The Promenaded Section of Chartres Street un-edited

I made this photo in October 2015 in the French Quarter of New Orleans, Louisiana, USA, on the Place John Paul Deux, a promenaded section of Chartres Street (rue de Chartres) that stretches one block between St. Peter Street (rue Saint-Pierre) on the upriver boundary and St. Ann Street (rue Sainte-Anne) on the downriver boundary. It is located next to Jackson Square and facing the Mississippi River in the heart of New Orleans. In this photo the Presbytere is on the right, the St. Louis Cathedral is the central building (one of the few Roman Catholic churches in the United States that fronts a major public square) and the Cabildo is on the far left. The Cabildo was the seat of colonial government in New Orleans, and is now a museum.

The Presbytère, originally called the Casa Curial (Ecclesiastical House), derives its name from the fact that it was built on the former site of the residence, or presbytére, of the Capuchin monks. While intended to house clergy, it was never used as a religious residence. It was designed in 1791 to match the Cabildo, or Town Hall, on the other side of St. Louis Cathedral. The second floor, however, was not completed until 1813.
The building initially was used for commercial purposes until 1834, when it was used by the Louisiana Supreme Court. In 1847 the structure's third floor with mansard roof was added.
In 1853, cathedral officials sold the Presbytère to the city, and in 1908 the city sold it to the state. In 1911 it became part of the Louisiana State Museum.
It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1970.

In 2005, the cupola was replaced atop the Presbytère. The cupola had been missing since the New Orleans Hurricane of 1915.

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