Gallier Hall is a historic building on

St. Charles Avenue St. Charles Avenue (french: avenue Saint-Charles) is a thoroughfare in New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S. and the route of the St. Charles Streetcar Line. It is also famous for the dozens of mansions that adorn the tree-lined boulevard for much of the ...

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...

. It is the former New Orleans city hall, and continues in civic use. Built 1845–1853, it is a nationally significant example of Greek Revival architecture, and one of the finest works of architect

James Gallier James Gallier (24 July 1798– 3 October 1866) was a prominent nineteenth-century Ireland, Irish-born American architect, most famed for his buildings in New Orleans. Gallier Hall, which he designed and once served as New Orleans City Hall, is ...

. It was designated a

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...

in 1974.

Description and history

Gallier Hall is located on St. Charles Avenue at Lafayette Square in the

Central Business District A central business district (CBD) is the commercial and business centre of a city. It contains commercial space and offices, and in larger cities will often be described as a financial district. Geographically, it often coincides with the "city ...

. The building was originally designed to be the

city hall In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or a municipal building (in the Philippines), is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses ...

of New Orleans by the architect, James Gallier Sr. Construction began in 1845, and the building was dedicated on 10 May 1853. Gallier Hall is a three-story marble structure fronted by two rows of fluted Ionic columns in the

Neoclassical style Neoclassical architecture is an architectural style produced by the Neoclassicism, Neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century in Italy and France. It became one of the most prominent architectural styles in the Western world. The pr ...

. It is one of the most important structures built during the

antebellum period In the history of the Southern United States, the Antebellum Period (from la, ante bellum, lit= before the war) spanned the end of the War of 1812 to the start of the American Civil War in 1861. The Antebellum South was characterized by ...

of the city. After its dedication in 1853, Gallier Hall remained the city hall for just over a century. Many important events during the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

Reconstruction Reconstruction may refer to: Politics, history, and sociology *Reconstruction (law), the transfer of a company's (or several companies') business to a new company *'' Perestroika'' (Russian for "reconstruction"), a late 20th century Soviet Unio ...

, and the era of Louisiana governor

Huey Long Huey Pierce Long Jr. (August 30, 1893September 10, 1935), nicknamed "the Kingfish", was an American politician who served as the 40th governor of Louisiana from 1928 to 1932 and as a United States senator from 1932 until his assassination ...

took place at Gallier Hall. After the City Hall was moved to the modern complex at Duncan Plaza in the 1950s, old Gallier Hall nonetheless continued its traditional place of honor during

Mardi Gras Mardi Gras (, ) refers to events of the Carnival celebration, beginning on or after the Christian feasts of the Epiphany (Three Kings Day) and culminating on the day before Ash Wednesday, which is known as Shrove Tuesday. is French for "Fat ...

. Viewing galleries in front of the hall are reserved for Mardi Gras royalty, and parades on the St. Charles route pause in front of them. Marching bands typically perform shows here during the parades. On Mardi Gras Day the

mayor of New Orleans The post of Mayor of the City of New Orleans (french: Maire de La Nouvelle-Orléans) has been held by the following individuals since New Orleans came under American administration following the Louisiana Purchase — the acquisition by the U.S. ...

toasts the kings of the

Zulu Social Aid & Pleasure Club The Zulu Social Aid & Pleasure Club (founded 1916) is a fraternal organization in New Orleans, Louisiana which puts on the Zulu parade each year on Mardi Gras Day. Zulu is New Orleans' largest predominantly African American carnival organizati ...

and

Rex Parade Rex (founded 1872) is a New Orleans Carnival Krewe which stages one of the city's most celebrated parades on Mardi Gras Day. Rex is Latin for "King", and Rex reigns as "The King of Carnival". History and formation Rex was organized by New O ...

here. Gallier Hall is currently a convention center, reception hall, and home of the Ty Tracy Theatre, named for the late artistic director of the

New Orleans Recreation Department The New Orleans Recreation Department is the department of the local government of the city of New Orleans, Louisiana USA, that operates and maintains recreational facilities for the people of the city. It is commonly known by the acronym NORD. F ...

(NORD) Theatre. The Ty Tracy Theatre is home to Julie Condy's Crescent City Lights Youth Theatre organization. The building also serves as the venue for special civic functions such as mayoral inaugurations. The remains of particularly distinguished citizens sometimes lie in state here following their death, as a sign of deep citywide respect.

References

External links

Gallier Hall Official Website

Gallier Hall in ''KnowLA, Encyclopedia of Louisiana''
{{National Register of Historic Places Buildings and structures in New Orleans National Historic Landmarks in Louisiana Government buildings completed in 1853 Tourist attractions in New Orleans National Register of Historic Places in New Orleans

Description and history

See also

References

External links