Snug Harbor Jazz Club is leading the charge to rename Washington Square Park after Ellis Marsalis. Jazz legend Marsalis had a regular gig at Snug Harbor for many years, prior to his passing on April 1. They are asking music lovers to sign a petition designed to rename the park.

“Snug Harbor Jazz Club believes that Ellis Marsalis deserves a prominent place in New Orleans history and its landscape. The jazz club has created a petition that asks the City of New Orleans to honor the recently passed jazz legend by renaming Washington Square Square on historic Frenchmen Street to Ellis Marsalis Square. Mr. Marsalis was the father of modern jazz in New Orleans, teaching and influencing countless musicians over five decades and literally fathering four major jazz stars. He performed at the Snug Harbor, a half block from the park, for over thirty years before dying from Coronavirus April 1, 2020.

Washington Square Park is currently named for the locally formed Washington 141st Field Artillery Regiment. The history of this group begins with their participation in the Mexican American War, then in the Civil War fighting for the Confederacy; they also served in both the Army of Northern Virginia and the Army of Tennessee.

Located at 700 Elysian Fields Avenue on three acres of land, the park is lined with grandiose oak trees, a walking path and a playground for the community’s youth. This plot of land comes at the end of one of the city’s most musically rich stretch of street. Known around the world for its culture and music, Frenchmen Street has hosted some of the country’s most revered New Orleans performers including Allen Toussaint, Harry Connick Jr, Mose Allison, Kermit Ruffins, the Neville Brothers, Branford, Wynton, Delfeayo & Jason Marsalis and of course Ellis Marsalis Jr.

Sign the petition here.