National Historic Landmark - The Cabildo
The Cabildo stands adjacent to St. Louis Cathedral and was the headquarters for the Spanish Colonial Council, or Cabildo.
The original structure was destroyed during the Great New Orleans Fire of 1788, during which over 75% of the buildings in the city were completely lost. The Spanish government rebuilt the structure between 1795 and 1799 in the Neo-Classical style. Despite its prominent classical overtones, the building is adorned with a Spanish style loggia on the bottom floor and a French style mansard roof added later.
The building played host to the official signing ceremony for the Louisiana Purchase in 1803 and continued to be utilized by the city and state government until around 1850.
The bottom floor of the building was utilized as a courtroom throughout both the Spanish, French, and American periods and was home to the Louisiana Supreme Court between 1868 and 1910. The groundbreaking Plessy vs. Ferguson racial segregation case was heard before the Louisiana Supreme Court within this building in 1896.
Since 1911 the Cabildo has been the home of the Louisiana State Museum and was designated as a National Historic Landmark in 1960.
