523-1620, and pick up a muffuletta sandwich. You can eat inside at little tables, or you can take your food and sit outside, maybe right on the riverbank.

Decatur Street will take you to Jackson Square. Turn right onto St. Ann Street; the twin four-story, redbrick buildings here and on the St. Peter Street side of the square are:

32. The Pontalba Buildings

These buildings sport some of the most impressive cast-iron balcony railings in the French Quarter. They also represent one of the first eras of revitalization in the Quarter. In the mid-1800s, Baroness Micaela Almonester Pontalba inherited rows of buildings along both sides of the Place d'Armes from her father, Don Almonester (who had been responsible for rebuilding the St. Louis Cathedral). In an effort to counteract the emerging preeminence of the American sector across Canal Street, she decided to raze the structures and, in their place, build high-end apartments and commercial space.

The Pontalba Buildings were begun in 1849 under her very direct supervision; you can see her mark today in the entwined initials "A.P." in the ironwork. The buildings were designed in a traditional Creole-European style, with commercial space on the street level, housing above, and a courtyard in the rear. The row houses on St. Ann Street, now owned by the state of Louisiana, were completed in 1851.

Baroness Pontalba is also responsible for the current design of Jackson Square, including the cast-iron fence and the equestrian statue of Andrew Jackson.

At the corner of St. Ann and Chartres streets, turn left and continue around Jackson Square; you will see:

33. The Presbytère

This, the Cabildo, and the St. Louis Cathedral (there are stops on this walk for both of the latter) -- all designed by Gilberto Guillemard -- were the first major public buildings in the Louisiana Territory. The Presbytère, at 751 Chartres St., was originally designed to be the rectory of the cathedral. Baroness Pontalba's father financed the building's beginnings, but he died in 1798, leaving only the first floor done. The building was finally completed in 1813. It was never used as a rectory, however, but was rented and then purchased (in 1853) by the city to be used as a courthouse. It now houses wonderful exhibits on the history of Mardi Gras.

Next you'll come to:

34. St. Louis Cathedral

The building standing here today is the third erected on this spot -- the first was destroyed by a hurricane in 1722, the second by fire in 1788. The cathedral was rebuilt in 1794; the central tower was later designed by Henry S. Boneval Latrobe, and the building was remodeled and enlarged between 1845 and 1851.

On the other side of the cathedral, you'll come to Pirates Alley. Go right down Pirates Alley to:

35. Faulkner House Books

In 1925 William Faulkner lived at 624 Pirates Alley and worked on his first novels, Mosquitoes and Soldiers' Pay. While here, he contributed to the Times-Picayune and to a literary magazine called the Double Dealer. This is a great stop for Faulkner lovers and collectors of literature.

To the left of the bookstore is a small alley that takes you to St. Peter Street, which is behind and parallel to Pirate's Alley.

36. Tennessee Williams House

Have a sudden urge to scream "Stella!!!" at that second-story wrought-iron balcony at 632 St. Peter? No wonder. That's because this is where Tennessee Williams wrote A Streetcar Named Desire, one of the greatest pieces of American theater. He said he could hear "that rattle trap streetcar named Desire running along Royal and the one named Cemeteries running along Canal and it seemed the perfect metaphor for the human condition."

Return to Jackson Square. On the left side of the cathedral on the corner of Chartres and St. Peter streets (with your back to the Mississippi River and Jackson Square) is:

37. The Cabildo

In the 1750s this was the site of a French police station and guardhouse. Part of that building was incorporated into the original Cabildo, statehouse of the Spanish governing body (the "Very Illustrious Cabildo"). The Cabildo was still under reconstruction when the transfer papers for the Louisiana Purchase were signed in a room on the second floor in 1803. Since then, it has served as New Orleans's City Hall, the Louisiana State Supreme Court, and since 1911, a facility of the Louisiana State Museum.

One further note: If you think those old Civil War cannons out front look pitifully small and ineffective by modern standards, think again. In 1921, in a near-deadly prank, one was loaded with powder, an iron ball was rammed down its muzzle, and it was fired in the dead of night. That missile traveled from the Cabildo's portico across the wide expanse of the Mississippi and some 6 blocks inland before landing in a house in Algiers, narrowly missing its occupants.

Winding Down

You've finished! Now go back across Jackson Square and Decatur Street to Café du Monde, 813 Decatur St., tel. 504/525-4544, in the French Market -- no trip to New Orleans is complete without a leisurely stop here for beignets and coffee. Be sure to hike up the levee and relax on a bench. Too many visitors come to New Orleans and never even look at the river!