[CPProt.net] Katrina Damages New Orleans Landmarks

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washingtonpost.com
Katrina Damages New Orleans Landmarks

By COLLEEN LONG
The Associated Press
Saturday, September 3, 2005; 1:26 PM


-- In New Orleans, winding streets where revelers meandered, listening to
jazz in the sticky heat, are now flooded with murky water. Some businesses
and landmarks are submerged or damaged; others escaped the water but were
ravaged by looters.

Rescue workers are combing the waters in search of survivors, but a
different kind of reckoning is also becoming clear. New Orleans is one of
the most iconic cities in America, and some of the places and pieces that
make it unique could be lost or looted.

A list of famous spots in the city, and how they are faring, though the full
extent of the damage won't be known for some time:

The French Quarter: This historic district is full of wrought-iron balconies
and ornate colonial architecture, but was also a playground for adults who
could roam the streets with cocktails in tow and listen to jazz and, during
Mardi Gras, grab for beads and go wild. The area escaped much of the
flooding.

Bourbon Street: A hedonistic strip in the Quarter bursting with bars like
Pat O'Brien's, Molly's on the Market, and Jean Laffite's Blacksmith Shop.
The latter, a piano bar, was supposedly the in-town headquarters of pirate
Jean Laffite, who owned more than 10 vessels and raided American, British
and Spanish ships in the early 1800s. Located in the French Quarter, the
area escaped flooding but remains closed.

Cafe du Monde: Established in 1862, this coffee shop on Decatur Street in
the French Quarter was best known for its cafe au lait, made with hearty New
Orleans-style coffee, blended with chicory, and beignets _ crispy, square
doughnuts. Still standing.

Galatoire's: Nearly a century old, the tiled and mirrored restaurant was
famous for not taking reservations. The tuxedo-clad wait staff served Creole
classics like shrimp remoulade and crab meat maison. Also located in the
French Quarter. Still standing.

Acme Oyster House: Built more than 90 years ago at the gateway to the French
Quarter, the menu included raw oysters (pronounced "ersters") and
traditional po' boys, or fried oyster sandwiches. On the edge of the
Quarter, should have escaped much flooding.

U.S. Mint building: The building housed Confederate soldiers during the
Civil War and produced money for the federal government until 1909. It later
became home to jazz and Mardi Gras exhibits and the streetcar immortalized
in Tennessee Williams' play "A Streetcar Named Desire." The mint is still
standing. The fate of the streetcar is unknown.

Preservation Hall: A famed New Orleans jazz club located in an unassuming
building originally built as a private residence in 1750 and was once a
tavern, inn, photo studio and art gallery. Fate unknown; it is in the middle
of the Quarter, and should be unaffected unless looters have trashed it.

Anne Rice's home: Tourists and fans of the "Vampire Chronicles" books would
visit the Garden District home of author Anne Rice. She has also helped
create several "haunted tours" of the city. The area was battered by high
winds which knocked down trees. Rice no longer lives there, though that
hasn't stopped the tourists from stopping by.

St. Louis Cathedral: Located in Jackson Square and consecrated in 1794, it
was said to be the oldest continuously active cathedral in the country.
Still standing.

St. Charles Avenue in the Garden District: The St. Charles Streetcar ran
down the historic street, and the area was shaded by majestic oak trees
layered in Spanish moss. The Garden District was named for the collection of
mansions and sprawling gardens, but Victorian homes were later built have
become a well-known part of the neighborhood. Much wind damage; many of the
trees were splintered.

Commander's Palace: A restaurant built in 1880 in the stately Garden
District, frequented by everyone from wealthy elite to riverboat captains
and charlatans. Known for its turtle soup and turquoise-and-white facade,
which was partially destroyed.

Fair Grounds: Located in the northeast section of the city, the fair grounds
is best known as the home of the New Orleans Jazz Festival, but is also
famous for its racetrack, built in 1852. The roof was torn off.

Little is known about the fate of other landmarks located in the flood area,
including St. Louis Cemetery No. 2, one of the larger cemeteries known as
"cities of the dead," with narrow paths, rusty iron work and sun-bleached
tombs built aboveground because the water table was so high caskets would
occasionally float away if buried underground; Mid-City Lanes Rock 'N Bowl
Nightclub, a bar near Xavier University which has bowling lanes, live Cajun,
blues and jazz music plus a full bowling alley and dancing; and Maple Leaf
Bar, a smallish place uptown on Oak Street with a hammered-on tin ceiling,
an institution for local music.