New Orleans French Market 1925 underwent a significant re-design.
French Market 1925
Architectural rendering of the “new” French Market 1925. While the market buildings had undergone minor, quick-fix, repairs since the 1880s, the market required a major facelift by this time. Sam Stone’s firm won the bid for the design. Among many Stone designs in the Central Business District (CBD), the 13-story Maison Blanche Building remains the most-visible.
Public Market
The French Market anchored the city’s Public Market system. The location pre-dates the French colony as a trading post. The indigenous gathered here long before Jean-Baptiste LeMoyne chose the site for his city. Unlike many towns, the market extended along the riverbank. The French and Spanish didn’t change this. So, the locals accessed the market via streets (and later, street railways) as well as boats.
Stone’s design
Sam Stone’s design suggested a major change to the French Market. He proposed building a new structure directly across the street from Jackson Square. The left side of the rendering shows the square’s iron fence and main gate. Across the street stands a “new” Butchers’ Market. The proposal never materialized. The city maintained a clear line of sight from St. Louis Cathedral to the river since 1728.
So, with that exception, the new plan moved forward. The Butchers’ Market remaind in the first building, behind the Cafe’ du Monde Coffee Stand.
Public Market to Retail
Stone’s incarnation of the market stands to this day. The French Market endured several changes in the last century. While this design continued the functionality of the post-Civil War market, commercial air conditioning changed how New Orleanians made groceries in that next decade. A/C allowed the butchers and fishmongers to operate longer each day. Neighborhood groceries installed coolers and their own butcher counters. Locals didn’t have to go to the public markets early in the morning to get fresh meat and poultry. The “truck farmers” designed their own distribution systems to provide those local stores with fresh produce, but that wasn’t as critical. The Vegetable Market continued into mid-century.
The 1920s buildings required renovations and upgrades by the 1980s. Mayor Dutch Morial’s administration supervised that work, which is why part of the back path through the market bears his name, “Dutch Alley.”
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