The Neighborhood

VG is located in the heart of the Faubourg Marigny, the historic district adjacent to the French Quarter that is known as one of the city’s most interesting neighborhoods. The Marigny was settled primarily by Louisiana Creoles of color and German immigrants between the 1830s and 1880s. Included in the National Register of Historic Places, the Marigny is known for its colorful Creole Cottages and shotgun houses. The unique architectural style of the Marigny blends elements of colonial French, Spanish and Caribbean influences.

The Marigny is now one of the city’s premier locations for live music venues and is a popular destination for music devotees. The Marigny offers a wide selection of restaurants serving local and ethnic cuisine. It also provides a host of bed and breakfasts to serve out of town guests making New Orleans their choice as a destination wedding.

The History of the Faubourg Marigny

After 1805, New Orleans residents expanded the boundaries of the city and many settled in the Faubourg Marigny, considered the first suburb of New Orleans. It was the site of a former Plantation used as the meeting place for the transfer of the Louisiana Territory from Spain to France. The Plantation was owned by Count Pierre Marigny, one of the richest men in the New World. His son, Bernard de Marigny, is said to have inherited $7 million from his father in the early 1800’s and lost nearly all of it gambling. His obituary described him as “the last of the Creole aristocracy, one who knows how to dispose of a great fortune with contemptuous indifference.”

In 1808, this twenty year old petitioned the city to subdivide his property closest to the city into lots. This section of New Orleans, known now as “the Marigny”, extends east from Esplanade Avenue to Press Street. It is comprised of angular streets that form triangles, pentagons and squares set at 45 degree angles. Numbers jump their sequence mid-block and so do street names. For example, Bourbon becomes Pauger in the middle of the block. Some think this is charming.

The Marigny is abound with Victorian and Creole cottages with many buildings dating back to the earliest years in New Orleans. Ninety percent of the homes in Faubourg Marigny were built between 1820 and 1860. Spanish, French, Free People of Color, Italians, Germans and Irish were among the first ethnic inhabitants to live in this section of the city. Following a decline in the 1950’s, a few adventurous souls started to reclaim the area in the seventies.A great deal of renovation (under the watchful eye of the Historic District Landmarks Commission) has brightened the community and begun a renaissance of culture.

Today the Marigny has become an eclectic mix of people, lifestyles, businesses, architecture and entertainment. Home to many artists and art studios, this community has become the bohemian center of New Orleans and provides a wealth of contemporary art and sculpture for those seeking fresh new art. The Marigny is rapidly becoming one of the most interesting communities in New Orleans for exploring, sure to provide something of interest for everyone.