The Cabildo was the seat of colonial government in
New Orleans, LouisianaNew Orleans is a major U.S. port and the largest city in the state of Louisiana. New Orleans is the center of the New Orleans Metropolitan Area, the largest metro area in the state....
, and is now a museum. The Cabildo is located along Jackson Square, adjacent to
St. Louis CathedralSaint Louis Cathedral , also known as the Basilica of St. Louis, King of France, has the distinction of being the oldest continuously operating cathedral in the United States. The first church on the site was built in 1718. The third church, built in 1789, was raised to cathedral rank in 1793...
.
The original Cabildo was destroyed in the
Great New Orleans Fire (1788)The Great New Orleans Fire was a fire that destroyed 856 of the 1,100 structures in New Orleans, Louisiana on March 21, 1788, spanning the south central French Quarter from Burgundy to Chartres Street, almost to the riverfront buildings....
. The Cabildo was rebuilt between 1795-99 as the home of the
SpanishSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain , is a country located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.
[The Spanish constitution does not establish any official denomination of the country, even though España , Estado español and Nación española are used interchangeably...]
municipal government in New Orleans, and the
mansard roofA Mansard or mansard roof in architecture refers to a style of hip roof characterized by two slopes on each of its four sides with the lower slope being much steeper, almost a vertical wall, while the upper slope, usually not visible from the ground, is pitched at the minimum needed to shed water...
was later added, in French style. The building took its name from the governing body who met there — the "Illustrious
CabildoFor a discussion of the contemporary Spanish and Latin American cabildo, see Ayuntamiento.A cabildo or ayuntamiento was a former Spanish, colonial administrative council that governed a municipality. Cabildos were sometimes appointed, sometimes elected, but were considered to be representative of...
," or city council.
The Cabildo was the seat of colonial government in
New Orleans, LouisianaNew Orleans is a major U.S. port and the largest city in the state of Louisiana. New Orleans is the center of the New Orleans Metropolitan Area, the largest metro area in the state....
, and is now a museum. The Cabildo is located along Jackson Square, adjacent to
St. Louis CathedralSaint Louis Cathedral , also known as the Basilica of St. Louis, King of France, has the distinction of being the oldest continuously operating cathedral in the United States. The first church on the site was built in 1718. The third church, built in 1789, was raised to cathedral rank in 1793...
.
History
The original Cabildo was destroyed in the
Great New Orleans Fire (1788)The Great New Orleans Fire was a fire that destroyed 856 of the 1,100 structures in New Orleans, Louisiana on March 21, 1788, spanning the south central French Quarter from Burgundy to Chartres Street, almost to the riverfront buildings....
. The Cabildo was rebuilt between 1795-99 as the home of the
SpanishSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain , is a country located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.
[The Spanish constitution does not establish any official denomination of the country, even though España , Estado español and Nación española are used interchangeably...]
municipal government in New Orleans, and the
mansard roofA Mansard or mansard roof in architecture refers to a style of hip roof characterized by two slopes on each of its four sides with the lower slope being much steeper, almost a vertical wall, while the upper slope, usually not visible from the ground, is pitched at the minimum needed to shed water...
was later added, in French style. The building took its name from the governing body who met there — the "Illustrious
CabildoFor a discussion of the contemporary Spanish and Latin American cabildo, see Ayuntamiento.A cabildo or ayuntamiento was a former Spanish, colonial administrative council that governed a municipality. Cabildos were sometimes appointed, sometimes elected, but were considered to be representative of...
," or city council. The Cabildo was the site of the
Louisiana PurchaseThe Louisiana Purchase was the acquisition by the United States of America of of the French territory Louisiana in 1803. The U.S...
transfer ceremonies in 1803, and continued to be used by the New Orleans city council until the mid 1850s.
The building's main hall, the
Sala Capitular ("Meeting Room"), was originally utilized as a
courtroomA courtroom is the actual enclosed space in which a judge regularly holds court.The schedule of official court proceedings is called a docket; the term is also synonymous with a court's caseload as a whole....
. The Spanish used the courtroom from 1799-1803, and from 1803-1812 it was used by the Louisiana territorial superior court. After the
American Civil WarThe American Civil War , also known as the War Between the States and several other names, was a civil war in the United States of America. Eleven Southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America...
, it was the home of the Louisiana Supreme Court from 1868-1910. The Sala Capitular was the site of several landmark court cases, including
Plessy v. FergusonPlessy v. Ferguson, 163 U.S. 537 , is a landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision in the jurisprudence of the United States, upholding the constitutionality of racial segregation even in public accommodations , under the doctrine of "separate but equal".The decision was handed down by a vote of 7 to 1...
.
In 1911 the Cabildo became the home of the
Louisiana State MuseumThe Louisiana State Museum , founded in New Orleans in 1906 and still headquartered there, is a complex of National Historic Landmarks housing thousands of artifacts and works of art reflecting Louisiana's legacy of historic events and cultural diversity....
. The museum displays exhibits about the history of Louisiana from its settlement up through the Reconstruction era, and the heritage of the ethnic groups that live there.
It was declared a
National Historic LandmarkA National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance. All NHLs are listed in the National Register of Historic Places...
in 1960.
The Cabildo was extensively damaged by a fire in February 1988, which destroyed the cupola and the entire third floor,
but it was restored and reopened to the public in 1994. In 2005, the Cabildo survived
Hurricane KatrinaHurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was the costliest hurricane, as well as one of the five deadliest, in the history of the United States...
, which passed 30 miles (48
kmKM, Km, or km may stand for:*Kilometre *KM - the Michaelis constant in Michaelis-Menten kinetics*Kernel methods*Kettle Moraine High School*Khmer language...
) east of downtown, with relatively minor damage.
See also
- Vieux Carre
Vieux Carre may refer to:*New Orleans's French Quarter* Vieux Carré, a play by Tennessee Williams*, a cocktail invented in and named for the historic New Orleans district*Vieux Carré is an american absinthe produced by Philadelphia Distilling....
- the surrounding area.
- Louisiana Purchase
The Louisiana Purchase was the acquisition by the United States of America of of the French territory Louisiana in 1803. The U.S...
Days after Hurricane Katrina, the Louisiana State Police used the business offices of the Cabildo to set up what was called Troop N. The "N" was a designate for New Orleans. From the Cabildo, Louisiana State Troopers patrolled the streets of the city along with other state police agencies from New Mexico and New York.
External links