New Orleans

By Troy Broussard

While the name of the city New Orleans itself implies reinvention, among its traits most beloved by residents and visitors alike in the 21st century are the things that have not changed much over time. Jazz, flavor, celebration, and a warm welcome are always on the menu. Lifelong resident and author Troy Broussard recounts the more than three-century story of a city as familiar with rebuilding and rebirth after tragedy as it is with revelry.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Arcadia Publishing
• Release date: Apr 8, 2024
• ISBN: 9781540262134

Troy Broussard

Lifelong resident and author Troy Broussard recounts the more than three-century story of a city as familiar with rebuilding and rebirth after tragedy as it is with revelry.

Book preview

INTRODUCTION

Civilizations pride themselves on change. Progress is equated with taller buildings, modern infrastructure, and all things new. While the name of the city New Orleans itself implies reinvention, among the details most beloved by residents and visitors alike in the 21st century are the things that have not changed here very much over time. From the top of a levee, you can still see paddle wheelers churning water on the Mississippi. Our restaurants have served as the backdrop for generations of family meals, often prepared and delivered by staff who have worked there for decades themselves. The same wrought iron balconies that drew the eyes of tourists in the 1920s, still do in the 2020s. The Mardi Gras experience continues to captivate participants from all corners of the planet every year, along sacrosanct parade routes. These aspects of daily life are icons that represent New Orleans to the rest of the world.

There is an inherent challenge in compiling a then and now comparison of locations within a city that has existed for over three centuries: where does one start and stop? A locale such as the riverfront, for example, displayed drastically different looks through its eras, as it went from a simple colonial port to a regional economic engine, then from a rundown memory of old warehouses to a revitalized arts and entertainment district. Aside from tracing the natural crescent of the waterway it adjoins, a part of New Orleans could be unrecognizable in the time it takes for a child to become a parent to his or her own children. But it is during that precise transition that the knowledge of what was gets passed down as a cherished gift. I remember listening at the feet of older family members about places in the past that were so important to the people remembering them, that the recollections were a visceral mix of painful loss and loving nostalgia. I never got the chance to sit in the stands of the old Tulane Stadium before it was demolished but know those who had some of the best times in their lives watching games there. To this thread, for my own children and grandchildren, I add that as a boy I watched the same team play (and lose often) in the Superdome.

For better or worse, New Orleans is a place that has been rebuilt more times than it has been renovated. Since its beginning, the Crescent City has stubbornly existed despite great odds. Below sea level and in the strike zone for storms that claw across the Gulf of Mexico, nature has played a prominent role in shaping the destiny of the metropolitan area. The history of New Orleans, as recorded by its buildings and topography, is one of a cycle that pits tragedy against rebirth. Although many may recall the devastation imposed by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, it was far from being the first natural disaster endured by NOLA residents. Fires and floods have destroyed infrastructure since the French first set foot here. All of this is to say that when this community rebuilds, it does so with the spirit of we’ve been here before, and we’ll be all right again, y’all. You cannot tell the story of this city without understanding its people. We have a determination to not only survive, but also celebrate life while