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William Sydney Porter: Becoming O. Henry
In February 1896, William Sydney Porter was indicted for embezzlement of funds from the First National Bank in Austin, Texas, where he had been recently employed. In July of that year, instead of…
"House Sold to Out-of-Towner" Tennessee Williams Moves In
Tennessee Williams was no stranger to New Orleans. Some of his most famous works, including A Streetcar Named Desire, are set in the city. Although Williams spent decades living on and off in rental…
The Monteleone's Literary Legacy
Declared a national literary landmark by the Friends of the Library Association in 1999, Hotel Monteleone opened in 1886 when a Sicilian-born cobbler named Antonio Monteleone purchased the Commercial…
Saenger Amusement Company
The Saenger Amusement Company, organized in 1912 by brothers Julian and Abraham Saenger, grew into one of the largest motion picture chains in the south, with a peak total of 324 Saenger theaters…
Lafayette Square
Planned in 1788, Lafayette Square is named after Gilbert du Motier, the Marquis de LaFayette: a French aristocrat and general who fought on the American side of the American Revolution.
Mahalia Jackson
Mahalia Jackson, also known as the Queen of Gospel, was born and raised in New Orleans. In 1995, the performing arts center located in Louis Armstrong Park was name in her honor.
Saenger Theater
The Saenger Theatre witnessed and mediated the rise and fall of several different forms of entertainment, including vaudeville, jazz and orchestral music, and motion pictures in its first decades on…
A Streetcar Named Desire
A Streetcar Named Desire is the title of a 1947 Pulitzer Prize-winning play by Tennessee Williams, adapted in 1951 for the big screen by director Elia Kazan. It is undoubtedly one of the most famous…
Prytania Theatre
The Prytania Theatre is the oldest operating theater in New Orleans, dating back to 1915. It is the only single-screen, suburban theater in the state of Louisiana. It caters to film buffs and families…
Leeds Iron Foundry
The Leeds Iron Foundry was owned and operated by Charles Leeds. It was located at Delord and Constance Streets during the Antebellum period of the nineteenth century. The foundry was opened in 1824.…
Liberty Theatre
The Liberty Theatre owned by the Saenger Amusement Company and managed under the auspices of Boehringer Amusement Company opened in 1918. The theater was lavishly designed with the intention of being…
Filming Location: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is a 2008 Oscar winning film by director David Fincher, filmed primarily in uptown New Orleans. The film was adapted from a 1922 short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald…
Young Men’s Hebrew Association's Athenaeum
“One of the handsomest structures in the city will be the new building of the Young Men’s Hebrew Association,” [1] said an article from the New Orleans States when the Athenaeum opened in 1896. With…
Audubon Park
Sandwiched between St. Charles Avenue and the Mississippi River, is the lush urban oasis- Audubon Park. Named after naturalist John James Audubon, the park is used for outdoor recreation of all kinds.…
Metro Film Exchange
In the early years of the film industry, few aspects of the industry were more important than distribution. Film exchanges handled the repair, rental, and advertisement of motion pictures both locally…
Founding WWL: Louisiana's First Radio Station
WWL, Louisiana's first radio station, started broadcasting in 1922 as a means to raise funds for Loyola University. As a project of a Catholic University, WWL was bound by the rules of the Catholic…
St. Roch Cemetery, Plagues, and Germans in New Orleans
Established in 1875, St. Roch Cemetery lies just north of the Faubourg Marigny in the St. Roch neighborhood.
The founder of St. Roch Cemetery was Father Peter Leonhard Thevis, pastor at Holy…
Orpheum Theater
Built in 1918 to replace the older Orpheum, the new Orpheum Theatre opened with great pomp and circumstance on February 5, 1921, with a matinee performance in the afternoon. [1] However, according to…
Pat O'Brien's
Located in the heart of the New Orleans French Quarter, Pat O’Brien’s is a prime destination for tourists who may not know its past as a popular speakeasy. On December 3, 1933, two days after the…
The Founding of Tulane University
Tulane University is often cited as being founded in 1834 by seven young medical doctors and it is true that Tulane’s earliest roots lie in the school founded by these seven. However, the institution…
Imperial Theatre
The Imperial played an important role not only in the history of New Orleans theaters but also in the history of one of the city’s most prominent theater families, the Brunets.
Bell Theater
The Bell Theater was originally located at Bell and Dorgenois Streets, where it operated between 1914 and 1921. In the early years, the theater served not only as an entertainment venue, but was…
Boston Club
The Boston Club was a social club founded in 1841 through which rich, white men could enjoy the popular card game called “Boston.” [1] Members of The Boston Club organized and rented rooms in their…
Harmony Club
The Harmony Club of New Orleans was an elite men's social club. Though it was not completely sectarian, it was understood to be for the Jewish elite of the city. Founded in 1872, the club moved…