Stories by author "Charles Chamberlain": 7
Stories
Exchange Alley at Canal Street
The intersection of Exchange Alley and Canal Street reflects jazz's early roots in youth culture and community, as well as Canal Street prominence as a commercial corridor.
On December 13, 1915, Chicago café owner Harry James discovered a…
Louis Armstrong Park
Louis Armstrong Park is a 30 acre park featuring several sites and sculptures related to New Orleans music history. The main pedestrian entrance is on N. Rampart at St. Anne Streets.
The shady landscaped space to the west (towards Canal St.) is…
The Lyric Theatre
During the 1920s, the Lyric Theater was New Orleans premiere African American vaudeville theater.
Formerly located at the downtown-lake corner of Burgundy and Iberville streets in the French Quarter, the Lyric Theater was touted as “America’s…
The Tango Belt
In the 1910s and 1920s, the Tango Belt was a popular entertainment section of the upper French Quarter, and where dance halls featured local jazz.
Named after the Argentine dance that swept the globe in 1913, the Tango Belt spanned several blocks…
Storyville District
Standing at the intersection of Basin and Conti Streets and facing just west of St. Louis Cemetery #1, is the former location of the Storyville district in the Tremé neighborhood. From 1897 to 1917 New Orleans established a centralized prostitution…
The Eagle Saloon
401 South Rampart, site of the Eagle Saloon, anchors this historic block in theonce diverse neighborhood of African Americans, Jewish and Chinese immigrants that is closely associated with Louis Armstrong's youth and musical upbringing. …
The Iroquois Theater
The red brick building next door to The Eagle Saloon is the former home of The Iroquois Theater.
This African American vaudeville and movie theater operated from 1911-1920. One of the first theaters to feature jazz in a concert setting, it was…