Recording and PDF of the talk, “The Royal Blue Line” by Edward.
‘The Royal Blue Line” on Napoleon Avenue
Thanks to everyone who came out Tuesday to hear the talk on the Napoleon Streetcar at the Jefferson Parish Library’s East Bank Regional Branch. PDF of the presentation and the recording of the talk are included here.
Streetcars ran on Napoleon Avenue from 1850 to 1953. The New Orleans & Carrollton Railroad (NO&CRR) operated the “Carrollton” line, later the “St. Charles” line, beginning in 1831. They began with steam train service, which morphed into mule-drawn streetcars in 1845. In 1850, NO&CRR extended their operations with a branch line on Napoleon Avenue. Starting at St. Charles Avenue, the line ran down Napoleon, to Tchoupitoulas Street. Turntables on either end turned the streetcars around.
Electrification
The Napoleon Branch line electrified in 1893, along with the main Carrollton line. Napoleon was arguably the first electric streetcar line in the city. NO&CRR installed their power station for the line in a building at Napoleon and Tchoupitoulas. That building still stands, across the street from Tipitina’s. So, to power the St. Charles line, the company ran wires up Napoleon Avenue. That means the electric cars operated on the branch first!
Once the lines operated with electric cars, the company extended the Napoleon Branch to Canal Street.
Royal Blue
In 1903, a new player entered the streetcar game in New Orleans. The Orleans and Jefferson Railway announced the creation of the “Royal Blue Line,” operating from St. Charles and Napoleon, up to Metairie Road. They extended the line out Metairie Road to the 17th Street Canal, at the parish line. In 1915, the line, now operated by New Orleans Railway and Light Company (NORwy&Lt) opened the “Shrewsbury Extension” of the Royal Blue Line. The line ran all the way out to Severn Avenue and Airline Highway. In 1934, New Orleans Public Service, Incorporated (NOPSI) converted the Metairie Road segment to bus service.
In 1953, NOPSI converted the remaining Napoleon line to bus service. New Orleans Regional Transit Authority (NORTA) operates the line as Route 9, Broad/Napoleon.
“Al Scramuzza Way” at Johnny Bright Playground in Metairie, courtesy WGNO-TV
Al Scramuzza passes at 97
So, we lost Al Scramuzza, the owner of the late, lamented Seafood City, yesterday. He was 97. It was hard to avoid Seafood City’s television ads back in the 1980s. Scramuzza’s aggressive promotion of crawfish over crabs and shrimp increased the popularity of the mudbug. Crawfish were more of a Southwest Louisiana thing up until the 1980s. As their popularity increased, farm-raised mudbugs increased their availability and lowered their cost. Urban stores like Seafood City bought live crawfish from the the swamps. They boiled them, selling the spicy red crustaceans by the pound.
Seafood City became the city’s go-to for live and boiled crawfish. Boiled crawfish on a lenten Friday? Seafood City took care of you. You wanted to have a boil at your house? Go see Al.
And the commercials! So wonderfully local. Al stood tall, along with other local icons like The Special Man.
Talking Baseball
So, throughout my college years in the late 70s and teaching in the 80s, I experienced Al Scramuzza like most folks, watching the commercials and picking up crawfish for gatherings of friends. That changed in the late 90s, however. My now-36 year-old firstborn played soccer at Lafreniere Park and other sports at Johnny Bright Playground, on Cleary Drive, just off Veterans (behind the McDonald’s, if you know #themetrys).
The firstborn enjoyed soccer. I insisted he branch out, however. He played basketball and baseball at the playground. It wasn’t that I dreamt of him playing for LSU or anything. I just wanted him to have basic skills so that he wouldn’t be totally useless in a pickup game later in life.
All-Stars
When he got to Under-10 baseball, things got a bit more serious. At the younger ages, coaches/dads pitched to the boys. Eight-year-olds used a pitching machine. By U-10, however, they actually pitched. Additionally the kids moved into the world of inter-playground all-star teams. That’s when I met Coach. I saw him come over to the field where my boy’s team practiced, to talk to the coach. A mom turned to a dad and asked, is that Al Scramuzza? The dad said, “yes, they call him ‘The Commissioner.’ He handles all the all-star team stuff.
Scramuzza was that grandpa who stuck with the playground, even after his family aged out. He offered the continuity Johnny Bright Playground needed when coordinating with the other neighborhoods.
My boy only played all-stars that one summer, his U-10 season. I’m glad he benefited from having “Coach Al” around.
The Crescent and Airline were popular for drive-in summertime.
Drive-in Summertime for the movies
Two views of the Crescent Drive-in, in the 1601 block of Airline Highway, and one of the Airline Drive-in, down the street at 4000 Airline. While there was a drive-in theater in Lakeview during World War II, these theaters peaked in low-value locations in Jefferson and St. Bernard Parishes.
Before Maison Blanche
McKenzie’s, 1759 Air-Line Highway
The Crescent appealed to folks in Mid-City New Orleans. While it was two miles or so to the west of S. Carrollton and Tulane Avenues, developers built the drive-in on (at the time) low-value property. Additionally, a small strip center popped up next to the drive-in. McKenzie’s opened there first, in 1951. It was the first McKenzie’s in Jefferson Parish.
The vibe of drive-in summertime at the Crescent lasted into the fifties. Property values skyrocketed after WWII. It made more sense to develop the drive-in for other purposes. So, the owners of the Crescent moved further out of town. They opened the Airline in 1950. That drive-in lasted until 1980. A Sam’s Club store now stands on the site.
This photo of the Airline’s marquee displays the Gene Kelly-Frank Sinatra movie “On The Town.” While the movie opened in theaters in 1949, it migrated to the drive-in a few months later, in 1950.
Theater to Department Store
Crescent’s marquee in 1956, after it was re-developed.
So, the Crescent shut down. Developers constructed the Airline Village Shopping Center. Maison Blanche leased space there. They moved the Carrollton to Airline Village. MB converted Carrollton into a “Budget Store.” Airline became the chain’s first store outside of the city. MB promoted the new store on the Crescent’s marquee until a proper sign for the shopping center could be constructed.
When MB opened the store in Clearview Shopping Center, Airline remained for several years. The short distance between Old Metairie to Airline Village enabled the chain to keep the store alive. This was in marked contrast to Gentilly, where Gentilly Woods immediately closed upon the opening of The Plaza at Lake Forest.
All three photos here are from Franck Studios, courtesy THNOC.
The current Norfolk Southern Back Belt dates back to the beginning of the 20th century.
Norfolk Southern Back Belt in 1918
Map of New Orleans Terminal Company (NOTC) trackage as of 30-June-1918. This path across Orleans Parish became known as the “Back Belt,” in comparison to the “Public Belt” route that hugs the river and services the wharves. The NOTC acquired the land for the Back Belt in the early 1900s. While I don’t have documentation, it’s likely no coincidence that merchant and developer Leon Fellman bought the 1201 block of Canal Street. Did he know about the plans of the railroad men? NOTC later merged with the New Orleans and Northeastern Railroad, which in turn merged into the Southern Railway system in 1916. That’s how the route became part of the current Norfolk Southern System.
City bypass
The idea behind the Back Belt was to bypass most of the populated areas of Orleans Parish. The Back Belt originates in Jefferson Parish. It splits off of the former Illinois Central (now Canadian National) main line at Causeway Blvd. That’s the “Shrewsbury” reference on the map. It crossed the New Canal via a bascule bridge just north of Metairie Road. From there, the route crosses the city, then turns towards the river in St. Bernard Parish.
The city naturally developed in succeeding years. Lakeview and Gentilly caught up with the Back Belt by the 1920s. The Levee Board’s land reclamation projects in the 1920s opened up the area. As part of the Works Progress Administration projects of the Great Depression Era, the Back Belt expanded. WPA constructed underpasses at grade crossings throughout the city. So, once the route clears Carrollton Avenue in Metairie, there are no grade crossings for trains until they cross Lake Pontchartrain and reach Slidell.
The Terminal
Terminal Station, late 1910s
NOTC connected the Back Belt to downtown in 1908. They built Terminal Station at Canal and Basin Streets. The route ran adjacent to St. Louis Street through Mid-City. It linked up with the Back Belt at Greenwood Cemetery. Southern Railway used this connection for their “Bernadotte Yard,” so named because the yard started just below the connection point, at Bernadotte and St. Louis Streets.
Terminal Station operated from 1908 to 1954. The city constructed Union Passenger Terminal, shifting all passenger rail operations to the new station. The city demolished Terminal Station in 1956. The link to the Back Belt re-routed to follow the Pontchartrain Expressway. Today, Amtrak’s Crescent route uses that connection. The Back Belt continues to be incredibly busy, used by Norfolk Southern, Union Pacific, CSX, Canadian National/KCS and Amtrak.
Several ads in the Times-Picayune enticing the reader to get started on the spring planting! Guillot’s off S. Carrollton, Perino’s off Causeway, and Arnber off Clearview. They’re all on the same page of the Times-Picayune on 3-March-1962.
Guillot Camellia Gardens
Guillot’s recognized Election Day in this ad. City elections took place this day. The big races were on the Democratic side, runoffs that, for all intents and purposed, determined who would hold office for the next four years. While Guillot’s encouraged everyone to vote, they still pitched getting the spring garden work going.
Guillot Camellia Gardens operated at 8301 Olive Street, just behind the old Cloverleaf/Sealtest Dairy on S. Carrollton and Olive. The dairy closed in the 1980s. The US Postal Service acquired the land. They preserved the front of the old dairy building, So, now the neighborhood post office stands there. Schmelly’s Dirt Garden occupies the location now. It’s a compost/garden soil vendor.
Arnber
In 1962, the corner of Veterans Highway (the change from “highway” to “boulevard” would come years later) and Lime Street was the Arnber Seed and Garden Center. As real estate in Broadmoor and Mid-City grew in value, businesses like nurserys and garden centers migrated out to the suburbs. The cheaper rents in Metairie improved profit margins. Arnber’s promoted azaleas, shade trees, fruit trees, and roses in their 3-March ad. The location, 4640 Veterans is now Leslie’s Pool Supplies.
Perino’s
Perino’s started up at S. Claiborne and S. Carrollton Avenues, across from the streetcar terminal. By 1962, the business had moved to to Metairie. It’s Still There More at 3100 Veterans, just off of Causeway. There wasn’t much around the corner in 1962. Lakeside Shopping Center was growing out and the House of Lee restaurant was directly across from Perino’s. Now, of course, they’re surrounded by all sorts of businesses.
In the 1970s, Hanes, known for ladies hosiery and underwear, held a “once-a-year” sale. Various NOLA stores, Maison Blanche, D.H. Holmes, Labiche’s, and Gus Mayer, participated in the sale. They leveraged ad budgets by placing Hanes-specific ads for the sale. These “co-op” ads were paid for mostly by the manufacturer. So, the store promoted their brand and the product brand at the same time.
The sale in 1973 took place over the weekend of 13-January. NOLA stores enticed women to come in for the pantyhose and other items on sale. It’s fun to look at the styles from the advertising and art departments of the local stores.
Maison Blanche
Sign for Maison Blanche in the parking lot of Westside, August, 1958. Sonny Randon Photography via the West Bank Beacon.
OK, yes, I’m a homer. I wrote a book on MB, so we start there. “Hanes sheer-madness annual sale of fashion hosiery in popular shades.” Note the mail-order form as part of the ad. Stores in 1973 were 901 Canal Street, Airline Village, Clearview, Gentilly Woods (The Plaza wouldn’t open until 1974), and Westside.
Labiche’s
The talented artists at Labiche’s opted for a bolder presentation than MB. A woman wearing nothing but a scarf in her hair and jewelry, and the pantyhose. Gorgeous. Stores for Labiche’s: 714 Canal Street, Carrollton (the old shopping center, where Costco is now), Gentilly Woods, and Westside.
Holmes
Daniel Henry Holmes’ dry good store on Canal Street grew to a number of suburban locations after WWII. In addition to the flagship store, Holmes locations included Lakeside Shopping Center, Oakwood, Baton Rouge, and Houma. While Holmes didn’t have a Gentilly store, they opened a location in The Plaza in 1974.
Gus Mayer
Originally in the 801 block of Canal Street, just up from Holmes, Gus Mayer built a big store across the street in 1948, demolishing the old Pickwick Hotel building. They also participated in the Hanes sale promotion. Gus Mayer operated not only the Canal Street store, but one at Elysian Fields and Gentilly Blvd., as well as Carrollton, Clearview, and Oakwood Shopping Centers. While Gus Mayer ATNM as NOLA stores go, they still have stores in Birmingham, Alabama.
Godchaux’s
Godchaux’s originally occupied the 501 block of Canal, later moving to the 801 block, next to the Boston Club. By the 1970s, they expanded to Lakeside and Edgewater Plaza in Biloxi. Their take on Hanes was different than the other NOLA stores. Godchaux’s opted for a cold-weather appeal,
We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.
Recent Comments