 urn right at the corner of Gravier, and walk about 50 feet. On the right is an impressive fortress-like structure wedged in between two larger buildings. The: - Whitney National Bank Deposit Building is a red stone structure with four massive polished granite columns supporting the portico, erected for the bank in 1888, with Sully and Toledano, architects. One of the most powerful statements of architecture in New Orleans, it symbolizes the secure nature of one of the South's premier banking organizations. The style is Egyptian, with modifications to make it appear more modern,
like simple window openings and a rather plain cornice at the roofline that simulates shinglework. The building was the headquarters for the Whitney Bank until it moved into its new high-rise in 1911. Return to Camp Street, and cross it, staying on Gravier. About 50 feet down on the right is a narrow alley called:
- Picayune Place. Once called Banks Place, it now a deserted service alley, but was once the center of the newspaper and printing district in the 19th century. The buildings along here have double entrances on both Picayune Place and Camp and Magazine Streets, including the structure at 326-28 Camp, the Picayune Building. Once the home of the Daily Picayune, one of New Orleans' first newspapers, the building was constructed in 1850 by Jamison & McIntosh.
Large granite pillars at the ground floor, and square blocks of dressed Quincy granite make up the facade. A veranda of scroll-worked cast iron once graced the exterior at the second floor level. Return to Camp by the same route, turn left, and take a look at the front of this building, much different today due to extensive alteration. Keep walking up Camp until you get to:
Poydras Street. This wide boulevard once took a backseat to Canal Street, but during the 1970s and 80s many large companies established headquarters along the stretch of Poydras from North Claiborne to the river, including the Shell Oil Company. In 1972 the One Shell Square building was built at the corner of Poydras and St Charles Avenue, and at 51 stories, immediately claimed the honor of tallest skyscraper in new Orleans.
The white travertine-clad high-rise initiated a frenzy of development along Poydras, and in 1975 the Louisiana Superdome was opened at North Claiborne and Poydras, anchoring the north end. The Hilton Riverside Hotel was built in 1977 at the south end, near the river. Keep walking for another half-block after crossing Poydras, and turn right at North Street, which adjoins:  Lafayette Square. Originally laid out in 1788, it served as the American equivalent to the Place d'Armes, or Jackson Square, when New Orleans was a divided city. It was named in honor of the visit in 1825, of the Marquis de Lafayette, and served as the center of religious and social activity for the newly-arrived Americans. The statue of Henry Clay at the center of the park was
moved here from its original location in the middle of the median at Canal Street and St Charles Avenue in 1901. It replaced, appropriately, a statue of the King of Spain. Another statue, that of Ben Franklin, faces Camp Street. Walk up North Street, skirting the square, until you get to St Charles Avenue, then turn left and continue to a point that is approximately midway up the square, opposite the colonnaded Greek revival:- Gallier Hall/Old City Hall. Built in 1845 after designs by James Gallier Sr, the impressive temple-like building is one of the finest classically-designed structures in the South, with a massive portico supported by ten Ionic columns. Originally meant to be a city hall for the Second Municipality, or American half of the divided city, the building continued to be the
official city government's headquarters for the reunited, American-dominated city. After the government moved into its new, modern digs on Loyola Avenue, the building was named Gallier Hall after its designer. It is used today by public officials and other influential people for civic receptions, in particular to greet the various kings and queens of the Carnival parades that pass before it. Continue to walk up St Charles and stop at the corner of St Charles and South Street. On the corner here opposite the park, at 600 St Charles, is the old:
 Lafayette Hotel, originally built as an apartment hotel in 1916 for Adam Wirth. This small five-story brick Edwardian-style building was neglected for years after World War II, and was finally rescued
from oblivion and re-established as a regular hotel in 1991 by developers Mickey Palmer and Patrick Quinn. Turn left at South Street and continue your walk around Lafayette Square. When you get back to Camp Street, look at the enormous building in front of you across the street. This is the:- Old Post Office/Court of Appeals. This massive Beaux Arts/Italian renaissance structure was designed by architects Hale & Rogers, and built in 1916. It features a ground floor of rusticated masonry, and colonnaded second and third floors leading up to a heavily-corniced roof with 25-foot copper sculptures at each corner. Each of these sculptures depicts a globe surrounded by female figures representing history, industry, commerce, and the arts. It was used as the main branch of the
United States Post Office until 1962, when it was converted into a courthouse for the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals.
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