ABSTRACT

Established by Jean-Baptiste de Bienville in 1718, New Orleans’ gridiron plan was identical to other eighteenth century French colonial towns in North America such as St. Louis, Missouri and Mobile, Alabama. Likewise, New Orleans’ main public square at its center, eccentrically disposed toward the water’s edge, was initially a place d’armes used primarily as a parade ground for the militia (Reps 1965: 78-81). It remained open and unplanted until the 1850s when it was transformed into a landscaped park with a statue of Andrew Jackson at its center.