Gallier Hall is a historic building on St. Charles Avenue in

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 ...

. It is the former New Orleans city hall, and continues in civic use. Built 1845–1853, it is a nationally significant example of Greek Revival architecture, and one of the finest works of architect

James Gallier James Gallier (24 July 1798– 3 October 1866) was a prominent nineteenth-century Ireland, Irish-born American architect, most famed for his buildings in New Orleans. Gallier Hall, which he designed and once served as New Orleans City Hall, is ...

. It was designated a

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a National Register of Historic Places property types, building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the Federal government of the United States, United States government f ...

in 1974.

Description and history

Gallier Hall is located on St. Charles Avenue at Lafayette Square in the

Central Business District A central business district (CBD) is the Commerce, commercial and business center of a city. It contains commercial space and offices, and in larger cities will often be described as a financial district. Geographically, it often coincides wit ...

. The building was originally designed to be the

city hall In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or municipal hall (in the Philippines) is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses the city o ...

of New Orleans by the architect, James Gallier Sr. Construction began in 1845, and the building was dedicated on 10 May 1853. Gallier Hall is a three-story marble structure fronted by two rows of fluted Ionic columns in the

Neoclassical style Neoclassicism, also spelled Neo-classicism, emerged as a Western cultural movement in the decorative and visual arts, literature, theatre, music, and architecture that drew inspiration from the art and culture of classical antiquity. Neoclassici ...

. It is one of the most important structures built during the

antebellum period The ''Antebellum'' South era (from ) was a period in the history of the Southern United States that extended from the conclusion of the War of 1812 to the start of the American Civil War in 1861. This era was marked by the prevalent practi ...

of the city. After its dedication in 1853, Gallier Hall remained the city hall for just over a century. Many important events during the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

Reconstruction Reconstruction may refer to: Politics, history, and sociology *Reconstruction (law), the transfer of a company's (or several companies') business to a new company *''Perestroika'' (Russian for "reconstruction"), a late 20th century Soviet Union ...

, and the era of Louisiana governor

Huey Long Huey Pierce Long Jr. (August 30, 1893September 10, 1935), nicknamed "The Kingfish", was an American politician who served as the 40th governor of Louisiana from 1928 to 1932 and as a United States senator from 1932 until his assassination i ...

took place at Gallier Hall. After the City Hall was moved to the modern complex at Duncan Plaza in the 1950s, old Gallier Hall nonetheless continued its traditional place of honor during

Mardi Gras Mardi Gras (, ; also known as Shrove Tuesday) is the final day of Carnival (also known as Shrovetide or Fastelavn); it thus falls on the day before the beginning of Lent on Ash Wednesday. is French for "Fat Tuesday", referring to it being ...

. Viewing galleries in front of the hall are reserved for Mardi Gras royalty, and parades on the St. Charles route pause in front of them. Marching bands typically perform shows here during the parades. On Mardi Gras Day the

mayor of New Orleans The post of Mayor of the City of New Orleans () has been held by the following individuals since New Orleans came under American administration following the Louisiana Purchase — the 1803 acquisition by the U.S. of of the French province '' ...

toasts the kings of the Zulu Social Aid & Pleasure Club and

Rex Parade The Rex Organization (founded 1872), commonly referred to simply as Rex, is a New Orleans Carnival krewe which stages one of the city's most celebrated parades on New Orleans Mardi Gras, Mardi Gras Day. Rex is Latin for 'Monarch, king', and Rex ...

here. Gallier Hall is currently a convention center, reception hall, and home of the Ty Tracy Theatre, named for the late artistic director of the

New Orleans Recreation Department The New Orleans Recreation Department is the department of the local government of the city of New Orleans, Louisiana USA, that operates and maintains recreational facilities for the people of the city. It is commonly known by the acronym NORD. F ...

(NORD) Theatre. The Ty Tracy Theatre is home to Julie Condy's Crescent City Lights Youth Theatre organization. The building also serves as the venue for special civic functions such as mayoral inaugurations. The remains of particularly distinguished citizens sometimes

lie in state Lying in state is the tradition in which the body of a deceased official, such as a head of state, is placed in a state building, either outside or inside a coffin, to allow the public to pay their respects. It traditionally takes place in a m ...

here following their death, as a sign of deep citywide respect.

References

External links

Gallier Hall Official Website

Gallier Hall in ''KnowLA, Encyclopedia of Louisiana''
{{National Register of Historic Places Buildings and structures in New Orleans National Historic Landmarks in Louisiana Government buildings completed in 1853 Tourist attractions in New Orleans National Register of Historic Places in New Orleans

Description and history

See also

References

External links