The story
Take a moment to look up and let your eyes follow the canopy of ancient live oaks that stretch across this broad avenue like a ceiling of green lace. You are walking along Esplanade Avenue, the historic boundary of the French Quarter and the primary artery of the old Creole aristocracy. In the late 19th century, this was the promenade of the city’s elite.
While the newly arrived Americans were building their mansions in the Garden District, the established French-speaking families were busy turning Esplanade into a Millionaires’ Row that rivaled any boulevard in Paris. The house before you, a stunning example of the Victorian elegance that defined the year 1884, captures the transition of New Orleans from a colonial outpost to a high-society hub. Notice the intricate cast-iron galleries and the soaring windows designed to catch the humid breezes of the Mississippi.
But the real soul of this block lies in its connection to one of the greatest artists in history: Edgar Degas. In the autumn of 1872, the French Impressionist master arrived here to visit his mother’s family, the Mussons. He was the only major French painter of his era to have direct American roots.
At the time, Degas was struggling with his eyesight and looking for a reprieve from the pressures of Paris. He found it in this neighborhood. As you look at the dappled light filtering through the oak leaves onto the pavement, you are seeing the same play of shadow and light that fascinated Degas.
He spent his days here painting his family in their high-ceilinged parlors, capturing the quiet, refined lives of the Creole merchants. His most famous work from this period, A Cotton Office in New Orleans, wasn’t just a painting; it was a snapshot of the city’s economic heart, painted right here on this street. It became the first of his works to be purchased by a museum.
As you continue your walk, imagine the scent of sweet olive and jasmine that filled the air back then, just as it does today. Listen for the ghost of carriage wheels on the pavement. Esplanade was more than just a street; it was a stage where the Mussons and their neighbors displayed their wealth and their European sophistication.
Even as the decades passed and the Victorian era gave way to the modern world, Esplanade Avenue retained its sense of faded grandeur. It remains a place of mystery and memory, a bridge between the crowded streets of the Quarter and the quiet beauty of City Park. Take your time as you move forward.
Every iron gate and every shuttered window has a story to tell about the days when this was the most prestigious address in the South.