Storyville, New Orleans (district)
Storyville was a historic district in New Orleans, established in 1897 as a designated red-light area to contain the city's notorious reputation for vice, particularly prostitution. Located between North Basin Street and North Robertson Street, and Saint Louis Street and Iberville Street, it operated until 1917, during which time it became a vibrant hub for nightlife, featuring brothels and saloons. The district was notable for its connection to the birth of jazz music, with renowned musicians such as Buddy Bolden and Jelly Roll Morton performing in its establishments. Despite popular belief, jazz was not exclusively born in Storyville but thrived there among many musicians who had already gained experience nationwide.
The establishment of Storyville was influenced by the social climate of the time, as city leaders aimed to reshape New Orleans' image amidst growing concerns over public morality. The district reflected the complexities of race relations, allowing a diverse mix of women in its brothels, although high-end establishments primarily catered to wealthy white men. Ultimately, Storyville's closure was influenced by military pressures and changing societal attitudes, leading to its demolition and redevelopment in the decades following. Today, the legacy of Storyville lives on through cultural representations that explore its rich historical and musical significance.
Storyville, New Orleans (district)
The Storyville district of New Orleans was a notorious red-light district filled with saloons and brothels. It was located between North Basin Street and North Robertson Street, and Saint Louis Street and Iberville Street. Storyville came about because New Orleans had a widespread reputation for vice, especially prostitution, and city leaders hoped to improve the city's image by containing this activity. The Storyville red-light district was active for twenty years, from the late 1890s through World War I (1914–1918).
Jazz music was popular in the brothels, and many musicians, including Sidney Bechet, Buddy Bolden, and Jelly Roll Morton, performed there. Although a myth arose that jazz music was born in Storyville and expanded across the country only when the district closed, in fact many of the musicians who gained experience in the saloons and brothels were performing around the country long before then.
Background
During the nineteenth century, prostitution was rampant in New Orleans. Many citizens did not want such activities in their neighborhoods or near their businesses. To address these concerns, council member Sidney Story introduced legislation outlawing prostitution in New Orleans in all areas except in a number of blocks next to the French Quarter. With the passage of the law, Storyville—which got its nickname from the legislator—was established on July 6, 1897.
Storyville was easily accessible to visitors of the city as well as workers. It was close to one of New Orleans' main train stations—the Southern Railway's Canal Street terminal—and to the turning basin at the end of the Carondelet Canal (which gave Basin Street its name). The mansions were nearest to the train station and attracted wealthy patrons. Newcomers navigated the streets using Blue Books, which were guides published by saloon owners, madams, and others with interests in the red-light district. (Blue Books were various colors—the title is a reference to the focus of the guides, activities regarded as "indecent.")
The facilities ranged from cheap blocks of almost bare rooms called cribs to opulent mansions, where hired musicians played soft music in common rooms as patrons mingled with the women for hire. At first the racial makeup of prostitutes varied by area and block, but over time distinctions disappeared, and white, black, and mixed-race women could be found in most brothels and crib blocks. The high-end brothels, however, admitted only wealthy white men.
US military officials and racism led to the demise of Storyville. Early in the twentieth century, communities across the United States began shutting down red-light districts. During World War I, the district became popular with troops stationed nearby. Many soldiers were shipped to Europe from ports around New Orleans. The secretary of the Navy pressured the city to close Storyville, arguing that it threatened the health and morals of service members. Individuals who were opposed to interracial socializing also supported closing the integrated businesses.
Legal prostitution in Storyville came to a halt on November 12, 1917. Many other businesses, including dance halls and eateries, continued to draw visitors for some time, and some madams moved their businesses to other parts of New Orleans. Most of the structures in the district were demolished during the 1940s and low-income housing, called the Iberville Housing Project, was built there. Iberville, in turn, was razed in 2013.
Overview
New Orleans had a history of and reputation for being progressive on the issue of race relations. The city was first a French colony and later a Spanish colony, and it retained much of its European heritage. It had a large mixed-race population, but race was not a divisive issue. Since the 1870s, blacks could vote and serve on juries. Mixed-race marriages were legal, and many neighborhoods were integrated. New Orleans had a reputation for being hedonistic, however, and many community leaders were interested in changing the world's opinion about the city.
Following the American Civil War, many Southern states began enacting Jim Crow laws, which enforced segregation. Blacks and whites could not legally drink together, ride the same train cars, or be involved socially. Storyville was established during this era.
Reformers in Louisiana began passing segregation laws. The US Supreme Court ruled in the 1896 case of Plessy v. Ferguson, which originated in New Orleans, that segregation was not unconstitutional because blacks and whites had access to equal facilities (in this case train cars). This case was used in many states to validate laws regarding segregation in public places.
The impetus for creation of a vice district was the city's traditionally relaxed attitude toward race relations, in particular social interactions. In New Orleans, reformers in local government attempted to alter the city's famous permissiveness. The social elites wanted to revise the city's reputation around the country and the world. Although they could not eliminate prostitution, they thought they could contain it and present New Orleans as a virtuous city. Instead, the red-light district developed its own reputation, which inspired visitors to seek out the notorious neighborhood's attractions. Some researchers speculate that the Blue Books' lists of prostitutes, which included race, fed white male interest in mixed-race experiences.
The lives of the women who worked in Storyville were shrouded in mystery until about 1950, when a collection of photographs taken by E.J. Bellocq was found. Bellocq had taken portraits of prostitutes during the early twentieth century. His images inspired books and motion pictures about the time and Storyville. Actress Brooke Shields starred in the 1978 film Pretty Baby, which looked at the residents of a New Orleans brothel. More recently, theatrical productions in New Orleans have explored figures of the era, including brothel madams and property owners. Even respectable, influential individuals in the city were willing to own property and collect rent in the red-light district.
Storyville has been touted as an important setting in the birth and development of jazz music. When it began, jazz music was often regarded as disreputable, which forever linked it to the red-light district. The adult entertainment in the neighborhood, including the many saloons, provided opportunities for musicians. Jazz musicians, including Jelly Roll Morton and Lizzie Miles, became well known in Storyville. They were touring on the vaudeville and riverboat circuit long before it closed down, however, which disputes the mythology that New Orleans jazz only began spreading across the country after the saloons in Storyville closed, and the musicians lost their livelihoods in the district.
Storyville was established to curb or contain vice. Within its borders, racial boundaries both blurred and became bolder. While the district itself was not noticeably segregated by race, distinctions existed.
Bibliography
"Basin Street: Gateway to Storyville." Storyville New Orleans, www.storyvilledistrictnola.com/district.html. Accessed 5 Dec. 2024.
Bouzon, Helen, Jessica Jennings, and Charles Chamberlain. "Storyville District." New Orleans Historical, 17 Oct. 2023, neworleanshistorical.org/items/show/1307. Accessed 5 Dec. 2024.
Branley, Edward. "NOLA History: The Legendary Storyville District." Go NOLA, 3 May 2024, gonola.com/2012/05/03/nola-history-the-legendary-storyville-district.html. Accessed 5 Dec. 2024.
Landau, Emily Epstein. Spectacular Wickedness: Sex, Race, and Memory in Storyville, New Orleans. LSU Press, 2013.
"Storyville." Mixed Race Studies, www.mixedracestudies.org/?tag=storyville. Accessed 5 Dec.
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Vaz, Kim Marie. The "Baby Dolls": Breaking the Race and Gender Barriers of the New Orleans Mardi Gras Tradition. LSU Press, 2013.