Largely spared Hurricane Katrina’s destruction, the French Quarter in New Orleans is a major center of tourism and entertainment with its unique blend of architectural styles acknowledged by historian Sally Reeves in her essay titled, “Is the French Quarter French? Or Spanish?” According to Reeves, “Foundations laid by the French and Spanish in the 18th century survived to shape the course of history in the city. The city plan, the central square overlooked by church and state, French arpents, city lots, faubourgs, heavy trusses, Creole cottages, the old convent, and Charity Hospital came from the French side. But streetscapes full of repeating arches, Arabesque ironwork, covered passageways, and the still-alluring sense of guarded privacy came from His Catholic Majesty of Spain, not His Christian Majesty of France.”

The predominant architectural style in the French Quarter or Vieux Carré (Old Square) reflects a period of Spanish rule over New Orleans from 1763 to 1803. It was during that period that two major fires destroyed most of the area’s French colonial architecture that featured wooden siding and peaked roofs. Fire destroyed more than 850 structures in 1788 and another 200 buildings were lost in 1794. Reconstruction under the Spanish consisted of buildings made of fire-resistant stucco with central courtyards, cast-iron balconies and flat-topped tiled roofs. “Forty years of Spanish dominion left the French Quarter with a semi-fortified streetscape ready for fighting the forces of evil, with phalanxes of common-wall buildings, mysterious alleys, and secluded patios,” Reeves observed.

The French Quarter is one of 20 National Historic Landmark Districts in New Orleans, which is more than any other city in the United States. Architecture in the French Quarter is protected by law from alteration without review by the Vieux Carré Commission, which is the second oldest preservation district in the U.S. The Commission’s jurisdiction over exterior walls is designed to preserve the historical identity of both commercial and residential properties in the Quarter.

Among the numerous historical points of interest in the French Quarter are several National Historical Landmarks including The Cabildo, The Presbytere, and the Old U. S. Mint, which are under the stewardship of the Louisiana State Museum Board. Dating back to the 1790s, both The Cabildo and The Presbytere were designed in the Spanish colonial-style. The Cabildo derived its name from the Spanish municipal council, or cabildo, which met in the building that became the site of the Louisiana Purchase Transfer in 1803. Over the years, the building served as a city hall and as home of the Louisiana Supreme Court. The Presbytere, constructed to resemble The Cabildo, was used for commercial purposes until 1834 when it was converted to a courthouse.

The Old U.S. Mint, designed by Philadelphia architect William Strickland in Greek Revival style, was authorized by President Andrew Jackson who was the hero of the famous Battle of New Orleans. Built in 1835, the Mint began coining operations in 1838 until Louisiana seceded from the union in 1861 at which time it was used to produce Confederate coinage. Following the Civil War and during Reconstruction, minting of U.S. coins resumed and continued until 1909 when the building was converted into a federal prison and later used as a Coast Guard Receiving Station.

Over the past two decades, The Cabildo, The Presbytere and the U.S. Mint have undergone extensive restorations that included the use of an elastomeric coating system from Tnemec to protect exterior stucco from moisture intrusion and ultraviolet (UV) light. Each project involved power-washing the substrate prior to priming the plaster with Series 151-1051 Elasto-Grip FC, a penetrating waterborne modified polyamine epoxy used for sealing porous substrates and as a tie-coat for specialized finishes over sound existing coatings. Series 151 was roller-applied at 0.7 to 1.5 mils dry film thickness (DFT) and topped with two coats of Series 156 Enviro-Crete, a premium waterborne acrylate, at 4.0 to 6.0 mils per coat. Series 156 provides excellent elastomeric protection against driving rain, alternate freezing-thawing and ultraviolet light.

“The coating system held up very well during Hurricane Katrina,” coating consultant Brandon Lomasney recalled. “We had a terrific amount of wind and rain, but it held up very, very well. The architect was so impressed with its performance on The Cabildo that was completed in 2003 that he used the same system on the New Orleans Mint, which is also a National Historic Landmark and the oldest surviving structure to have served as a U.S. Mint.”

Other historical destinations for visitors to the French Quarter include Jackson Square named for Andrew Jackson, Preservation Hall known as “the house that jazz built,” and the stately Pontalba row houses featuring a blend of Parisian, Greek Revival and Creole architectural styles. The French Quarter is also home to the Old Bank of the United States, representing the oldest building used as a bank in New Orleans; Pat O’Briens, which is one of the oldest bars in the state; and St. Louis Cathedral, which is the oldest continuously operating cathedral in the U.S.