Virtually New Orleans - Feature Photo of the Week, March 3, 1997

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The Feature Photo is sponsored this week by NOLA Market.

We call it the "French Quarter," but so much of it isn't French. Two massive fires, one in 1788, and the other in 1794, destroyed so much of the French Quarter that there are only a handful of buildings that have survived the time when the French actually owned New Orleans. By 1788, the city was controlled by the Spanish, and their influence dominated during the rebuilding of the Quarter after the two fires. The Spanish retained the French style of building very boring exteriors to their homes, preferring to focus their attention to interior courtyards and open galleries behind the dull facades that face our streets. It's the upper floors of the two- and three-story buildings that truly show the Spanish were here. The open galleries that look down onto the streets are bounded by a good deal of Spanish-style wrought iron. Some of it is quite ornate, and very attractive to this day. It's a strong reminder that our city has Spanish roots at least as strong as the French ones we regularly acknowledge.

This is another Susie Leavines photo, and we're grateful to her for allowing us to use it.

If you have any comments on the feature photos, please feel free to drop me a line and tell 'em to me!

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