Project for Public Spaces

French Market

New Orleans, Louisiana (2004-present)

Client: The French Market Corporation

Since 1791, the food available at the New Orleans’s French Quarter Market has represented the diverse mix of ethnicities and culinary traditions that symbolize New Orleans’ culture. As the City’s French Quarter neighborhood becomes increasingly touristy, the market has struggled to maintain its character. Vendors selling t-shirts and mini-statuettes have begun to define the market more than the local food producers and crafters who started it.

The increasing presence of the tourism industry within the market led the local residents to feel as if they were losing their community’s market. Tourists, too, enjoy a local experience, and as the market moved more towards generic t-shirts and crafts, it began to seem like a self-parody.

The French Market Corporation hired Project for Public Spaces (PPS) to develop a plan for physically renovating and remerchandising the market as a local institution. Working with more local businesses would benefit the nearby residents, and also contribute to tourism by helping the market illustrate the history and uniqueness of New Orleans.

The goal of the project was to make the market more useful for local residents, not just tourists, and The French Market Corporation conducted customer and intercept surveys in the market to make sure their opinions were represented. Through workshops and interviews with two New Orleans architecture firms, community and political representatives on the market’s board, and vendors, the French Market Corporation defined a re-visioning plan and developed the idea for a Farmers’ Shed. The Shed would incorporate local foods and producers back into the market by providing them with a specific place to sell their goods. Other plans focused on re-designing lighting, storage, and points of entry.

The market plans were up for bid the day Hurricane Katrina hit the U.S. Gulf Coast. Fortunately, the French Market grounds are 18 feet above sea level and were less damaged than most of the city, yet many vendors lost everything. The market has reopened, but the major capital improvement program is on hold. The improvements were to be funded by market revenue, and revnue has dropped along with occupancy rates, and may continue to drop as tenants who don’t have adequate resources leave.

The Crescent City Farmers Market is working with the French Market on a joint recovery and promotion program, which is healthy for both markets. They have received funding from the Ford Foundation as a part of an effort to rebuild markets in the Gulf region.