Lafayette Square, New Orleans
Encyclopedia
Lafayette Square is the second oldest park in New Orleans, Louisiana
and was designed in 1788 by Charles Laveau Trudeau alias Don Carlos Trudeau (1743–1816), general surveyor of Louisiana under the spanish government. The Square was named after Gilbert du Motier, marquis de La Fayette
, a French aristocrat and general who fought on the American side in the American Revolutionary War
.
The park has a bronze statue of Henry Clay
in the center of the park, and statues of John McDonough
and Benjamin Franklin
on St. Charles Avenue
and Camp Street.
Hurricane Katrina
severely damaged the trees in the park, with broken glass and debris from nearby buildings making the park unsafe. A group of neighborhood residents and downtown workers formed a charitable organization, the Lafayette Square Conservancy, to transform it into a premier urban space.
New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
and was designed in 1788 by Charles Laveau Trudeau alias Don Carlos Trudeau (1743–1816), general surveyor of Louisiana under the spanish government. The Square was named after Gilbert du Motier, marquis de La Fayette
Gilbert du Motier, marquis de La Fayette
Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de La Fayette , often known as simply Lafayette, was a French aristocrat and military officer born in Chavaniac, in the province of Auvergne in south central France...
, a French aristocrat and general who fought on the American side in the American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
.
The park has a bronze statue of Henry Clay
Henry Clay
Henry Clay, Sr. , was a lawyer, politician and skilled orator who represented Kentucky separately in both the Senate and in the House of Representatives...
in the center of the park, and statues of John McDonough
John McDonough
John J. McDonough was a politician and businessman from Georgia, USA.-Background:He was the son of an Irish-born immigrant. He received his education in Atlanta's public schools and graduated from the St. Francis Xavier College in New York City...
and Benjamin Franklin
Benjamin Franklin
Dr. Benjamin Franklin was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. A noted polymath, Franklin was a leading author, printer, political theorist, politician, postmaster, scientist, musician, inventor, satirist, civic activist, statesman, and diplomat...
on St. Charles Avenue
St. Charles Avenue
St. Charles Avenue is a thoroughfare in New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.A. and the home of the St. Charles Streetcar Line. It is also famous for the hundreds of mansions that adorn the tree-lined boulevard for much of the Uptown section of the route. The southern live oak trees, particularly found in...
and Camp Street.
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
severely damaged the trees in the park, with broken glass and debris from nearby buildings making the park unsafe. A group of neighborhood residents and downtown workers formed a charitable organization, the Lafayette Square Conservancy, to transform it into a premier urban space.