A Night on the Town in 1930s New Orleans
If AAG came to New Orleans 85 years ago, you might be hitting a “nitery” on Rampart Street or a dance hall in the “Tango Belt” tonight. Tulane geographer Richard Campanella takes you out for a night on the town in 1930s New Orleans, courtesy Preservation in Print Magazine (PDF). New Orleans: Place Portraits — Over…
Neutral Ground: From the Political Geography of Imperialism to the Street of New Orleans
AAG visitors may hear locals refer to street medians as “neutral grounds.” It’s a term distinct to New Orleans, with roots in political and ethnic geography from 200 years ago, according to Tulane geographer Richard Campanella, courtesy Louisiana Cultural Vistas (PDF). New Orleans: Place Portraits — Over the next nine months, AAG’s “Focus on New Orleans…
How ‘Forward Thrust’ Reshaped Southern Geography
Take a look at where the capitals of Southern states and colonies were located originally, and where state capitals are today. Most have been moved inland, including Louisiana’s; New Orleans once had capital-city status until it transferred to Baton Rouge in the 1840s. Tulane geographer explains the pattern, courtesy Louisiana Cultural Vistas (PDF). New Orleans:…
Lugger Culture: Vernacular Oyster Vessels of Coastal Louisiana
A century ago, distinctive vernacular boats traversed the waterways in and around New Orleans, even sailing up to the rear of the French Quarter. Known as luggers, their crews brought oysters and other wild foods to public markets—and coastal culture to the metropolis. Tulane geographer Richard Campanella investigates “lugger culture” in this article from Louisiana…
Shotgun Geography
It’s New Orleans’ most ubiquitous house type, and its sobriquet is as intriguing as its geometry is simple. Where did this vernacular architecture come from, and how and where did it diffuse—or was it invented locally? Tulane geographer Richard Campanella synthesizes some of the cultural geography and anthropology research on the shotgun house, courtesy The Times-Picayune…
Like Geological Strata, Layers of Urban History Underlie Bourbon Street’s Pavement
A recent public works project on Bourbon Street unearthed centuries’ worth of infrastructure and urbanization, not to mention layers of Mississippi River sediment. This article, by Tulane geographer Richard Campanella courtesy The Times-Picayune, recounts the various street conditions and improvements in New Orleans over the past 300 years (PDF). New Orleans: Place Portraits — Over the…
The Evolution of Creole Architecture
New Orleans’ earliest structures, and some of its most distinctive extant buildings, are described as being “Creole.” What does Creole architecture mean, where did this design thinking come from, and how did it evolve? Tulane geographer Richard Campanella reviews the evidence, courtesy The Times-Picayune (PDF). New Orleans: Place Portraits — Over the next nine months, AAG’s…
14 to 1: Post-Katrina New Orleans Architecture by the Numbers
So what does post-Katrina New Orleans architecture actually look like? Media has given most attention to high-profiles exceptions; here’s an empirical look at the norm in Post-Katrina New Orleans architecture, according to a study by Tulane geographer Richard Campanella and Tulane Architecture student Cassidy Rosen, courtesy Places Journal. New Orleans: Place Portraits — Over the next…
Five Chapters in the Geography of New Orleans Architecture, 1700s-2000s
This article, by Tulane geographer Richard Campanella courtesy The Times-Picayune, characterizes New Orleans’ various architectural styles and typologies by nature of their cultural diffusion from various sources regions (PDF). New Orleans: Place Portraits — Over the next nine months, AAG’s “Focus on New Orleans and the Gulf Coast,” will feature a series of articles on New…