User:Thenoirroze/Lafayette Sq

Lafayette Square (New Orleans)

Lafayette Square is the second-oldest public park in New Orleans, Louisiana (after Jackson Square), located in the present-day Central Business District. During the late 18th century, this was part of a residential area called Faubourg Sainte Marie (English: St. Mary Suburb).

The park was designed in 1788 by Charles Laveau Trudeau aka Don Carlos Trudeau (1743–1816), Surveyor General of Louisiana under the Spanish government; who later served as New Orleans' acting mayor in 1812, after Louisiana statehood. The Square was named after Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette, a French aristocrat and general who fought on the American side in the American Revolutionary War. The park has a bronze statue of Henry Clay in the center of the park, and statues of John McDonogh and Benjamin Franklin on St. Charles Avenue and Camp Street.

Gallier Hall, the former City Hall of New Orleans faces the square on St. Charles Avenue. Although the city government has moved elsewhere, the square is still used for inaugurations and civic events. The square also often hosts live music.

From 1834 to 1938 First Presbyterian Church of New Orleans occupied much of the Western side of the square and was the tallest steeple in the city. It was from this steeple that General Benjamin Butler used the bell to ring curfew during the occupation of New Orleans (1862–65) during the American Civil War. Most of the architectural elements (including the bell) were moved to First Presbyterian's subsequent location at the corner of South Claiborne and Jefferson Avenues in New Orleans.

Hurricane Katrina severely damaged the trees in the park, with broken glass and debris from nearby buildings making the park unsafe. A group of neighborhood residents and downtown workers formed a charitable organization, the Lafayette Square Conservancy, to transform it into a premier urban space.

Monuments

Statue of Henry Clay, New Orleans, 2021

The Statue of Henry Clay was erected April 12, 1860. It originally stood in the center of Canal street until an ordinance was passed that relocated the statue to the center of the Lafayette square in September of 1900. The statue was created in honor of Henry Clay and his many connections to the city after the citizens raised money for its creation as a result to his death.

Statue of John McDonogh, New Orleans, 2021

The statue of John McDonogh was created in 1898. John McDonogh was a merchant who left $704,440 for public schools in New Orleans. The money was used to expand the public school system. This statue originally stood in Lafayette Square.

The Statue of Benjamin Franklin, New Orleans, 2021

The statue of Benjamin Franklin was erected in 1926. It stands along the Camp Street side of the park. It was a gift to New Orleans from Henry Wadsworth Gustine. Inscribed on the statue are the words "Save While You are Young/ To Spend While You are Old/ One Penny Saved is Better/ Than Two Pennies Earned."

See also

• Uptown New Orleans#City of Lafayette
• Faubourg Lafayette

External links

• Lafayette Square Conservancy