Piazza d'Italia (New Orleans) facts for kids
The Piazza d'Italia is a special public plaza in downtown New Orleans, Louisiana. You can find it behind the American Italian Cultural Center. The City of New Orleans owns and manages this plaza. It was finished in 1978. Famous architect Charles Moore designed it with Perez Architects.
When it first opened, many artists and architects praised the Piazza. They called it an amazing piece of architecture. However, the area around it was never fully developed. Because of this, the Piazza started to fall apart quickly. By the year 2000, many people in New Orleans didn't even know about it. Some even called it the first "postmodern ruin." Luckily, the building next to it became the Loews Hotel in 2003. This led to the Piazza d'Italia being fully repaired by 2004.
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How the Piazza d'Italia Was Designed
New Orleans welcomed many Italian immigrants in the late 1800s and early 1900s. But their contributions were often overlooked. French and Spanish cultures usually got more attention. In the early 1970s, Italian-American leaders in New Orleans wanted to honor their heritage. They wanted a public space to remember the Italian immigrant experience.
At this time, downtown New Orleans was struggling. Many American cities faced similar problems after World War II. People were moving to the suburbs, and city centers were losing money. New Orleans Mayor Moon Landrieu wanted to improve the downtown area. He liked the idea of a project that would bring new life to the city center.
In 1974, Charles Moore was asked to help. He was a well-known architect and a leader in postmodern design. This style uses playful and bold ideas. Moore and his team imagined a public fountain shaped like the country of Italy. It would be surrounded by curved walkways called colonnades. There would also be a clock tower and a bell tower. These parts would look modern and abstract.
The main fountain was in the middle of a city block. You could reach it from two directions. One way was through a narrow path from Poydras Street. The other was through an arch in the clock tower. The fountain and walkways used classic shapes in a fun way. They were made with modern materials like stainless steel and neon lights. Water jets even mimicked the leaves on old Greek columns.
Choosing the Location
The Piazza d'Italia was built in a run-down part of downtown. It was a few blocks from Canal Street and the French Quarter. It was also close to the Mississippi River. This area had been neglected for many years. It had old, empty buildings and outdated port structures.
Cities like Boston and Baltimore had started to fix up their old waterfronts. New Orleans wanted to do the same. By the 1970s, the city hoped to attract new businesses to this area. It later became known as the Warehouse District. People hoped the Piazza d'Italia would encourage new building and interest in downtown.
The design of the Piazza depended on its surroundings. Old 19th-century buildings were supposed to be fixed up. New buildings were also planned to fit in. This mix of old and new would create a "surprise plaza." Imagine walking down a narrow alley and suddenly stepping into a sunny plaza. This is how the Piazza was meant to feel. That's why it was placed in the middle of a city block, hidden from the main streets.
What the Fountain Says
The Piazza's fountain has a Latin message carved into it. It is split into two parts.
On the left side, it says: FONS SANCTI JOSEPHI. On the right side, it says: HVNC FONTEM CIVES NOVI AVRELIANI TOTO POPULO DONO DEDERUNT.
This message translates to: The Fountain of Saint Joseph: The citizens of New Orleans have given this fountain to all the people as a gift.
Why the Piazza Declined
The Piazza d'Italia faced problems almost as soon as it was finished in 1978. No money was found to develop the area around it. The Lykes Center building was already there, but it left the Piazza hidden. It was stuck between empty lots and the plain wall of the Lykes Steamship headquarters.
Without shops or businesses nearby, there was no money to keep it up. City budgets also got tighter. First, the government stopped giving as much money to cities. Then, the Oil Bust hit in the mid-1980s. This made things even worse. The plaza quickly fell apart. The fountain rarely worked, and the fun neon lights broke and were not fixed.
In 1987, a fire badly damaged the old buildings along Tchoupitoulas Street. They were torn down and replaced with a large parking lot next to the Piazza. By 2000, people often called the Piazza d'Italia a "postmodern ruin." This was ironic, as it looked like the ancient ruins it was designed to playfully imitate.
Bringing the Piazza Back to Life
In 2002, plans were announced to turn the empty Lykes Center into a Loews Hotel. The hotel developers promised $1 million to fix the Piazza. Perez Architects, who helped design it originally, were hired to make sure it was restored correctly.
By 2004, the fountain was working again. However, the badly damaged bell tower on the edge of the site was removed. The original idea of the Piazza as a "surprise plaza" is still not fully realized. It needs the empty parking lots around it to be developed for that to happen.
Recent Improvements
For many years, the Piazza and its parking lots were owned by a special development company. In 2016, this company joined with the New Orleans Building Corporation (NOBC).
In 2013, Mayor Mitch Landrieu announced a $280,000 project to improve the Piazza. Mayor Mitch Landrieu is the son of former Mayor Moon Landrieu. The Piazza needed more maintenance nine years after its big restoration. The first phase of improvements included more Italian-style plants. These plants created a green screen for privacy from the parking lot. New restrooms that meet accessibility standards were also built.
The money for this project came from a special fund. This fund gets money from fees collected from the parking lots nearby. Mayor Landrieu said, "These improvements are not going to be funded with city general fund dollars." He also mentioned his own Italian heritage, showing how important the Piazza is to the local Italian-American community.
The first phase of renovations is complete. The second phase is currently being built. It will fix or replace every part of the fountain that needs it. This will bring back its full original design. The city-owned parking lots around it are still empty.
