Perseverance Hall No. 4 is a historic building within the Louis Armstrong Park 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 ...

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. Originally a

Masonic lodge A Masonic lodge (also called Freemasons' lodge, or private lodge or constituent lodge) is the basic organisational unit of Freemasonry. It is also a commonly used term for a building where Freemasons meet and hold their meetings. Every new l ...

, it was built between 1819 and 1820, making it the oldest Masonic temple in Louisiana. Its historic significance is based on its use for dances, where Louisiana Creole jazz performers and bands reportedly played for black and white audiences. Various organizations, both black and white, rented Perseverance Hall for dances, concerts, Monday night banquets, and recitals. The building was used by multiple masonic lodges, mainly Persévérance no. 4 (FR), but also l'Etoile Polaire no. 1 (FR), Germania Lodge no. 46 (AASR), Amor Fraternal no. 4 (AASR), Trinosophes no. 1 (AASR), Perfect Union no. 1 (YR). During the early 20th century, some bands, such as the Golden Rule Band, were barred from appearing at Perseverance Hall, apparently because management considered them too undignified for the place. The building also served as a terminal point for

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parades involving white and black bands. During the 1920s and 1930s, well past the formative years of jazz, various jazz bands played there. Perseverance Hall was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

on October 2, 1973.

References

Masonic buildings completed in 1820 Greek Revival architecture in Louisiana Masonic buildings in Louisiana Buildings and structures in New Orleans Clubhouses on the National Register of Historic Places in Louisiana National Register of Historic Places in New Orleans {{Louisiana-NRHP-stub