The International Trade Mart was a

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

-based organization promoting

international trade International trade is the exchange of capital, goods, and services across international borders or territories because there is a need or want of goods or services. (see: World economy) In most countries, such trade represents a significant ...

and the

Port of New Orleans The Port of New Orleans is an embarkation port for cruise passengers. It is also Louisiana’s only international container port. The port generates $100 million in revenue annually through its four lines of business – cargo (46%), rail (31%) ...

, Louisiana, United States. The organization was founded in 1946, and merged with International House in 1968, when it was renamed to

World Trade Center New Orleans The World Trade Center of New Orleans is the founding member of the World Trade Centers Association, a worldwide association of over 300 World Trade Centers in nearly 100 countries. The mission of the World Trade Center of New Orleans is to create ...

2 Canal Street World Trade Center New Orleans 2

After

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, New Orleans businessman

Clay Shaw Clay LaVergne Shaw (March 17, 1913 – August 15, 1974) was an American businessman and military officer from New Orleans, Louisiana. Shaw is best known for being the only person brought to trial for involvement in the assassination of John F. ...

returned to New Orleans where he became a founder of the International Trade Mart (ITM). From 1947 to his retirement in 1965, Shaw ran the ITM as a managing director. The International Trade Mart was chartered in 1945, first opened in 1948, and in 1968, merged with International House to form the

(WTCNO), a private,

non-profit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

with a membership of 2,000 corporations and individuals dedicated to improving international trade with New Orleans. Like its predecessor organizations, the WTCNO continues to sponsor

trade missions Trade mission is an international trip by government officials and businesspeople that is organized by agencies of national or provincial governments for purpose of exploring international business opportunities. Business people who attend trade m ...

Latin America Latin America or * french: Amérique Latine, link=no * ht, Amerik Latin, link=no * pt, América Latina, link=no, name=a, sometimes referred to as LatAm is a large cultural region in the Americas where Romance languages — languages derived f ...

n and

Caribbean The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...

nations to conduct a variety of educational programs, conferences, seminars, and trade shows and to host dignitaries and other visitors from New Orleans' trade partner nations. In 1968, the WTCNO moved into a purpose-built 33-story building at 2 Canal Street, designed by architect Edward Durell Stone. The building overlooks the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it f ...

and the

French Quarter The French Quarter, also known as the , is the oldest neighborhood in the city of New Orleans. After New Orleans (french: La Nouvelle-Orléans) was founded in 1718 by Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville, the city developed around the ("Old Squ ...

. After

Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina was a destructive Category 5 Atlantic hurricane that caused over 1,800 fatalities and $125 billion in damage in late August 2005, especially in the city of New Orleans and the surrounding areas. It was at the time the cost ...

, the building was unoccupied, and in 2012 it was purchased from the WTCNO by the City of New Orleans. In 2018, the city announced that the building would be redeveloped into a hotel and apartment complex, set to open in 2021. The World Trade Center New Orleans organization has offices in a nearby building,

One Canal Place One Canal Place, located at 365 Canal Street in the Central Business District of New Orleans, Louisiana, is a 32-story, -tall skyscraper. The building contains The Shops at Canal Place and is attached to the Westin New Orleans Canal Place hotel, ...

. Trade expansionists advanced their cause further by forming the International Trade Mart (ITM). They intended that International House and ITM would complement each other and together would form the international program's foundation. The mart satisfied a longstanding ambition for an institution that could exhibit commodities and could provide a setting where buyer and seller could meet easily in New Orleans.

References

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Bibliography

* Arthur E. Carpenter. Gateway to the Americas: New Orleans' Quest for Latin American Trade, 1900-1970 (Tulane University, 1987) Organizations established in 1945 Companies based in New Orleans 1945 establishments in Louisiana