Adrien de Pauger (born ca. 1685 or 1682, died 9 June 1726)"Designer of New Orleans", by Charles L. Dufour, in the

New Orleans Times-Picayune ''The Times-Picayune , The New Orleans Advocate'' (commonly called ''The Times-Picayune'' or the ''T-P'') is an American newspaper published in New Orleans, Louisiana. Ancestral publications of other names date back to January 25, 1837. The cu ...

, printed September 26, 1954 was the French engineer and

cartographer Cartography (; from , 'papyrus, sheet of paper, map'; and , 'write') is the study and practice of making and using maps. Combining science, aesthetics and technique, cartography builds on the premise that reality (or an imagined reality) can ...

who designed the streets of the Vieux Carre, today known as the "French Quarter", and drew the original map of the city that became

New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

Louisiana Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...

. De Pauger was appointed in 1720 by

Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville (; ; February 23, 1680 – March 7, 1767), also known as Sieur de Bienville, was a French-Canadian colonial administrator in New France. Born in Montreal, he was an early governor of French Louisiana, appo ...

to draw up the plans for the new city. De Pauger arrived in the settlement on March 29, 1721. The plan was completed later in 1721, which was a significant step to establishing permanence in the French settlement.History of St. Louis Cathedral
, accessed March 10, 2012. De Pauger also selected many of the street names such as

Bourbon Street Bourbon Street (, ) is a historic street in the heart of the French Quarter of New Orleans. Extending twelve blocks from Canal Street to Esplanade Avenue, Bourbon Street is famous for its many bars and strip clubs. Tourist numbers have b ...

and Royal Street as well as others. Pie Dufour, New Orleans Times Picayune, September 26, 1954, p. 42. This street plan is still in place today. Working with Bienville's chief engineer Pierre Le Blond de La Tour, they impressed slave labor to construct the settlement making use of water-resistant cypress wood for raised cottage construction. Slaves under de Pauger labored under the rules of

Code Noir The (, ''Black code'') was a decree passed by King Louis XIV, Louis XIV of France in 1685 defining the conditions of Slavery in France, slavery in the French colonial empire and served as the code for slavery conduct in the French colonies ...

, which defined the conditions of slaves in the

French Colonial Empire The French colonial empire () comprised the overseas Colony, colonies, protectorates, and League of Nations mandate, mandate territories that came under French rule from the 16th century onward. A distinction is generally made between the "Firs ...

. Mel Leavitt, "A Short History of New Orleans", Lexikos Publishing, 1982, , pp 29 - 34.

Biloxi, Mississippi Biloxi ( ; ) is a city in Harrison County, Mississippi, United States. It lies on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast in southern Mississippi, bordering the city of Gulfport, Mississippi, Gulfport to its west. The adjacent cities ar ...

, was the original seaport near the mouth of the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the main stem, primary river of the largest drainage basin in the United States. It is the second-longest river in the United States, behind only the Missouri River, Missouri. From its traditional source of Lake Ita ...

for the French colonies. De Pauger successfully lobbied Bienville to have the seat of government of these colonies moved from Biloxi to New Orleans. As a member of the "superior council" overseeing the Louisiana colonies at the time, De Pauger also pressed for establishing a deep water port at New Orleans, in addition to the one already in existence at Biloxi. De Pauger's belief was based on his survey of the mouth of the Mississippi River which showed that the mouth had regions sufficiently deep to allow passage of ships drawing fifteen feet of water. Only later would this deep water port at New Orleans be established, opening a major seaway for exports of the agricultural output from the middle of the Mississippi River Valley."Louisiana: A History in Three Volumes", Alcée Fortier, ed., Century Historical Association, 1914, Vol. II, pp. 296-7. Following the example of his project in New Orleans, de Pauger designed in 1725 the early settlement that became the city of

Mobile, Alabama Mobile ( , ) is a city and the county seat of Mobile County, Alabama, United States. The population was 187,041 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. After a successful vote to annex areas west of the city limits in July 2023, Mobil ...

, including Fort Condé, the fort built to defend the new settlement. The 1724 plan for Saint Louis Parish Church, New Orleans, Louisiana, by Adrien de Pauger is shown at right. The church was built following his design and was dedicated on Christmas Eve in 1727. The

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

established a parish around the church that de Pauger designed, the parish beginning in 1720. The original church was subsequently destroyed by fire on 21 March 1788, part of the Great New Orleans Fire of 1788. Its replacement became the St. Louis Cathedral. De Pauger died on June 9, 1726. It is believed that he was buried in the not-yet-completed Saint Louis Parish Church by his request. Pauger Street in New Orleans is named in de Pauger's honor. This street originates in the old time suburb that is today known as

Faubourg Marigny The Faubourg Marigny ( ; sometimes called The Marigny) is a Neighborhoods in New Orleans, neighborhood of the city of New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. Its boundaries, as defined by the City Planning Commission, are Rampart Street, North R ...

, with the street extending through the Faubourg Treme area before merging with Cameron Boulevard at Filmore Avenue in the Gentilly section of New Orleans. These neighborhoods are all near the original

French Quarter The French Quarter, also known as the (; ; ), is the oldest neighborhood in the city of New Orleans. After New Orleans () was founded in 1718 by Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville, the city developed around the ("Old Square" in English), a ...

References

External links

de Pauger's original plan for New Orleans
at the Encyclopedia of Louisiana History, accessed March 5, 2012. {{DEFAULTSORT:Pauger, Adrien de Date of birth unknown 1726 deaths French engineers 18th-century French cartographers 18th century in New Orleans People of Louisiana (New France)