Exchange Place, New Orleans
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Exchange Place, also known as Exchange Alley and Exchange Passage, is a
pedestrian zone Pedestrian zones (also known as auto-free zones and car-free zones, as pedestrian precincts in British English, and as pedestrian malls in the United States and Australia) are areas of a city or town restricted to use by people on foot or ...
that was created in 1831 originally as a small street in the
French Quarter The French Quarter, also known as the (; ; ), is the oldest neighborhood in the city of New Orleans. After New Orleans () was founded in 1718 by Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville, the city developed around the ("Old Square" in English), a ...
of
New Orleans, Louisiana New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...
. Its original name was ''Passage de la Bourse'', or Exchange Passage. Originally copyrighted in 1936. The street was commissioned by the banker and merchant
Samuel Jarvis Peters Samuel Jarvis Peters (July 180111 August 1855) was an American businessman and education activist. He is notable for his support of public education in New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nickna ...
, who thought to build an exchange closer to Canal Street. It was built in coherence with the Merchants' Exchange Building on Royal Street as it acted as a back entrance. The street has been a hidden alleyway to many shops and restaurants over the years.


Geography

Exchange Place Intersects with Canal Street, Iberville Street and Bienville Street, which has contributed to its importance. Exchange Place originally extended from Canal Street to Toulouse Street, but the portion of it between Conti Street and Toulouse Street no longer exists. Exchange Alley paralleled Chartres Street and Royal Street. Exchange Alley is located on the upriver (or southwestern) side of the French Quarter


Pronunciation/meaning

''Exchange place'' is pronounced /iks-ˈchānj plās/. Its former French name, ''passage de la bourse'' is pronounced /pa-sij-de-lä-bu̇rs/. This name has French origins in which it can be translated to "Stock Exchange Passage" The name comes from its purpose and use to be a back alley for markets and exchanges.


History

At the time, Canal Street was the dividing line between the French Quarter's Creoles and the
Anglo-Americans Anglo-Americans are a demographic group in Anglo-America. It typically refers to the predominantly European-descent nations and ethnic groups in the Americas that speak English as a native language, making up the majority of people in the world ...
on the CBD (
Central Business District A central business district (CBD) is the Commerce, commercial and business center 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 wit ...
)/ Uptown Side. Peters wanted the exchange to shift more economic activity to the Anglo-American Portion of the city. The street was designed by architect James Gallier Sr., the Irishman who also worked on other projects such as Gallier Hall, the Pontalba buildings, and St. Charles Hotel. In past years the street has been home to many cafés, saloons, and clubhouses. The road was populated with architects who talked of art and engineering. On the last block of the alley once stood "Café des Colonnes," built by J.N.B de Pouilly's talented architect. The path was home to some of the most famous fencing instructors, such as Don Jose "Pepe Lulla, Armant Robert Severin, and Basile Croquere. Young wealthy Creole men would gather to exchange Passage to study under the masters who worked along and near the street.


After the Civil War

Commerce along the Exchange had diminished due to the restrictions placed during the
Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, 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.J ...
and the fall of the slave-based economy previously established in the South. The Exchange Alley's neutral ground began to shift as power in New Orleans transferred from Creole t
American


Merchants' Exchange Building and the early 1900s

In 1835 James Gallier Jr. and Charles Dakin were commissioned to design the Merchant's Exchange Building. The building spanned between two separate three-story wings, one facing Royal and the other Exchange alley. It opened in 1836 and was home to the U.S Post Office, the City Court, Federal District Court, and a Billiard Club. During this time, the Exchange Alley was occupied with the elite antebellum, political officials, philosophers, and even presidents.
Andrew Jackson Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845) was the seventh president of the United States from 1829 to 1837. Before Presidency of Andrew Jackson, his presidency, he rose to fame as a general in the U.S. Army and served in both houses ...
had appeared in Merchants' Exchange building and to appear in federal court. The building was ultimately demolished in a fire in 1903. In 1910, the Louisiana Supreme Court Building was built on top of Exchange Alley's block, extending to Conti Street. After 1903 some solicitors could be found working with tradesman (repairers,
silversmith A silversmith is a metalworker who crafts objects from silver. The terms ''silversmith'' and ''goldsmith'' are not exact synonyms, as the techniques, training, history, and guilds are (or were, at least) largely the same but differed in that t ...
s, cheap hotels, lodging houses). Bookstores and new stands like Goldthwaite's bookstore made the Exchange Place popular with book hunters and news enthusiasts. However, as time went on, the cafés and saloons along the exchange place became rooted with longshoremen, itinerant workers, and hobos. Some notable occupants along the Exchange Place include Longshoremen's Hall and the Sheet Metal Workers Union. Exchange Place went from being a hub of bars and drunk locals to tourists to shop in the occurring years.


Today

The street is typically occupied with tourists as the businesses that occupy the alley cater to tourist and temporary guests. The road has become known as a pedestrian mall. Current enterprises include hotels like Wyndham New Orleans- French Quarter and Hotel Monteleone and restaurants like Amorino, Criollo, The Carousel, Justine, Smoothie King,
Popeyes Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen, Inc. is an American multinational chain of fried chicken restaurants founded in 1972 in New Orleans and headquartered in Miami. It is currently a subsidiary of Toronto-based Restaurant Brands International. , Popey ...
, Green Goddess, and Country Flame. The street is also home to convenient and souvenir stores like
Walgreens Walgreens is an American pharmacy store chain. It is the second largest in the United States, behind CVS Pharmacy. As of March 2025, the company operated more than 8,700 stores in the U.S. Walgreens has been the subject of a number of lawsuit ...
, Logo Gift Shop, and Infrared Sauna Wholesaler. The road is also home to real-estate and commercial property.


School district

The Exchange Place street falls under the Recovery School District.


See also

*
List of streets of New Orleans New Orleans, Louisiana, United States, U.S.A., includes such notable streets as: * Allen Toussaint Boulevard * Almonaster Road, Almonaster Avenue * Audubon Place (New Orleans, Louisiana), Audubon Place (private access only) * Baronne Street * Bas ...
* Banks' Arcade


References


External links


Photo
on
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{{NOLA Streets Streets in New Orleans Car-free zones in the United States Pedestrian malls in the United States French Quarter 1831 establishments in Louisiana