 he French Quarter is the most important part of the city; it's where New Orleans was born. You should make a tour of this famous historic district a definite part of your plans. The Quarter was laid out in a simple grid by Pierre Le Blond de la Tour, engineer to Jean Baptiste LeMoyne, Sieur d'Bienville, in 1722. At the town's center was placed a central square, the Place d'Armes, with a church, government building, and priest's residence facing it. It was surrounded on all four sides by a wall, or rampart, and a small fort at each corner, all of which are gone now. It's important
to remember that most of the structures you see today are from the Spanish colonial period, since most of the French influence was removed by two devastating fires. Now let's begin the tour at the most logical starting place:  Jackson Square, at the heart of the Vieux Carre'. The origins of the square lie in the planning of the original city in 1721 by engineer/planner Pierre le Blond de la Tour. It was reserved as a drill field, or Place d'armes, for the French militia by military engineer Adrien de Pauger. A dirt parade ground when it was first used by troops to assemble, the square was also used to read official proclamations and to execute criminals and rebellious slaves.
In the center of the square is the equestrian statue of Andrew Jackson, who helped defeat the British in the Battle of New Orleans. The statue was unveiled in 1856 and is an exact replica of those found in Washington, D.C. and Nashville, TN, Jackson's home town. As you stand there facing the: St Louis Cathedral, gaze at one of the most famous and beautiful views in America. When it was first conceived, the center of the fledgling city was to be modelled on the old European city style, that being a central square with government and religious buildings surrounding it. Walk toward the cathedral. Named for France's patron saint and king, Louis IX, this is the oldest active cathedral in the United States and the religious heart of the city.
The present structure before you is not the original church, but the third structure on this same site. The first church, a small colonial chapel in effect, was built soon after Bienville founded the city, but destroyed by a hurricane in 1722. The second church was completed and dedicated in 1722, but was destroyed in the Good Friday fire of 1788, and rebuilt by Don Andres Almonester y Roxas in 1789 to designs by Gilberto Guillemard. It was dedicated as a cathedral on Christmas Eve, 1794. This third structure was remodelled and enlarged in 1851 by J.N.B. De Pouilly, who raised steeples onto the once-round towers, and added the present portico, with its columns and pilasters, to the front. You'll notice that the two buildings flanking the cathedral are almost exact copies of one another, the only difference being the presence of a cupola on top of the left building.
Turn and and walk toward the one on the right, which is called: The Presbytere', or priests' residence. Also designed by French architect Gilbert Guillemard, the Presbytere was begun first in the Spanish colonial style in 1791, though not completed until 1813. The two-story stuccoed-brick structure's ground floor has a series of arched openings with a combination of pilasters and Tuscan columns across the front, and the second floor has arched window openings with Ionic columns and pilasters in-between. The roofline has a heavy pediment in the center. The state housed its lower courts here for 40 years even though it was owned by the church, but in 1853 the city bought the building from the cathedral wardens. Today it is owned by the state and is part of the Louisiana State Museum.
Walk back to the other side of the cathedral to: The Cabildo, at one time the seat of the Spanish government. Named after the governing body that once presided here, the Cabildo like the cathedral and the Presbytere, was designed by Guillemard, and built in 1795-1799 in the Spanish colonial style like its twin. It, like the cathedral, was the third structure on the site, the first two having succumbed to the fires of 1788 and 1794. Fortunately the third one was completed just in time to be the site of the signing of the Louisiana Purchase in 1803; from that time on it served as the American City Hall. A mansard roof with Baroque dormers was added to both the Cabildo and Presbytere in 1847, and today both buildings house museums. The Presbytere has an exhibit on Mardi Gras,
and the Cabildo contains a museum on the history of Louisiana. Continue walking around the square in a counter-clockwise direction. On each side of the square, running perpendicular to the riverfront, are the: Pontalba Buildings. Each galleried complex spans the entire length of Jackson Square and is designated Upper Pontalba or Lower Pontalba according to its position relative to the river. The Upper Pontalba Building, or apartments as they are also called, are the ones you are passing by here. Both apartment buildings were built in 1849-1851 by the Baroness Micaela Almonester Pontalba, and are currently the oldest apartments buildings in the country. They are both publicly owned at the present; the Upper Pontalba by the city and the Lower Pontalba by the state.
Continue in your circle of Jackson Square until you arrive on the opposite side from the cathedral. Across the street between Jackson Square and the river is: Washington Artillery Park, accessed by a set of stairs on either side. Once you've reached the top, the view is exquisite. From here you can see all of Jackson Square and its surrounding structures, and marvel at the way in which they all form a central unit. This was the design that the old European cities used. Turn around and there is a fine view of the Mississippi River and the Moonwalk, a strolling boardwalk for romancing or contemplation. The cannon you see in the center of the park is a model 1861 Parrot rifle used in the Civil War. Walk back down the steps and cross the street.
Continue up the other side of Jackson Square, and pause to admire the architecture of the Lower Pontalba Building and the intricacy of its beautiful galleries. Located in this building is the: 1850 House, where you can tour one of the townhouse units of the apartment complex. The Louisiana Office of Tourism is also located here at 529 St Ann Street. They will offer any help and information on your stay in New Orleans. Your walking tour will now lead into the narrow streets of the vieux Carre'. At 630 St Ann Street is the:- Werlein House. It was the home of Elizabeth Werlein, a well-known preservationist and benefactor to the French Quarter, having saved it from demolition in the early 20th century.
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