 alk to the corner of St Louis Street and Chartres. There you will find the:  Napoleon House/Girod House on your left at number 500 Chartres. This interesting place is full of mystery. It was originally built by Mayor Nicholas Girod as his residence in either 1797 or 1814, depending on who you ask. The home is the subject of an interesting legend; when supporters of the exiled Napoleon Bonaparte caught news of his escape from the island of Elba in 1815, they offered him refuge in New Orleans. They decided that he would stay in this house, and prepared it for use as his "Royal Quarters". A rescue was planned but unfortunately Napoleon died before it could be carried out.
Today it is one of the most interesting bars in the country. On the other corner of St Louis Street directly across from the Napoleon House, is:- Maspero's Exchange, 440 Chartres. Built by Don Juan Paillet, it acquired its name from Paillet's tenant, Pierre Maspero, who opened the Exchange Coffee House there, a popular gathering place for the most picturesque characters in New Orleans for years. Here judges, generals, soldiers, merchants, and even pirates such as Jean Lafitte met to plan activities and conduct transactions. It is an interesting piece of architecture due to the feature known as an entresol, or hidden floor. From the outside it appears to have only two floors, but there is actually three, the narrow middle floor being above the arched windows. There are only a few examples of structures that feature entresols in the French Quarter. From here turn left and walk down St Louis toward the river. When you get to Decatur Street, make a right and head to 419 Decatur Street.
This is currently the:
- Visitor Center of the Jean Lafitte National Historic Park. This is a good place to get acquainted with the various cultures of south Louisiana, pick up some information, and take a history tour of the French Quarter. Across the street is:
- Bienville Place, situated in a triangle where North Peters Street splits off from Decatur. A statue of New Orleans' founder, Jean Baptiste le Moyne, Sieur de Bienville, presides over this small European-style park. Walk on to the next street, Conti Street, and make a right, and continue until you come to the little street known as Exchange Alley. Also known as the:
- Street of the fencing Masters, it was developed as an approach to the new St Louis Hotel, but the fourth block was eliminated due to the construction of the new courthouse (the large building on your right).
Many fencing masters had their schools located along the block between Conti and Bienville. Walk down Exchange Alley until you come to Bienville Street, take a right, and continue up Bienville to Royal Street. Take another right, and walk to number 339-343. This is the:
- Rillieux-Waldhorn House, today the home of Waldhorn Antiques. The home was built in 1795 for Vincent Rillieux, the great-grandfather of the painter Edgar Degas. The Bank of the United States occupied the building from 1820 until 1836. On the right side of Royal at 334 is the:
- Old Bank of Louisiana Building, now the 8th District headquarters of the New Orleans Police Department. Built in 1826 and designed by Bickle, Hamblet, and Fox, the bank closed during the Civil War, and after that was the state capitol of Louisiana for one year, from 1868 to 1869. In 1871 it was the home to the "Royal Street Auction Exchange", then the Mortgage and Conveyance Office.
The portico was added to the front by architect James Gallier Jr after a fire in 1840. On the next block of Royal across the street is the:
- Louisiana State Bank at 403 Royal. It was designed by the notable architect Benjamin Latrobe, who also built the Bank of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia and contributed to the United States Capitol. Latrobe, who did not approve of red brick buildings in the French Quarter, designed this structure instead with light-colored stucco, in the traditional style of the Creole Vieux Carre'. The Louisiana State Bank moved into the building in 1821. Note the entresol behind the large arches located above the first floor windows. You are now approaching the heart of the antique district. A couple of doors down is the famous:
 Brennan's restaurant. Built in 1801 for Don Jose' Faurie as a combination commercial building and residence,
it became the home of the Banque de la Louisiane, the first bank in Louisiana, in 1805. It was then purchased by wealthy Virginian Martin Gordon, then acquired by Judge Alonso Morphy, the father of famous chess champion Paul Morphy. The Patio Royale restaurant opened here in the 1930s, followed by Brennan's in 1955. Brennan's is world famous for its breakfast menu, which includes elaborate poached egg dishes, and for its 12 beautifully decorated dining rooms and lovely courtyard. The:
Coudreaux Mansion at 427 Royal possesses one of the most beautiful galleried facades in the Quarter. It was built in 1859. The tiny: - Peychaud Drugstore, located at 437, was built in 1800 and became the pharmacy of Antoine Peychaud. Pharmacist Peychaud became famous for his invention of the cocktail, when he mixed brandy with his own blend of bitters for guests after business hours. He served this "concoction" in a French cup called a "coquetier",
and the drink eventually received its name from the English mispronunciation of this French egg cup, to become the cocktail. The name has stuck ever since. Peychaud's Aromamatic Cocktail Bitters are still made in New Orleans by L.E. Jung and Wolff Company and sold in old-fashioned bottles with French labels.
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