Magazine Street

Magazine Street
Name	Magazine Street
Location	New Orleans, Louisiana, United States
Direction a	Northeast
Direction b	Southwest
Termini a	Jackson Square
Termini b	Algiers/Audubon Park
Known for	Shopping, Dining, Historic Architecture

Magazine Street Magazine Street is a major commercial corridor and historic avenue in New Orleans, Louisiana, running from the French Quarter past the Garden District toward Audubon Park and Algiers. The street intersects or borders neighborhoods including the Central Business District (New Orleans), Uptown, Irish Channel, and Lower Garden District, and has been shaped by events such as Hurricane Katrina and urban renewal programs like the Historic District Landmarks Commission designations. It hosts institutions connected to Tulane University, Loyola University New Orleans, and cultural organizations tied to Mardi Gras and the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival.

History

Magazine Street traces its origins to the colonial era when French Louisiana and Spanish Louisiana urban plans produced warehouses and military depots near Jackson Square and along the Mississippi River. During the antebellum period, trade routes tied the avenue to plantations, the Port of New Orleans, and businesses involved in the Cotton trade and Sugar plantation economies. The street witnessed transformations during the American Civil War, with nearby sites connected to the Battle of New Orleans (1815) legacy and later Reconstruction-era commercial expansion. In the 20th century, waves of immigration from Ireland, Italy, and the Caribbean influenced local commerce, while preservation efforts led by groups like the Vieux Carré Commission and the National Trust for Historic Preservation shaped conservation policy. Post-1960s urban shifts, including cross-town initiatives tied to the Interstate 10 in New Orleans project and the rise of the National Register of Historic Places, redefined land use along the corridor.

Geography and Route

Magazine Street extends approximately six miles southwest from the edge of the French Quarter near Jackson Square through the Lower Garden District adjacent to Lafayette Cemetery No. 1 and the Garden District bordering St. Charles Avenue. It continues past the Audubon Park and the Tulane University campus toward Algiers via the Canal Street and Carrollton Avenue corridors. The route crosses waterways and former bayous connected to Lake Pontchartrain hydrology and lies within the floodplain influenced by projects from the United States Army Corps of Engineers and levee systems associated with the Flood Control Act of 1928 and post-Hurricane Katrina levee reforms.

Architecture and Landmarks

Built environments along the avenue include examples of Creole townhouse and Greek Revival residences as well as commercial storefronts reflecting Victorian architecture and Italianate architecture. Notable nearby landmarks and institutions include Lafayette Cemetery No. 1, the Gallier House, the Commander's Palace dining institution, and campus buildings of Tulane University and Loyola University New Orleans. Historic districts recognized by the National Register of Historic Places and local designation bodies feature mansions connected to families involved with the Antebellum South and architects influenced by James Gallier Sr. and Benjamin Henry Latrobe. Cultural venues include galleries linked to the New Orleans Museum of Art circuit and performance spaces associated with the Saenger Theatre legacy.

Commerce and Culture

The street supports a mix of independent boutiques, antique dealers, music stores tied to Dixieland and jazz traditions, and restaurants reflecting Creole cuisine and Cajun cuisine influences. Retail and dining venues have relationships with festivals such as Mardi Gras, the French Quarter Festival, and the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, and with organizations like the New Orleans Tourism Marketing Corporation and the Vieux Carré Commission. Local small businesses coordinate with civic groups including the Magazine Street Merchant Association and neighborhood associations connected to the Garden District Association. Cultural life also intersects with museums and literary institutions like the Historic New Orleans Collection and events honoring figures such as Louis Armstrong, Fats Domino, and Wendell Pierce.

Transportation and Accessibility

The avenue is served by municipal transit routes run by the New Orleans Regional Transit Authority and lies near streetcar lines on St. Charles Avenue and the Riverfront Streetcar corridor, with connections to Canal Street and the Iberville Street networks. Bicycle infrastructure initiatives and pedestrian-oriented planning have been promoted by organizations including GotBike and the Sierra Club’s local chapters, while city transportation planning involves agencies such as the New Orleans City Planning Commission and state entities like the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development. Parking management, traffic calming, and access for delivery vehicles are subject to ordinances enacted by the New Orleans City Council.

Preservation and Development

Historic preservation efforts balance commercial development pressures from investors, developers, and institutions such as J.P. Morgan Chase and local banks with conservation goals championed by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the Historic District Landmarks Commission, and neighborhood groups. Redevelopment projects have involved adaptive reuse of warehouses and nuts-and-bolts retrofits influenced by zoning changes enacted under administrations of mayors including Mitch Landrieu and Ray Nagin. Post-disaster recovery funding from agencies like the Federal Emergency Management Agency and programs administered by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development have shaped rebuilding priorities, while tax-credit programs tied to the Internal Revenue Service historic rehabilitation tax credit incentivized restoration.

Notable Events and Incidents

The avenue has been a locus for public celebrations tied to Mardi Gras parades and second-line processions associated with local social aid and pleasure clubs such as Zulu Social Aid & Pleasure Club and Treme Brass Band performances. It has also been affected by flooding during Hurricane Katrina and other tropical cyclones including Hurricane Isaac (2012), prompting emergency responses coordinated with the Federal Emergency Management Agency and local agencies. Community-organized events, street fairs, and incidents involving commercial disputes have drawn attention from media outlets like the Times-Picayune and the Advocate (Louisiana). Legal and civic controversies have sometimes involved litigation at the level of the Louisiana Supreme Court and policy debates in the New Orleans City Council.

Category:Streets in New Orleans