Decatur Street (New Orleans)

Decatur Street is a street in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA. Named after Stephen Decatur (d. 1820), this street near the Mississippi River in the French Quarter was formerly known as Levee Street or Rue de la Levée. It starts at Canal Street (the corresponding street is Magazine, above Canal St.), runs across the French Quarter roughly parallel to the Mississippi River, and comes to its terminus at St. Ferdinand Street in the Faubourg Marigny neighborhood.

Looking up Decatur Street from the Joan of Arc monument

The most famous sights on Decatur Street are Jackson Square and nearby Café du Monde.

For about a century, upper Decatur Street (the portion closer to Canal Street) had many businesses catering to sailors visiting the port of New Orleans. In the late 20th century, it was redeveloped and became more upscale, with establishments such as the House of Blues.

In the late 20th century, lower Decatur Street became a center of local punk and goth subculture. It contains various bars and musical venues and is not far from Faubourg Marigny's Frenchmen Street venues. The Palm Court Cafe is a famous traditional jazz venue.

Decatur Street (New Orleans)

See also