Area History
Central City History
Originally part of Bienville’s “vegetable garden”, the streets in the area between the Pontchartrain Expressway and Felicity Street were laid out in 1807 by the French architect and surveyor, Bartheleme Lafon. He was designing the Faubourg Marigny at the same time. In the early years of the Faubourg, many purchasers bought entire squares and built large villas.
Dryades Street
When the streetcar ran on Dryades Street, the street demonstrated a vibrant pedestrian quality. People were drawn to the street not only to shop, but also to socialize, especially on Saturdays. In the 1950s, regrettably, the urban rail was torn up and rubber tires replaced steel tires.
Felicity Street
Felicity Road (now Street) was the upriver boundary of the city until 1852, when the area uptown of Felicity Street became the Fourth District of the City of New Orleans. Because it was the upriver boundary of the developing city for over 100 years, buildings were made to accommodate the pie-shaped streets.
