Editing French Quarter (section)

===Jackson Square===
{{Main|Jackson Square (New Orleans)}}
[[File:Jackson Square New Orleans.JPG|thumb|[[Andrew Jackson|Jackson]] [[equestrian statue]] and [[St. Louis Cathedral (New Orleans)|St. Louis Cathedral]] &ndash; flanked by [[the Cabildo]] and [[the Presbytere]]]]

Jackson Square (formerly {{lang|fr|Place d'Armes}} or {{lang|es|Plaza de Armas}}, in French and Spanish, respectively), originally designed by architect and landscaper Louis H. Pilié (officially credited only with the iron fence), is a public, gated park the size of a city block, located at the front of the French Quarter (GPS {{Coord|29.95748|-90.06310|display=inline}}). In the mid-19th century, the square was named after President (formerly General, of [[Battle of New Orleans]] acclaim) [[Andrew Jackson]].{{Citation needed|date=July 2019}}

In 1856, city leaders purchased an [[Equestrian sculpture|equestrian statue]] of Jackson from the sculptor Clark Mills. The statue was placed at the center of the square, which was converted to a park from its previous use as a [[military parade]] ground and execution site. (Convicted criminals were sometimes hanged in the square. After the [[1811 German Coast Uprising|slave insurrection of 1811]] during the [[Territory of Orleans|U.S. territorial period]], some of the insurgents were sentenced to death here in [[Orleans Parish]] under a justice system which had not yet been converted to American ideals, and their severed heads were displayed here.)<ref>{{Cite book|last=Blyth|first=Robert|title=Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve|year=2012|language=English}}</ref>

The square originally overlooked the [[Mississippi River]] across Decatur Street; however, the view was blocked in the 19th century when larger levees were built along the river. The riverfront was long devoted to shipping-related activities at the heart of the [[port]]. The administration of Mayor [[Moon Landrieu]] put in a scenic boardwalk across from Jackson Square; it is known as the "Moon Walk" in his honor. At the end of the 1980s, old wharves and warehouses were demolished to create [[Woldenberg Park]], extending the riverfront promenade up to [[Canal Street, New Orleans|Canal Street]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Woldenberg Park |url=https://www.neworleans.com/listing/woldenberg-park/32771/ |access-date=2022-07-12 |website=www.neworleans.com |language=en-us}}</ref>

On the opposite side of the square from the River are three 18th‑century historic buildings, which were the city's heart in the colonial era. The center of the three is [[St. Louis Cathedral (New Orleans)|St. Louis Cathedral]]. The [[cathedral]] was designated a [[minor basilica]] by [[Pope Paul VI]]. To its left is [[the Cabildo]], the old city hall, now a museum, where the final transfer papers for the [[Louisiana Purchase]] were signed. To the cathedral's right is [[the Presbytère]], built to match the Cabildo. The Presbytère, originally planned to house the city's [[Roman Catholic]] priests and authorities, was adapted as a courthouse at the start of the 19th century after the Louisiana Purchase, when civilian government was elevated over church authority. In the 20th century it was adapted as a museum.{{Citation needed|date=July 2019}}

On each side of the square are the [[Pontalba Buildings]], matching red-brick, one-block-long, four‑story buildings constructed between 1849 and 1851. The ground floors house shops and restaurants; the upper floors are apartments. The buildings were planned as row townhouses; they were not converted to rental apartments until the 1930s (during the [[Great Depression]]).{{Citation needed|date=July 2019}}
[[File:Instrument Men Statue.jpg|thumb|Instrument men fountain in the French Quarter, September 2022.]]
The buildings were designed and constructed by [[Baroness Micaela Almonester Pontalba]], daughter of Don [[Andres Almonaster y Rojas]], a prominent Spanish philanthropist in [[Louisiana Creole people|Creole]] New Orleans. Micaela Almonaster was born in Louisiana in 1795. Her father died three years later, and she became sole heiress to his fortune and his New Orleans land holdings.{{Citation needed|date=July 2019}}

Directly across from Jackson Square is the [[Jax Brewery]] building, the original home of a local [[beer]]. After the company ceased to operate independently, the building was converted for use by retail businesses, including restaurants and specialty shops. In recent years, some retail space has been converted into riverfront [[Condominium (living space)|condominium]]s.{{Citation needed|date=July 2019}} Behind the Jax Brewery lies the Toulouse Street Wharf, the regular pier for the excursion steamboat, ''[[Natchez (boat)#Current Natchez|Natchez]]''.

From the 1920s through the 1980s, Jackson Square became known for attracting [[Painting|painters]], young art students, and [[caricaturist]]s. In the 1990s, the artists were joined by [[tarot card readers]], [[mime artist|mime]]s, fortune tellers, and other street performers.{{Citation needed|date=July 2019}}

Live music has been a regular feature of the entire Quarter, including the Square, for more than a century. Formal concerts are also held, although more rarely. Street musicians play for tips.{{Citation needed|date=July 2019}}

Diagonally across the square from the Cabildo is [[Café du Monde]], open 24 hours a day except for [[Christmas Day]]. The historic open-air [[coffeehouse|cafe]] is known for its [[café au lait]], its coffee blended with [[chicory]], and its [[beignets]], made and served there continuously since the [[American Civil War|Civil War]] period (1862). It is a custom for anyone visiting for the first time to blow the [[powdered sugar]] off a beignet and make a wish.{{Citation needed|date=July 2019}}