400 Royal St: The Story of a Building

The Courthouse Commission was established by Legislative Act No. 79 of 1902 and charged with acquiring land and overseeing construction of a new courthouse for the Supreme Court of Louisiana and the New Orleans Civil District Court.  An appropriation of $200,000 from state funds and $375,000 from the city of New Orleans went to the Commission, which was composed of two members appointed by the Governor and three members appointed by the Mayor and City Council.

The building site selected, squares 39 and 40 of the 2nd District, was purchased in 1903 for $203,973.29.  Nearby property owners donated $52,000 toward the purchase.  Act No. 96 of 1904 provided an additional $750,000 worth of bonds issued by the city.

The site encompasses 101,706 square feet.  Site preparation required demolition of many buildings dating from the early 19th century and closing one block of Exchange Alley.  In 1906 local architects William Freret and Thomas Sully consulted with the Commission to sponsor a design competition.  The design submitted by Frederick and Ten Eyck Brown of the Brown, Brown and Marye firm in Atlanta, Georgia won first prize and $5,000.  A. B. Stannard of New York City was awarded the construction contract.  The cost of constructing the building was $1,350,000, and furnishings cost another $100,000.

The building, designed in the Beaux Arts style, contains approximately 160,000 usable square feet on four floors and a basement.  Constructed with a concrete foundation and reinforced concrete walls, the building is faced with Georgia marble on the first two stories and terra cotta on the upper two stories.  It has 360 windows.  At the time of construction, the building was believed to be fireproof.

The cornerstone was laid at a ceremony on January 8, 1908.  On October 1, 1910, the New Orleans Courthouse was ready for occupancy by the courts and many state and city agencies.  Original occupants were the Supreme Court, Court of Appeals, Civil District Court, City Courts, Attorney General, State Law Library, Louisiana Bar Association Library, Civil Sheriff’s Office, Constables Office, Recorder of Mortgages, Conveyance Office, Custodian of Notarial Records, Board of Assessors, Tax Collector, and the Orleans Levee Board.

By the 1930’s the building had deteriorated and in 1935 it was condemned.  Extensive repairs were made, and additional agencies moved in, adding to the already crowded conditions.  New occupants included the U.S. Bureau of Fisheries and Department of Agriculture, the Bureau of Forestry, State Fire Marshal, Department of Conservation, and Louisiana Departments of Labor, Occupational Standards, Public Works, and Wildlife and Fisheries.

With the development of the present Civic Center Complex in the 1950’s, many city and state agencies moved out of the dilapidated building.  In 1957 the City of New Orleans sold the New Orleans Courthouse Building and site to the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries for $1,100,000. By 1960 only the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries and the Orleans Parish Levee Board remained.

The U.S. District Court (Eastern District of Louisiana) and the U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit, leased space in the building from 1962-1976.

Demolition, restoration or renovation? 

By 1981 all tenants had vacated, and the building suffered tremendous damage from holes in the roof, vandalism, and neglect.  Controversy swirled around the fate of the old building, and many alternative uses were proposed: casino, opera house, shopping arcade, antiques and artist cooperative, or an entirely new construction of a tourist center.

For twenty years the Supreme Court persisted in seeking to renovate the building for its original use.

In 1991 Pio Lyons of Lyons and Hudson was chosen as the architect for the renovation.  Several contractors were involved in the project and Brice Building Company was the most recent general contractor.  Wherever possible the original design of the building has been restored and preserved, but portions of the facility have been adapted to the modern requirements of the court.

In May 2004 the building was ready for occupancy by the Supreme Court of Louisiana, the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals, the Law Library of Louisiana, the Judicial Administrator’s Office, and the Attorney General of Louisiana.

What is original?

 The light fixtures throughout the building are restored originals, as is most of the hardware.

Some of the furnishings are original: the sideboard in the Formal Conference Room, the two sofas in the 4th floor lobby, and the large chairs with red upholstery.  The black upholstered chairs throughout the building are reproductions.

The wrought iron fence is new, but its embellishment is copied from the emblem used on the grand staircase, a double C design.  The stair rails and banisters were raised to meet code requirements.

The bench in the Supreme Courtroom was originally designed for five justices; it has been modified to accommodate the seven-member court of today.

Courtrooms throughout the building are embellished with carved fasces and garlands of olive leaves.  The fasces are an ancient Roman symbol of civil authority, used to maintain order and to carry out the punishment of the court.  The original fasces consisted of an ax protruding from a bundle of willow rods bound with a red strap.