Royal Street Architecture Walk

The iron you see on Royal Street between Canal and Esplanade tells you which half of the nineteenth century you're looking at. Wrought iron was hand-forged before the 1850s — individual pieces shaped by blacksmiths. Cast iron came after, poured into molds. Both types line the same blocks, layered over each other like sediment. New Orleans was founded in 1718 on relatively high ground along a sharp bend in the Mississippi. The site gave the French control of the entire Mississippi River Valley and sat adjacent to the portage route between the river and Lake Pontchartrain via Bayou St. John. The city became the largest port in the Southern United States during the nineteenth century, exporting most of the nation's cotton and other farm products to Western Europe and New England. What you're walking through on Royal Street is the physical record of that growth: Spanish colonial buildings, Creole townhouses, American Greek Revival facades, all pressed together in one of the best-preserved historic streetscapes in America. The 300–700 blocks close to vehicle traffic during the day and fill with street musicians and gallery openings. Walk slowly. Every carriageway leads to a courtyard you can't see from the street.