Frenchmen Street is a street in the 7th Ward of New Orleans, Louisiana. It is best known for the three-block section in the Faubourg Marigny neighborhood which since the 1980s has developed as the center of many popular live-music venues.
Frenchmen Street runs from the intersection with Esplanade Avenue just inland from the Mississippi River, back to the Gentilly neighborhood.
History The oldest and best-known section of Frenchmen Street is in the Faubourg Marigny, now a neighborhood of New Orleans just downriver from the Vieux Carré or French Quarter. This area was once the plantation of Bernard de Marigny, a wealthy Creole political leader.
In 1806, Marigny subdivided his property to sell lots and develop a residential area. Many of the remaining houses in this area were built during the nineteenth century. Frenchmen Street "was named after six French men who were executed after leading an uprising" after France ceded Louisiana to Spain following its defeat by Great Britain in the Seven Years' War.
The Frenchmen Street entertainment district began developing in the 1980s. As Bourbon Street became dominated by tourism, Frenchmen developed as a spot for locals to enjoy live music. The neighborhood attracted venues that were more geared toward authentic New Orleans musical and gastronomical tastes.
Residing on some of the highest ground in the city, Frenchmen Street survived relatively unscathed in 2005 from the widespread destruction of Hurricane Katrina. In the recovery period, the city designated the street as an official arts and entertainment district. It was patronized by both people who came to New Orleans to help rebuild, and by visitors who sought authentic local music.
Frenchmen Street was featured on the HBO series Tremé. See also List of streets of New Orleans
References
External links
Frenchmen Street Live