French Market
New Orleans
The French Market is the historic market of New Orleans, in the French Quarter near the river. Its buildings with long roofs stretch out alongside the water.
From the levee to the long roofs
The city's first market was in the open air, on the levee by the river. Around 1782 the first building went up, and in 1790 the market moved nearby. Several hurricanes destroyed the first structures.
The oldest buildings
Some buildings from the 1800s are still standing. In 1822 the city designed one, finished in 1830. Later came the warehouses known as the Red Stores and a bazaar.
The great renewal
In 1932 the merchants set up a corporation to run the market. The project was paid for jointly by the city, the merchants and the federal government. From 1936 the work renewed the old buildings and added new ones. The farmers' market was born too, under long roofs.
The market in the 1970s
In the 1970s there was a second big renewal. Two new buildings went up, along with a new farmers' market. The long roofs give shade in the hottest hours. Families love strolling underneath them. It is a nice place for a break in the shade, looking up at the long roofs.
