The self-guided walking tour highlights many of New Orleans' historic landmarks that played a role in the rich history of the city. Below are brief descriptions of these landmarks as they relate to the New Orleans Branch.

  1. Statue of Henry Clay, Lafayette Square
    Just outside the New Orleans Branch stands a statue of the senator from Kentucky who defended the Bank of the United States in Lafayette Square.
  2. Bank of the United States (second)
    343 Royal Street
    The New Orleans branch of the Bank of the United States was one of the first banks to open in the city, at 301 Chartres Street. After the Bank of the United States was rechartered in 1816, it opened another branch in New Orleans, at 343 Royal Street, which now houses an antique shop.
  3. Louisiana Bank
    Banque de la Louisiane
    417 Royal Street
    This bank and the Bank of the United States branch were the first two banks in New Orleans to open, both in 1805. The Louisiana Bank site now houses a famous New Orleans restaurant.
  4. Bank of Louisiana
    334 Royal Street
    Built in 1826, this building first opened as the Bank of Louisiana in 1836 and is currently a police station.
  5. Louisiana State Bank
    403 Royal Street
    Louisiana State Bank was designed by Benjamin Henry Latrobe, who was also known as the "Father of American Architecture" and whose work includes the U.S. Capitol Building. The building is now an event space that you can tour.
  6. Old Federal Reserve Bank
    147 Carondelet Street
    Built in 1923, this building housed the New Orleans Branch of the Federal Reserve Bank until 1966. It is currently a business that offers a variety of security services as well as safe-deposit boxes for rent in the old cash vault.
  7. Maspero's Exchange
    La Bourse de Maspero
    440 Chartres Street
    Erected in 1788, this building was the site of a coffee house and exchange—most infamously of slaves. It is also believed to be the site where Jackson met Lafitte to discuss the Battle of New Orleans. The building now holds a restaurant.
  8. Cotton Exchange
    231 Carondelet Street
    The Cotton Exchange was established in 1871 by 18 of the city's leading cotton merchants. The Cotton Exchange introduced such innovative financial practices as futures trading. The building is currently a hotel.
  9. The Mint
    400 Esplanade Avenue
    The Mint was built in 1835 to meet the coin demands of westward expansion and international trade. For a short time, it produced confederate coinage. It is now part of the Louisiana State Museum.
  10. Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop
    941 Bourbon Street
    Legend has it that the Lafitte brothers operated this blacksmith shop, built in 1772, as a front for their privateer enterprises.
  11. French Market
    700 Decatur Street
    The French Market has existed on the same site since 1791. It serves today as a trading place for a large variety of nationalities and ethnicities.
  12. The Cabildo
    701 Chartres Street
    The Cabildo was built under Spanish rule as a governing center and has since served as a city hall, courthouse, prison, and, now, a museum. In 1803, it was the site of the Louisiana Purchase transfer. Just in front of the Cabildo, in the middle of Jackson Square, is a statue of Andrew Jackson.
  13. Forstall House
    920 St. Louis Street
    The home of Edmond Forstall, a merchant turned banker and a director of the Citizens Bank of Louisiana, was built in 1857. The mansion has been converted to luxury condominiums.