CBD / Warehouse District

The Central Business District (CBD) extends from the Mississippi River to Claiborne Ave. and is located between Iberville Street and the Pontchartrain Expressway. The CBD is comprised of two National Register districts- the Upper and the Lower Central Business Districts. Poydras and Canal Streets are its main thoroughfares, featuring office buildings, high-rise hotels and shopping. The world-famous New Orleans Superdome is located on Poydras St. The riverside of the CBD hosts the Convention Center and The Riverwalk shopping complex (140 stores with magnificent views of the river).

The Warehouse District, which adjoins the CBD, has become New Orleans’ answer to New York’s SoHo (minus the steep cost). The area has flourished since the 1984 World’s Fair as an urban residential neighborhood. Much of the CBD and Warehouse area has been designated a local Historic District. The area offers upscale lofts, first-class condominiums, luxurious hotels, galleries, restaurants, museums and nightclubs.

The CBD/Warehouse district is the Mecca of the New Orleans contemporary arts and entertainment scene. Spend an afternoon at The Ogden Museum of Southern Art or The World War II Museum, enjoy dinner at Emeril’s Restaurant, and then catch a cabaret performance at Le Chat Noir. The first Saturday of every month, the galleries on Julia Street open their doors late for an art walk. These art walks are elevated to huge block parties in August and October of every year for White Linen Night and Art for Arts Sake. These events feature bands, local food vendors and drinks. The CBD is also the setting for “Wednesdays at the Square,” in Lafayette Square every Wednesday in late spring featuring food, beverage, regional artists and musical performers.

The CBD/Warehouse received little damage from Hurricane Katrina, making it one of the safest areas in case of future hurricanes. Hurricane Katrina damaged many windows and some roofs, but only a handful of old brick buildings suffered any permanent structural damage. This neighborhood offers the best of both worlds: a historic setting and a modern locality, all within walking distance. (These descriptions were culled from numerous historical sources, the Greater New Orleans Community Data Center website and the City of New Orleans Official Tourism Website).