For two decades, New Orleans’ famed (and perfectly legal) red light district reigned between North Robertson, Iberville, Basin and St. Louis streets, just outside of the French Quarter. The neighborhood, known as Storyville, developed an international reputation as a haven for various kinds of debauchery, from prostitution to drugs, gambling and beyond. Perhaps more importantly, the district served as an incubator for New Orleans’ greatest contribution to the world–a then-nascent musical movement called jazz.
An early 20th century postcard featuring an illustration of Storyville.f
The Storyville district, which was established by a municipal ordinance in 1897 and shut down in 1917, was a social experiment that no American city has attempted to replicate. However, that doesn’t mean there isn’t a lot to learn from this unprecedented period in New Orleans history.
Friends of the Cabildo will do just that this weekend, when the organization hosts its second annual symposium, Storyville: A Neighborhood of Sin, at the Cabildo and the Old U.S. Mint. The two-day gathering–slated for Friday, December 11 and Saturday, December 12–will bring local and national historians together to focus on the neighborhood’s history, as well as the artistic, architectural and political developments that came out of it.
“There have been very few collections of academics that have ever come together to discuss Storyville and the study of Storyville,” says Jason Strada, Executive Director of Friends of the Cabildo. “It was a 20-year experiment that basically never happened in the United States again. It also helped produce many of the things that not only the City of New Orleans, but the whole United States, is known for.”
“You can’t say that jazz started in Storyville,” notes Strada. “But you can say that there are aspects of jazz that came directly from Storyville. Some of the most important players in jazz history came out of Storyville, and out of the period of exploration and euophoria that the city was having from 1897 to 1917. People like Louis Armstrong, Sidney Bechet and Jelly Roll Morton had connections to Storyville.”
The symposium’s keynote address will be given by Gary Krist, author of Empire of Sin: A Story of Sex, Jazz, Murder and the Battle for Modern New Orleans, on December 11. The following day, speakers such as Emily Landau (University of Maryland), Alecia Long (LSU), Bruce Raeburn (Tulane), Larry Powell (Tulane), Katy Coyle (Tulane) and Charles Chamberlain (University of New Orleans) will take a deeper look at the neighborhood and examine its attempts to control cime and prostitution.
Tickets for the event are limited, and organizers do not expect them to be available at the door. A schedule for the symposium, as well as a link to purchase tickets, can be found here.
