NEW ORLEANS — The French Market is one of the most famous open-air markets in the world. And, it’s been a part of New Orleans’ history for more than 200 years.
Around 100 years ago, a photographer from the Detroit Publishing Company took a photo of the French Market where Decatur Street splits into North Peters Street.
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The photo shows food vendors selling fruits and vegetables stacked up on crates and sticking out of barrels, which isn’t unusual in toady’s French Market. But, it is on this corner of the market.
A look at the the same location today shows a very different picture. Gone are the merchants hawking their wears, replaced with a cafe offering live music and a park with a statue of Joan of Arc. Where there were horses and buggies on the cobblestone streets 100 years ago, there are cars and Segways puttering down the paved streets. Streetcars roll down tracks that don’t exist today. And, two prominent businesses that are no longer there are visible in the back: Garic’s Bakery and Anthony M. Masich Grocery.