Plan de la Nouvelle Orléans (Gonichon 1731).

This French colonial plan of the city shows the location of what became Saint Louis Cathedral as letter “A”. This map illustrates the first permanent masonry structure on the site, constructed between 1724 -1727. The church was expanded during Spanish rule in 1769. Unfortunately, the “Good Friday fire” of 1788 destroyed the church and surrounding city. Plans for the new church began in 1789 in the same location, and the structure, officially designated as a cathedral in 1793, was completed by 1794. The second great fire of 1794 narrowly missed destroying the new Cathedral, and the first mass was held there on Christmas Eve, 1794. Modifications continued in the American period. In 1819, Benjamin Latrobe designed the addition of the bell tower to the structure. In 1849-1851, the cathedral was reconstructed almost completely, expanding to its contemporary appearance.