Jackson Square
|
|
Jackson Square, with Jackson's statue at center, and Saint Louis Cathedral
|
|
Location | Bounded by Decatur, St. Peter, St. Ann, and Chartres Sts., New Orleans, Louisiana |
---|---|
Coordinates | 29°57′25.93″N 90°3′47.04″W / 29.9572028°N 90.0630667°WCoordinates: 29°57′25.93″N 90°3′47.04″W / 29.9572028°N 90.0630667°W |
Area | 2.5 acres (1.0 ha) |
Built | 1721 |
Architectural style | Other |
Part of | Vieux Carre Historic District (#66000377) |
NRHP Reference # | 66000375 |
Significant dates | |
Added to NRHP | October 15, 1966 |
Designated NHL | October 9, 1960 |
Designated NHLDCP | December 21, 1965 |
Jackson Square is a historic park in the French Quarter of New Orleans, Louisiana. It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1960, for its central role in the city's history, and as the site where in 1803 Louisiana was made United States territory pursuant to the Louisiana Purchase. In 2012 the American Planning Association designated Jackson Square as one of America’s Great Public Spaces.
Jackson Square was designed after the famous 17th-century Place des Vosges in Paris, France, by the architect and landscape architect Louis H. Pilié. Jackson Square is roughly the size of a city block (GPS +29.95748 -090.06310).
Sculptor Clark Mills' equestrian statue of Andrew Jackson, Battle of New Orleans hero and U.S. President for whom the former military parade ground was named, was erected in 1856. Iron fences, walkways, benches, and Parisian-style landscaping remain intact from the original design by Micaela Almonester, Baroness de Pontalba, in 1851. She also built the Pontalba Buildings, which flank the old square.
The flagpole, symbolizing the 1803 ceremonial transfers from Spain to France and then from France to the United States, reflects Louisiana's rich colonial history. During the 1930s, the Works Progress Administration (WPA) repainted façades, renovated buildings, and improved landscaping in and around the park. In 1971, the pedestrian zone in the vicinity of Jackson Square was created, when three surrounding streets were closed to vehicular traffic — Chartres, St. Peter, and St. Ann.