The Cabildo

The Cabildo, at 701 Chartres Street beside St. Louis Cathedral in New Orleans, Louisiana, was built between 1795 and 1799 as the seat of the Spanish colonial governing council, or cabildo, with funding from the philanthropist Don Andres Almonester y Rojas. It is among the most historically important buildings in the United States. On December 20, 1803, the transfer of the Louisiana Territory from France to the United States was formalised in the council chamber, and the building later served as New Orleans city hall and then, from 1868 to 1910, as the Louisiana Supreme Court, where Homer Plessy's case was heard before it reached the U.S. Supreme Court in Plessy v. Ferguson. The Louisiana State Museum took over the building in 1911. Architecturally the Cabildo is a Spanish colonial structure of stuccoed brick with an arcaded ground floor, wrought-iron balconies and an upper-floor arcade; the mansard roof and cupola were added in 1847. Fire severely damaged the roof and upper floors in 1988, and a major restoration reopened the building in the 1990s. The museum presents Louisiana history in a broadly chronological and thematic sequence, from Native American settlement and French and Spanish colonisation through the Louisiana Purchase, the antebellum economy, slavery, the Civil War and Reconstruction. Notable objects include a death mask of Napoleon Bonaparte, colonial-era maps and documents, portraits, weapons, and furnishings, and the Sala Capitular where the Purchase documents were signed. The galleries trace the political and social development of the territory and the experiences of enslaved and free people of colour, and temporary exhibitions supplement the permanent displays. The building is part of the Jackson Square National Historic Landmark and sits alongside the Presbytere, which mirrors it across the cathedral. Visitors usually need about 60 to 90 minutes for a full walk-through, and the entrance is on the Chartres Street side.