Coca-Cola on Canal Street

Postcard of Canal Street from the 1950s, Two arch roof streetcars NOPSI 910 and 929, prepare to head outbound on the Canal (Cemeteries) line. NOPSI 929 stands on the outbound track. Car 910 will merge in behind it, on schedule. Behind these two streetcars stand three more arch roofs. It’s likely this is a rush-hour point.

While the streetcars are always fun, particularly with a color photo, the story today is about the neon sign above them. That Coca-Cola sign stands atop 111 Canal Street, the original bottling plant for the Louisiana Coca-Cola Bottling Company. Coke caught on like wildfire in New Orleans when it arrived in 1904. The company quickly outgrew this location, moving up to Canal and N. Robertson Streets. In 1947, the company, owned by A. B. Freeman, re-located to Norman C. Francis Parkway in Mid-City, eventually heading out to the Elmwood Industrial Park in Jefferson Parish.

Railroad connection

The company continued to use the 111 Canal Street building as office and warehouse space. Its proximity to the L&N railroad extended the building’s value. So, naturally, Coca-Cola did something they do very well–advertised! Unfortunately, we don’t have a color photo of the neon clock and sigh, but this Franck Studios shot from 1953 shows it lit up. The bottom of the sign features ships along the river, docking at the wharf.

I’m working with some folks on a Canal Street project that may involve a walking tour of the shopping district. So, I’m pulling up a lot of then-and-now photos. The Coca-Cola building is, alas, long gone. In its place stands an Entergy electrical substation. It’s between the Aquarium of the Americas (which stands on the sight of the old Louisville and Nashville Railroad terminal) and One Canal Place. I’m not sure how much of all this will make it into a walking tour, however. It’s tough to tell the story of a corner that spans over a century in a minute and a half.

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