Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop
Encyclopedia
Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop is a site in the French Quarter
of New Orleans, Louisiana
.
Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop is a tavern located on the corner of Bourbon Street
and St. Philip Street. The tavern's building, built sometime before 1772, is one of the older still standing structures in New Orleans (the Ursuline Convent, for example, is older) and has been called the oldest continually occupied bar in the United States. According to legend the structure was once owned by the pirate Jean Lafitte
, though as with many things involving Lafitte, no documentation of this exists.
Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop had been a gay bar for some time before a 1953 change in management. The ousted patrons founded a new bar up the street, Cafe Lafitte In Exile, which claims to be the oldest gay bar in the country.
It was declared a National Historic Landmark
in 1970.
French Quarter
The French Quarter, also known as Vieux Carré, is the oldest neighborhood in the city of New Orleans. When New Orleans was founded in 1718 by Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville, the city was originally centered on the French Quarter, or the Vieux Carré as it was known then...
of New Orleans, Louisiana
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...
.
Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop is a tavern located on the corner of Bourbon Street
Bourbon Street
Bourbon Street is a famous and historic street that spans the length of the French Quarter in New Orleans, Louisiana. When founded in 1718, the city was originally centered around the French Quarter...
and St. Philip Street. The tavern's building, built sometime before 1772, is one of the older still standing structures in New Orleans (the Ursuline Convent, for example, is older) and has been called the oldest continually occupied bar in the United States. According to legend the structure was once owned by the pirate Jean Lafitte
Jean Lafitte
Jean Lafitte was a pirate and privateer in the Gulf of Mexico in the early 19th century. He and his elder brother, Pierre, spelled their last name Laffite, but English-language documents of the time used "Lafitte", and this is the commonly seen spelling in the United States, including for places...
, though as with many things involving Lafitte, no documentation of this exists.
Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop had been a gay bar for some time before a 1953 change in management. The ousted patrons founded a new bar up the street, Cafe Lafitte In Exile, which claims to be the oldest gay bar in the country.
It was declared a National Historic Landmark
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
in 1970.