First Draft - Architecture and Urban Development

April 21, 2022
By Nick Weldon, editor

A Q&A with Yuts, the pseudonymous creator of the acclaimed indie game Norco, and Richard Sexton, photographer and author of Enigmatic Stream: Industrial Landscapes of the Lower Mississippi River.




March 25, 2022
By Nick Weldon, editor

The story of how feral hogs arrived at New Orleans’s doorstep, 500 years in the making.




January 21, 2022
By THNOC Visitor Services

Ever wanted to take New Orleans History 101? While no intro course can be comprehensive, we've assembled 13 summaries of major themes, events, people, and places, with lots of links to further reading.




November 24, 2021
By Xiomara Blanco, Eli A. Haddow, and Jason Wiese

Maps are more than visual representations of landscapes and geographic features; they’re also storytellers. Cartographers imprint their views of the world on the maps they make, leaving significant messages in tiny details.




August 5, 2021
Jason Wiese, chief curator

New Orleans's most famous square had humble origins but grew to become an iconic feature of the city.




March 26, 2021
By THNOC Staff

These 16 structures were once landmarks to the citizens of New Orleans Some recently demolished, and some long gone; some that stood for more than a century, and others that lasted just decades.




August 3, 2020
By Katherine Jolliff Dunn, cataloger

A new pumping system in the early 20th century improved New Orleans's drainage crisis, decreased disease rates, increased the quality of the water supply, and drove economic growth throughout the city. These improvements, however, came at a mighty cost. 




May 15, 2020
By Katherine Jolliff Dunn, cataloger

Myra Clark Gaines was at the center of a 57-year estate battle involving hidden paternity, a destroyed will, and a multimillion-dollar fortune. 




May 12, 2020
By Emily Perkins and John Magill

In the years after the Civil War, New Orleans was one of the largest, smelliest, and deadliest cities in the United States. The lack of a proper drainage system exacerbated health concerns that arose from yellow fever epidemics.




January 10, 2020
By Robert Ticknor, reference associate

The Baroness de Pontalba survived gunshot wounds and left her husband in France before constructing two of New Orleans's most iconic structures.






 

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