Maison Blanche Origins continues with Simon J. Shwartz, who worked in the family business before striking out on his own.
New Orleans Illustrated in Photo Etching (1892), published by James P. Craig
Maison Blanche Origins – Simon J. Shwartz
Continuing the Maison Blanche Origins story of the “Greatest Store South” with the early career of Maison Blanche’s founder, Simon J. Shwartz. Simon worked for his father, primarily in New York City. He brought home innovative retailing ideas.
The youngest of three brothers, Simon worked for his father, Abraham, since he was a young boy. While the “& Son” of A. Shwartz and Son was his older brother, Nathan Issac, Simon backed the family business. Photo is from History of the Jews of Louisiana, 1903.
123, 131, 133 Canal Street
By 1890, A. Shwartz & Son occupied three units in the 701 block of Canal Street. Note the addresses are the “old” format. The City of New Orleans switched to block addressing By 1890, the company expanded the unit on the corner of Canal and Bourbon. They installed an elevator, and opened as a major competitor to the larger stores such as D. H. Holmes, Krauss, and Godchaux’s. The expanded store opened on 6-October-1890. The Daily Picayune reported on it the following day. Note that the store is now “A. Shwartz & Sons,” reflecting Leon and Simon’s entry as partners.
The Fire
Over half of the 701 block of Canal Street went up in flames on 16-February-1892. The fire all but destroyed A. Shwartz & Sons.
Simon had already been working on leasing space in the Mercier Building at 901 Canal Street. He put those plans on hold and worked with his brothers to move the family business up the street. They bought up inventory from a couple of stores going out of business and re-opened at the end of February, 1892. The image at the top of the article shows A. Shwartz & Sons at 901 Canal.
Patriarch Passes
Abraham Shwartz passed away on 8-March-1892.
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Abraham Shwartz and the family store are the origins of Maison Blanche Department Store.
Maison Blanche Origins – Abraham Shwartz
The story of the iconic store at 901 Canal Street begins with the father of the founder. Simon J. Shwartz of MB fame was the youngest son of Abraham Shwartz, a Jewish immigrant to New Orleans. Shwartz partnered with other retailers before opening his own store on Canal Street. That store led to his son moving up the street to start his own place.
Construction of Shushan Airport was part of a larger capital project proposed in 1922. The main component of the package was the seawall. The seawall functioned as a sort of dam along the lake shore. It ran from West End to the Industrial Canal. Construction of the seawall enabled the Orleans Levee Board to drain the water behind the seawall, then develop it. As we discussed in Podcast 51, Winning the War on the Lakefront, much of the reclaimed land became military installations during the run-up to World War II.
25 Chartres Street
Abraham partnered up with his brother-in-law, Simon Kaufman, in Shwartz, Kaufman, & Co., at 25 Chartres Street. This store was in the 100 block of Chartres, just off Canal Street.
161 Canal Street
161 Canal Street – Look for DH Holmes, the 4-story building on the right. Then go three doors up, that’s A. Shwartz & Son. The church on the left is Christ Episcopal, at Canal and Dauphine.
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Buy me a coffee on Ko-fi dot com. I just love this concept as a way to say thank you/tip creators you enjoy. Our idea of monetization is buying books and having us come to speak. If you see me at a coffee shop, stop and say hi. Otherwise, I’ll raise coffee cup to you if you treat me.
Become a patron. Yes, we’re on Patreon. A lot of creators use the platform for direct monetization, and that’s great for them. We don’t have “exclusive content” for patrons. Still, if you think our history stuff is worth a dollar a month, go join!
Many locals say “New Basin Canal,” but the Coast Guard just calls it the “New Canal.”
The New Canal in 1864
Photograph of the turning basin for the “New Canal,” located at S. Rampart Street and Howard Avenue. Construction of the canal began in 1831. In spite of the original intent of city planners, there never was a canal built on Canal Street. Instead, the Creole community living in the Vieux Carre constructed a canal that followed the “Old Portage.” This was the foot path that led from the end of Bayou St. John to the city. This was more logical than digging a canal from the river to the lake. The Spanish Colonial government built what became known as the Carondelet Canal in 1795.
The Anglo-Irish Americans who lived on the uptown side of Canal Street, however, wanted their own access to Lake Pontchartrain. So, they began a project to dig a canal from S. Rampart Street out to what is now West End. By 1838, the canal was able to support small boats. Dredging of the canal continued into the mid-1840s, when it became commercially useful.
New/Old
The New Canal (as opposed to the “old” Carondelet Canal) was constructed primarily by Irish immigrants. While the claims that 10,000 workers died of yellow fever while building the canal are grossly exaggerated, the disease as well as accidents and such did cost the lives of many men.
This photo shows the turning basin in 1864. It’s part of the Marshall Dunham collection. Dunham worked for McPherson & Oliver, who were located at No. 132 Canal Street. New Orleans returned to regular commercial operations after the Union occupied the city in 1862. The Union navy lifted the naval blockade. By 1864, the port was an important staging base for the Union Army to move into the Western theater of operations in the Civil War. The photo shows the triangular shape of the turning basin.
With the completion of the Inner Harbor Navigation Canal (Industrial Canal) in the 1920s, the importance of the New Canal diminished. It was filled in after World War II, and is now the location of the Pontchartrain Expressway. Only a few blocks of the canal’s entrance at Lake Pontchartrain remain.
In Podcast 50 we discuss the other double-truck streetcars that ran in New Orleans.
Brill semi-convertible streetcar, 1916
“Other” Double-Truck Streetcars
Part 4 of our 4-part series on early electric streetcars in New Orleans presents the other double-truck models. This includes the Pullman Company, “1899” Americans, Brill Semi-convertibles, Barney & Smith, and Morris cars.
The St. Charles Street Railroad Company purchased Pullman double-trucks. They operated them on the Clio line, when that line crossed Canal. The line originated at the St. Charles Hotel and ran to the Pontchartrain Railroad terminal on Elysian Fields Avenue. Note this company is not the New Orleans and Carrollton Railroad Company that ran the Carrollton/St. Charles line.
“1899” Americans
The “1899” streetcars by American Car Company were operated by the New Orleans City Railroad Comany (NOCRR – second incarnation).
Blueprints
Brill Semi-Convertibles
Morris Cars, named for Master Mechanic E. J. Morris at the Canal Shops.
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Buy me a coffee on Ko-fi dot com. I just love this concept as a way to say thank you/tip creators you enjoy. Our idea of monetization is buying books and having us come to speak. If you see me at a coffee shop, stop and say hi. Otherwise, I’ll raise coffee cup to you if you treat me.
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In Podcast 49 we talk about some of the coolest – the Palace Streetcars.
Double-Truck Palace Streetcars
Part 3 of our 4-part series on early streetcars in New Orleans presents the Palace streetcars from the turn of the 20th century. Manufactured by the St. Louis Car Company, the semi-convertible, double-truck, Palace cars picked up their name because of their smooth ride. The local transit company, New Orleans City Railway Company, had a relationship with the St. Louis Car Company. NOCRR purchased their first electric streetcars from them. By 1901, NOCRR needed larger streetcars. So, they turned again to St. Louis. The company sold them their semi-convertible. The city took delivery on the Palace cars starting in 1902.
New Orleans City RR Company 043, one of the first Palace streetcars delivered in 1902. These cars were originally open-vestibule. You can see the motorman standing at the controls outside of the cabin. The Palace cars had wood frames with a steel underframe. The grates over the lower part of the windows blocked passengers from putting their hands outside.
New Orleans Railway & Light Company (NORwy&Lt) 025 was one of the original Palace cars. This John Tibule Mendes photo shows 025 running on the Dauphine line on Mardi Gras, 1918. The company re-built the Palace cars later that year, closing in the end vestibules and making other modifications.
Blueprints
Blueprint of the “1918 Remodeling” of the Palace cars by NORwy&Lt. At this time, the company also re-numbered the cars. They assigned these cars 600- and 700-series numbers.
St. Louis World’s Fair 1904
St. Louis Car Company designed the Palace cars for use at the Louisiana Purchase Centennial Exposition in 1904. The exposition grounds featured a 10-mile streetcar route around the perimeter. Palace cars brought visitors around the exhibits and pavillions.
Zoom-in of the exhibition map showing the “Intramural Railway.”
Canal/Esplanade Belts
The first Palace cars ran on the Canal Line. When more cars arrived in 1903, they went to work on the Esplanade line. The two lines began “belt” service. We outline the route in Podcast Episode 10, “Riding the Belt.”
This 1918 image shows NORwy&Lt 630, running on the Canal Belt. The streetcar heads down City Park Avenue, towards Bayou St. John. It turns left at the bayou, onto Wisner, then a quick right, onto the Esplanade Avenue bridge. From there, the line continued down Esplanade to N. Rampart.
This Franck Studios photo shows a Palace streetcar on Esplanade Avenue. The company ran this streetcar to document the clearances on the neutral ground, in response to a lawsuit. The car’s roll sign is set for “WEST END.” Date: 8-October-1921.
1929 Strike
This photo shows the remains of a Palace car burned on Canal Street 7-July-1929. The company brought out a single streetcar operated by management employees. Motormen, conductors, and supporters turned it over and set it afire.
Buy my books! Edward Branley is the author of six books on New Orleans history. They’re available from local booksellers and all the usual online suspects.
Buy me a coffee on Ko-fi dot com. I just love this concept as a way to say thank you/tip creators you enjoy. Our idea of monetization is buying books and having us come to speak. If you see me at a coffee shop, stop and say hi. Otherwise, I’ll raise coffee cup to you if you treat me.
Become a patron. Yes, we’re on Patreon. A lot of creators use the platform for direct monetization, and that’s great for them. We don’t have “exclusive content” for patrons. Still, if you think our history stuff is worth a dollar a month, go join!
Podcast 47 is the first of a four-part series on early New Orleans street railways. We’re talking about streetcars that pre-date our iconic arch roof streetcars from 1923, and the red streetcars from 2004. Beginning with the origins of public transit with omnibuses to steam railroad lines, to mule-drawn streetcars, we present getting around before electrification.
The New Orleans and Carrollton Railroad (NO&CRR) launched the first street rail line, from Baronne Street to Carrollton in 1835. This was a steam-powered line. This 1830s illustration of the Carrollton Hotel shows the steam locomotive for the Carrollton line on the left.
As Uptown expanded, residents complained about the smoke and noise of the train. NO&CRR switched from steam railroad operations to mule-drawn streetcars in the 1840s. They used Stephenson Co. “bobtail” streetcars pulled by mules.
Downtown Bobtails
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The New Orleans City Railrod Company (NOCRR) inaugurated the Canal and Esplanade lines in 1861. While trying other streetcar models, they quickly settled on the Stephenson bobtails as well.
Facilities
After switching from steam power to mule power, NO&CRR built a barn at St. Charles and Napoleon Avenues. This is the layout of that corner, via the Robinson Atlas of 1883.
Esplanade streetcar approaching the Esplanade barn, 1864
Esplanade Station, 1883
Four Ways to Support NOLA History Guy
Buy my books! Edward Branley is the author of six books on New Orleans history. They’re available from local booksellers and all the usual online suspects.
Buy me a coffee on Ko-fi dot com. I just love this concept as a way to say thank you/tip creators you enjoy. Our idea of monetization is buying books and having us come to speak. If you see me at a coffee shop, stop and say hi. Otherwise, I’ll raise coffee cup to you if you treat me.
Become a patron. Yes, we’re on Patreon. A lot of creators use the platform for direct monetization, and that’s great for them. We don’t have “exclusive content” for patrons. Still, if you think our history stuff is worth a dollar a month, go join!
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