Identifier
etd-0612102-150125
Degree
Master of Arts (MA)
Department
Geography and Anthropology
Document Type
Thesis
Abstract
Buildings are a materialization of culture at a particular point in time. Subsequent modifications and new buildings express the culture at that time. The buildings of one city block, Squares 39 and 40, are examined at various points in time over the past three hundred years to document changes in the material expression of culture, and thereby, modification in the culture itself. The history of the city is viewed from the perspective of the people and the buildings of this single city block. Some historic events only peripherally affected the block and are discussed for background. A significant portion of the history of New Orleans occurred in and around this block. The three hundred years of history is divided into eight historic eras: Pioneering Period, French Colonial, Spanish Dominion, Early American Period, Economic Expansion, Antebellum and War Years, Reconstruction, and the Twentieth Century. Each era had a distinct effect on the buildings of Squares 39 and 40. The social, economic and political forces active in each historic era caused modifications in the buildings. These modifications can be read as the history of the block. Squares 39 and 40 are iconic of the city of New Orleans.
Date
2002
Document Availability at the Time of Submission
Release the entire work immediately for access worldwide.
Recommended Citation
Mince, Sylvia Starns, "New Orleans' Squares 39 and 40: three centuries of change: an anthropological look at the social, economic and political effects on architecture" (2002). LSU Master's Theses. 662.
https://repository.lsu.edu/gradschool_theses/662
Committee Chair
Jay D. Edwards
DOI
10.31390/gradschool_theses.662