Lafayette Square, Historic public park in Central Business District, New Orleans, United States.
Lafayette Square is a public park in the Central Business District of New Orleans, the city's second-oldest park after Jackson Square. It was laid out in 1788 by Charles Laveau Trudeau, Surveyor General of Louisiana under Spanish rule. Gallier Hall, the former City Hall, faces the square on St. Charles Avenue. A bronze statue of Henry Clay stands at the center, and a statue of Benjamin Franklin is on Camp Street.
The square was designed in 1788 by Charles Laveau Trudeau during Spanish rule, making it the second oldest park in New Orleans after Jackson Square. The space has evolved through the centuries and continues to shape the downtown area today.
The square displays bronze statues of important figures, including Henry Clay at its center and Benjamin Franklin along Camp Street. These monuments are part of the public space and invite visitors to engage with local history.
Lafayette Square faces Gallier Hall on St. Charles Avenue, between Camp Street and St. Charles Avenue in the Central Business District. The grounds are open and level, with paths that make it easy to cross on foot. Inaugurations and civic ceremonies are still held here, and live music is often staged in the square.
From 1834 to 1938 the First Presbyterian Church stood on the square's western side, and its steeple was the tallest in the city. General Benjamin Butler had its bell rung for curfew during the 1862–65 occupation; most of the church's architectural elements, the bell included, were later moved to its new site at South Claiborne and Jefferson Avenues.
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