The Cabildo

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The Cabildo
(U.S. National Historic Landmark)
The Cabildo has Spanish arches with a French Mansard roof.
Location:	701 Chartres St., New Orleans, Louisiana
Coordinates:	29°57′26.02″N 90°3′51.14″W / 29.9572278, -90.0642056Coordinates: 29°57′26.02″N 90°3′51.14″W / 29.9572278, -90.0642056
Built/Founded:	1795
Architect:	Gilberto Guillemard
Architectural style(s):	No Style Listed
Designated as NHL:	October 09, 1960^[1]
Added to NRHP:	October 15, 1966^[2]
NRHP Reference#:	66000373
Governing body:	State

The Cabildo was the seat of colonial government in New Orleans, Louisiana, and is now a museum. The Cabildo is located along Jackson Square, adjacent to St. Louis Cathedral.

1 History
2 See also
3 Notes
4 External links

[edit] History

The original Cabildo was destroyed in the Great New Orleans Fire (1788). The Cabildo was rebuilt between 1795-99 as the home of the Spanish municipal government in New Orleans, and the Mansard roof was later added, in French style. The building took its name from the governing body who met there -- the "Illustrious Cabildo," or city council. The Cabildo was the site of the Louisiana Purchase transfer ceremonies in 1803, and continued to be used by the New Orleans city council until the mid 1850s.

The building's main hall, the Sala Capitular ("Capitol Room"), was originally utilized as a courtroom. The Spanish used the courtroom from 1799-1803, and from 1803-1812 it was used by the Louisiana territorial superior court. After the American Civil War, it was the home of the Louisiana Supreme Court from 1868-1910. The Sala Capitular was the site of several landmark court cases, including Plessy v. Ferguson.

In 1911 the Cabildo became the home of the Louisiana State Museum.

It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1960.^[1]^[3]

The Cabildo was extensively damaged by a fire in February 1988, which destroyed the cupola and the entire third floor, ^[4] but it was restored and reopened to the public in 1994.^[4] In 2005, the Cabildo survived Hurricane Katrina, which passed 30 miles (48 km) east of downtown, with relatively minor damage.

The Cabildo is left of St. Louis Cathedral at Jackson Square.

[edit] See also

Vieux Carre - the surrounding area.
Louisiana Purchase

[edit] Notes

^ ^a ^b The Cabildo. National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. Retrieved on 2008-02-01.
^ National Register Information System. National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service (2007-01-23).
^ Patricia Heintzelman (June 30, 1975), National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination: The CabildoPDF (32 KB), National Park Service and Accompanying 2 photos, exterior, from 1968.PDF (32 KB)
^ ^a ^b "Louisiana State Museum" (history), Joseph F. Meany Jr., Karen W. Engelke, The Journal of American History, Vol. 83, No. 3 (Dec. 1996), pages 946-952, webpage: JSTOR-Cabildo.