The Place d'Armes
In 1721, the French colonial government of Louisiana commissioned engineer Adrien de Pauger to create a city styled on those in Europe at the time, with a grid of streets focusing on a large public square in the center. Pauger's plan became the layout of what is now the Vieux Carre. The public square was originally intended to be a parade ground and practice field for the army troops stationed in the city, hence its name, Place d'Armes. Its purpose as a military parade ground solidified in the 1760s, when the Spanish took control of the Louisiana territories and constructed the Cabildo next to St. Louis Cathedral, both overlooking the Plaza das Armas (as the square was called by the Spanish). The Cabildo housed the Spanish colonial government offices and the local army garrison.
The square was renamed in 1848 in honor of General Andrew Jackson, for his defense of the city at the Battle of New Orleans (December, 1814-January, 1815). The square's current look dates from 1851, when the Baroness Pontalba had it landscaped in a solar pattern (honoring Louis XIV of France, the "Sun King.")
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