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38-509: The system began in 1895 in the Fisk Free and Public Library in a building on Lafayette Square . Abijah Fisk was a merchant who, over fifty years earlier, had left his house—at the corner of Iberville and Bourbon Streets—to the city for use as a library. Subsequent donations had resulted in libraries and collections not completely free and open to the citizenry. An 1896 city ordinance proposed by Mayor John Fitzpatrick combined

76-797: A street , instead of the avenue or boulevard titles more typically appended to wide urban thoroughfares. For more than a century, Canal Street was the main shopping district of Greater New Orleans . Local or regional department stores Maison Blanche , D. H. Holmes , Godchaux's, Gus Mayer , Labiche's, Kreeger's, and Krauss anchored numerous well-known specialty retailers, such as Rubenstein Men's Store, Adler's Jewelry , Koslow's, Rapp's, and Werlein's Music, as well as bookstores, drugstores, Kress , Woolworth 's, and others. The department stores began as sellers of fabric, notions , and accessories, with extensive floor space and glass windows. As elevators and escalators allowed for multi-floor department stores,

114-459: A 190-foot (58 m) multi-use high-rise at the northeast intersection of Canal and North Rampart Streets. The building, under construction as a Hard Rock Hotel , was the site of a partial building and crane collapse on October 12, 2019. After exiting downtown, Canal Street runs for its remaining length through the Mid-City neighborhood, part of which is now designated as BioDistrict New Orleans ,

152-657: A dozen branches in addition to a newer (1960) main library on Loyola Avenue. The branches included Algiers and Napoleon, mentioned above, although renamed. The main library is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as a contributing building in the New Orleans Lower Central Business District , as part of the district's 2006 expansion. NOPL was severely impacted by Hurricane Katrina on August 29, 2005. Damage to branch locations ran from two windows broken at

190-540: A librarian at another library in New Orleans: the Howard Memorial Library. Beer resigned from NOPL to focus on his work at the Howard Memorial Library in 1906. His successor was Henry Gill. A turn-of-the-20th-century donation of $ 50,000 from businessman Simon Hernsheim allowed the library to begin building a significant collection. In 1902 the city received $ 250,000 from Andrew Carnegie to build

228-521: A new main library and five branches. By 1908, the new main library was open at Lee Circle and branches were open at Royal Street and Frenchmen in the Faubourg Marigny neighborhood, on Pelican Avenue in Algiers , and on Napoleon Avenue near Magazine Street uptown . In 1911 and 1915, further Carnegie branches opened at 2940 Canal St and Dryades and Philip respectively. By 2005, NOPL had

266-589: A pair of streetcar tracks in the center. Canal Street's downtown segment serves as the hub of the city's public transit system or RTA, with numerous streetcar and bus route terminals. (Of note, it is the home of the Canal Streetcar Line , operated by the RTA.) Canal Street has been called "America's widest main street." Canal Street is often said to be the widest roadway in America to have been called

304-566: A parking garage and health club facilities. New Orleans has historically been a center for opera, theater, and concerts. In 1871 the Varieties Theater opened on Canal Street between Dauphine and Burgundy streets. The building was renovated and renamed the Grand Opera House in 1881, which could be used as both a theater and ballroom. Theaters and movie houses were clustered around the intersection with Rampart Street , with

342-529: Is a major thoroughfare in the city of New Orleans . Forming the upriver boundary of the city's oldest neighborhood, the French Quarter or Vieux Carré , it served historically as the dividing line between the colonial-era (18th-century) city and the newer American Sector, today's Central Business District . Up until the early 1800s, it was primarily Creoles who lived in the Vieux Carré . After

380-702: Is in Mid-City at a collection of cemeteries . Slightly offset from the Mid-City end is the beginning of Canal Boulevard, which extends to the shore of Lake Pontchartrain via the Lakeview neighborhood. Throughout its length, Canal, which runs east and west, serves as a dividing line for cross streets running north and south; although the New Orleans layout follows the Mississippi River. The street has three lanes of traffic in both directions, with

418-466: Is the second-oldest public park in New Orleans , Louisiana (after Jackson Square ), located in the present-day Central Business District . During the late 18th century, this was part of a residential area called Faubourg Sainte Marie ( English : St. Mary Suburb). The park was designed in 1788 by Charles Laveau Trudeau aka Don Carlos Trudeau (1743–1816), Surveyor General of Louisiana under

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456-885: The Hyatt Centric French Quarter Hotel , and the former Maison Blanche store is now the New Orleans Ritz-Carlton Hotel . Both are on the French Quarter side of Canal. At least two other high-rise hotels are just off Canal Street, the Roosevelt in the Central Business District (CBD) and the Monteleone in the French Quarter . In the 19th century, the St. Charles Hotel on St. Charles Avenue

494-595: The Louisiana Purchase (1803), a large influx of other cultures began to find their way into the city via the Mississippi River . A number of Americans from Kentucky and the Midwest moved into the city and settled uptown. Along the division between these two cultures, a canal was planned. The canal was never built but the street which took its place received the name. Furthermore, the median of

532-760: The Mayors of New Orleans , a W.P.A. project. E. D. Friedrichs was the son of dentist George J. Friedrichs who was killed when he was hit by trolley in New Orleans and trapped under it. Charles F. Youngman was an archivist in the City of New Orleans Archives who wrote about the city's historical newspapers. His "sketches" of newspapers are held in the New Orleans City Archives. The archives include: 29°57′16″N 90°04′32″W  /  29.9544°N 90.0755°W  / 29.9544; -90.0755 Lafayette Square (New Orleans) Lafayette Square

570-699: The Spanish government ; who later served as New Orleans' acting mayor in 1812, after Louisiana statehood. The Square was named after Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette , a French aristocrat and general who fought on the American side in the American Revolutionary War . The park has a bronze statue of Henry Clay in the center of the park and a statue of Benjamin Franklin on Camp Street. A statue of John McDonogh on St. Charles Avenue

608-570: The neon marquees of the Saenger , Loews State, Orpheum, and Joy casting multi-colored light nightly onto surrounding sidewalks. It is said that the world's first movie theater (that is, the first business devoted specifically to showing films for profit) was "Vitascope Hall", established on Canal Street in 1896. By the 1910s there were several movie theaters on Canal, including the Alamo, the Plaza, and

646-749: The Cita Dennis Hubbell Branch in Algiers to complete destruction of the Martin Luther King Branch in the heavily damaged northern section of the Lower 9th Ward . Photographs of branch building damage are available on the library's website. With the devastation of the city and the crippling of city government, NOPL was forced to lay off 90 percent of its employees. All libraries were closed for over two months. The 19 remaining staff members, when they were able to re-enter

684-592: The Dreamworld. In 1912 the Trianon, the first "movie palace" in the city opened. The Tudor followed in 1914 and the Globe in 1918. By the 1950s they had become low-grade theaters, and in the 1960s they were closed. Although most of the grand movie theaters have closed over the years, several cinemas on Canal Street operate today. In the 1830s, several hotels on Canal Street near the river were in operation, including

722-640: The Fisk collection with a newer municipal library. It eventually became known as the New Orleans Public Library. On January 18, 1897, the library opened its doors to the public. At that time the collection comprised over 35,000 volumes. A significant portion of the collection was obtained from the Fisk Free and Public Library and the Public School Lyceum and Library. The first librarian was William Beer who concurrently worked as

760-873: The International Hotel were built. Almost a whole block was taken up by the Marriott Hotel which opened in 1972 as the tallest hotel in the city. Canal Street began to accommodate large convention hotels, such as the Sheraton New Orleans and the JW Marriott. The emergence of new hotels has since slowed, but continued operation of many on Canal Street indicate the sustained importance of the street in both business and entertainment. (See Redevelopment section below, for additional Canal Street hotels.) Two of Canal Street's former department stores are now hotels. D. H. Holmes has become

798-766: The Steakhouse . In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina , a fire inflicted heavy damage to the Saks Fifth Avenue store. The mall reopened in February 2006, and a completely-remodeled Saks reopened in November. One Canal Place Office Tower is a Class A commercial office building managed by Corporate Realty. It is adjacent to the Westin New Orleans Hotel. The office space is made up of more than 650,000 square feet (60,000 m ) and includes

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836-874: The Union Hotel and the Planters Hotel. Although most of the grand 19th-century hotels were located in the French Quarter, the Perry House was on Canal Street. By the 1920s a growth was seen in the number of hotels on Canal Street. These included the LaSalle Hotel, the Hotel New Orleans, and the Jung Hotel with its rooftop ballroom. As convention industry began to grow in the 1960s, the Governor House Motor Hotel and

874-553: The archives. It also has a YouTube channel. The City Archives have hosted exhibitions performances, and speakers. In the 1980s city records were transferred to microfilm . In 1871 City Ordinance 1035 AS established a keeper of the City Archives whose duties included allowing "no book, paper or archives of any kind to be taken thence, except upon the order of the Mayor, with due receipt being taken therefor showing description of

912-555: The article so temporarily withdrawn." In 1904 documents were loaned for the Louisiana Purchase Exposition . In 1946 documents were transferred from City Hall to the Howard Annex of the New Orleans Public Library.In 1961 they were moved to the newly built main library. In 1976 the City Archives published a Property Guide to assist residents with information on property histories. In 1989 a Genealogy Guide

950-514: The city, began surveying damage and salvaging assets. Two branches—Hubbell and Nix (on Carrollton Avenue uptown)—reopened with limited services (no circulation) on 31 October 2005. Part of the Main Library also reopened. Damage to the NOPL system is estimated at $ 26–30 million. Library administrators began looking for outside sources of funds to begin hiring additional staff. From

988-524: The city. It was from this steeple that General Benjamin Butler used the bell to ring curfew during the occupation of New Orleans (1862–65) during the American Civil War . Most of the architectural elements (including the bell) were moved to First Presbyterian's subsequent location at the corner of South Claiborne and Jefferson Avenues in New Orleans. Hurricane Katrina severely damaged

1026-637: The completion of Canal Place's retail component. However, national trends disfavoring downtown retail finally caught up with Canal Street — with a key assist from the regional economic depression of the mid-80s (the Oil Bust). One Canal Place has three lower levels which are occupied by The Shops at Canal Place. The mall contains a Saks Fifth Avenue , the Theatres at Canal Place , a food court, and approximately 45 high-end retailers including Anthropologie , Brooks Brothers , Michael Kors , and Morton's

1064-421: The four libraries in 1908, the New Orleans Public Library system continued to expand. In 2005, the system included three regional, three major and six neighborhood branches; as of 11 June 2008 the system had ten branches, including temporary branches. By early 2017, there were fourteen branches open, with one additional branch scheduled to re-open in 2018. From 1908 to 1959, the main branch was on Lee Circle ; it

1102-402: The stores were enlarged and made more elegant by incorporating adjoining buildings. Although Canal Street began to lose its primacy as a regional shopping destination in the late 1960s, it retained a robust mix of department stores and specialty shopping into the mid-1980s — somewhat later than main-street shopping districts in other U.S. cities — and it received a boost in 1983 with

1140-603: The street became known as the neutral ground , acknowledging the cultural divide. To this day, all medians of New Orleans streets are called neutral grounds. One end of Canal Street terminates at the Mississippi River. Often called "the foot of Canal Street", at the riverfront the Canal Street Ferry offers a connection to the Algiers Point neighborhood, an older, 18th-century portion of the larger Algiers section of New Orleans. Canal Street's other terminus

1178-870: The street has welcomed the addition of numerous new anchor enterprises, including the Ritz-Carlton New Orleans, luxury apartments at 1201 Canal, the New Orleans Bio-Innovation Center, the rehabilitated Joy Theater, the Saint Hotel, the Audubon Nature Institute's Audubon Insectarium , and the Astor Crowne Plaza. In October 2011, the New Orleans City Council granted final approval for the construction of 1031 Canal ,

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1216-538: The trees in the park, with broken glass and debris from nearby buildings making the park unsafe. A group of neighborhood residents and downtown workers formed a charitable organization, the Lafayette Square Conservancy, to transform it into a premier urban space. 29°56′54″N 90°04′13″W  /  29.9483°N 90.0703°W  / 29.9483; -90.0703 Canal Street, New Orleans Canal Street ( French : rue du canal )

1254-557: The under used wharves made available by the New Orleans public port authority for non-maritime use in the 1960s. These decisions opened the door for changes in land use, encouraging business, especially that of the tourism industry, for the city. The downtown New Orleans segment of Canal Street has been undergoing redevelopment along the lines called for in the Downtown Development District's Canal Street Vision and Development Strategy (2004). In recent years

1292-517: Was another icon of the CBD. Both business and government leaders in New Orleans have taken steps over the past 50 years to encourage development and corporate centered business in the city. These began with the construction of the Superdome using public money, choosing not to build an expressway along the Mississippi River in the French Quarter and allowing the riverfront to be developed for tourism, and

1330-440: Was demolished after the opening of the current main branch. The Marigny Branch on Frenchmen & Royal at Washington Square , one of the original Carnegie Branch libraries, was severely damaged during Hurricane Betsy in 1965 and demolished. From 1915 to 1965 there was a Central City branch at Dryades & Philip Street, originally the main "Colored" library during the era of racial segregation . A former Mid-City branch

1368-530: Was on Canal Street at Gayoso. The City Archives of New Orleans date to 1769 and the Spanish established official archives in 1773. The archives have been held by the New Orleans Public Library since 1947. The archives include court documents, maps, newspapers, and photographs. The archives are part of the "City Archives & Special Collections". The city's archivists have written about the city's mayors and newspapers. A blog and Facebook page provide updates on

1406-692: Was published by the archives staff. The Guide to the Early Records (1760-1861) in the New Orleans City Archives Collection was published in 1992. Mrs. E. D. Friedrichs was Custodian of the Archives in 1938. She was assisted by Marie Clark. E. D. Friedrichs A.M. M.D. E.D. was a physiologist and hygienist. She wrote and helped compile "Administrations of the Mayors of New Orleans, 1803-1936" with biographical sketches of

1444-519: Was removed in July 2020. Gallier Hall , the former City Hall of New Orleans faces the square on St. Charles Avenue. Although the city government has moved elsewhere, the square is still used for inaugurations and civic events. The square also often hosts live music. From 1834 to 1938 First Presbyterian Church of New Orleans occupied much of the Western side of the square and was the tallest steeple in

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