Jackson Square - The Old Parade Ground

Photo: Jeremy Thompson, CC BY 4.0 (cropped)

A stop on New Orleans French Quarter Walk, a free self-guided tour.

You are standing in the heart of the old city. When the French founded New Orleans in 1718, this open ground was the Place d'Armes, a parade ground where soldiers drilled and public notices were read. Under Spanish rule it became the Plaza de Armas, and in December 1803 flags were raised and lowered here as Louisiana passed from Spain to France and then to the United States.

The bronze rider in the middle is Andrew Jackson, who defended the city against the British in 1815. Sculptor Clark Mills made the statue, dedicated in 1856, and the square took Jackson's name around the same time.

Now look left and right at the long red-brick buildings with iron balconies. These are the Pontalba Buildings, built in the late 1840s by Micaela Almonester, Baroness de Pontalba, who also redesigned the square as the garden you see. The shops below and apartments above are still in use, so the square is a neighborhood, not just a monument.

Getting here: Begin inside the square by the Andrew Jackson statue, facing the cathedral.

Did you know?: The Pontalba Buildings are often called the oldest continuously rented apartment buildings in North America. Look for the baroness's initials, A and P, worked into the cast-iron railings.

Photo op: Stand at the gate on Decatur Street side of the square and frame the Jackson statue with the cathedral's three spires rising behind it.

More on Wikipedia: Jackson Square · Pontalba Buildings · Andrew Jackson · Louisiana Purchase

Jackson Square - The Old Parade Ground

Stops on this tour