Storyville District Tours

Storyville was established in 1897 when the New Orleans City Council, under orders from councilman, Alderman Sidney Story, set out to regulate prostitution with the aim to restrict the red light district to a controlled area. The district was soon nicknamed Storyville after the councillor, and for the next 20 years the streets of North Basin, North Robertson, Iberville, and St. Louis on the edge of the French Quarter were filled with brothels, saloons, and other businesses. It is said that jazz and swing music originated within the saloons and dance halls of Storyville during this time, with musicians such as Tony Jackson and Jelly Roll Morton performing in the area.

Storyville was easily accessible via a nearby train station and immensely popular, from its 50-cent brothels right through to the higher end of the market. In 1917, when the US entered World War I, the federal government closed down Storyville and legal protests by local businesses failed to ever revoke the decision. Today, not much of the old era remains and the neighborhood is currently the site for a number of housing projects.