Viewing the Vieux Carre

October 21, 2012

St. Louis Church and Jackson Square

Between catching up on hospital work, preparing my lecture, uploading my slides, and registering for the pediatric conference I did not have a lot of time to sight see (I did, however, have time for some memorable meals).  Fortunately I found a walking tour of the Vieux Carré (translation: old square, otherwise known as the French Quarter) that departed late in the afternoon. I was so glad that I did this because I learned many things.

The Vieux Carré was laid out by Bienville in 1716 as a grid with central square (now known as Jackson Square because of the statue of Andrew Jackson in the center).  The reason that Jackson is in such a prominent place is that he saved New Orleans against a much bigger British army during the war  of 1812.

Originally, the buildings were wooden and looked very Caribbean. Two serious fires in 1788 and 1794 destroyed most of these structures, although a few remain, such as the green building shown here in the middle, known as “Madame John’s Legacy.”  Meanwhile, Louis XV, who had inherited Louisiana, gave it to his Bourbon cousin, Charles III of Spain, in 1762. Ironically, most of what we associate with the “French” Quarter today is actually Spanish. The Spanish insisted on plastered brick houses to reduce the risk of fire, and they initiated the wrought iron balconies and galleries. 

Spanish wrought iron