FOC Concert Series 2018-2019 Season

May 1 | Sweet Crude
All Concerts 7 p.m., Doors 6:30 p.m.
Tickets: $20 Members, $25 General Admission 

Created in 2013, the Friends of the Cabildo Concert Series has brought together some of the best musicians from New Orleans and Louisiana to perform and archive music for the Louisiana State Museum’s Music Collection. Join us for a unique musical experience at the intimate 150-seat, state of the art New Orleans Jazz Museum 3rd Floor Performance Hall.

FOC Film Series

April 24th | 1970 Jazz Fest Films
All Films are shown at 5:30 & 7 p.m. 
Tickets: $10 Members, $15 G.A.

Join the Friends of the Cabildo as the Louisiana State Museum’s collection of seven different 16mm film reels from the first Jazz Fest will be shown at the Old U.S. Mint 3^rdFloor Performance Space Wednesday, April 24th at 5:30 p.m & 7:00 p.m. Dr. Charles Chamberlain, will moderate the event as well as the Band-In-A-Pocket Jazz Trio will be performing in sections that do not have sound.

Don Perry, one of the founders of the New Orleans Jazz Club and a former WDSU cameraman filmed the first festival in 1970 and donated the reels in 1978 to the Louisiana State Museum (LSM). The LSM digitized the films in 2012 allowing them to be preserved for generations of Jazz Fest and music fans. The seven separate films show artists such as Duke Ellington, Pete Fountain, Danny Barker and Mahalia Jackson.

Adult History Class: Neighborhoods of New Orleans 

May 15th (5 Straight Wednesdays) | 6 p.m. – 8 p.m. | NO Jazz Museum at the Old US Mint

Class Fee : $100 FOC/LMF Members, $125, Non Member

The Friends of the Cabildo Adult History Class “Neighborhoods of New Orleans” will cover the entire city of New Orleans and outlying areas in five two-hour sessions. New Orleans historians Dr. Charles Chamberlain & John Magill and Louisiana State Museum Historians Dr. Karen Leathem & Joyce Miller will breakdown the devolpement of the city by neighboorhood creation. From the first neighborhood the French Quarter to the City of Jefferson to the expansive suburbs such as Metarie and St. Tammany Parish, the class will look at the people and the areas that make New Orleans such a melting pot of culture. 

Spring Home & Courtyard Tour

Sunday: May 19th | 2 p.m. – 6 p.m. | 1850 House Museum Store (523 St. Ann St.)

Tour Tickets : $20 FOC/LMF Members, $25, Non Member

Friends of the Cabildo’s annual Spring & Courtyard Tour will be Sunday, May 19th from 2pm-6pm. Guests will be able to see 4-6 homes and courtyards in the French Quarter and see behind the walls of private homes. Tickets can be purchased in advance or at the 1850 House Museum Store the day of the tour. Last tickets are sold at 5 p.m.

Researching Your New Orleans Property Seminar 

Saturday, June 1st | 9:30am-Noon | NO Jazz Museum at the Old US Mint

Seminar Fee : $20 FOC/LMF Members, $25, Non Member

Robert J. Cangelosi Jr., an adjunct lecturer at the Tulane University School of Architecture, will present an in-depth program on historic home research at the Old U.S. Mint at 9:30 a.m.

“If walls could talk, you would know everything about your property: who previously owned it, who slept in it, how old it is, and what secrets it holds.” Cangelosi, will outline how to develop the history of your property, using primary sources rather than oral traditions and secondary sources, which often are incorrect. Preparation of a “chain of title,” the essential first step in developing a history, will be discussed. The chain document the ownership of a property, which in theory, can be taken back to the early 1700s, during the French Colonial period. The “chain of title” relates to the property, not the improvements, and rarely will the chain alone indicate when improvements were made. Like history detectives, determining when improvements were done involves research into various records, including census, tax, water, building permits, contracts, city directories, newspapers, and more. This program will explain how these records can be used and where to find them.

Garden District Tour

Saturdays (10am): April 20th & 27th, May 11th, 18th & 25th 
Tickets: $20 Members | $25 General Admission

Departure Point: 1452 Jackson Ave. (riverside corner at Prytania St.)

Most residents and visitors alike know of the Garden District as a stunning neighborhood full of Greek Revival and Italianate architecture, bounded by Jackson, St. Charles, and Louisiana avenues, and Magazine Street. But do you know who established the Garden District? What part did the NO & Carrollton Railroad play? Why do we always hear tour guides reference “Lafayette” and “Livaudais?” Discover the answers to those questions and more when exploring the Garden District with the Friends of the Cabildo. As we unveil the Garden District’s incredible architecture, and the influence of culture, climate, political events, and famous figures on the area, you will see these grand residences as more than just beautiful houses; they are the enduring statements of mid-nineteenth century Americans in New Orleans.

Lower Garden District Tour

Sunday (10am): May 12th
Tickets: $20 Members | $25 General Admission

Departure Point: Muses Statue (Corner of Prytania and Terpsichore)

Nineteenth century residential life in New Orleans comes alive through the Friends of the Cabildo Lower Garden District Tour! The district’s extensive collection of 1800s residences- primarily side hall, double-galleried homes in the Greek Revival and Italianate styles – will capture your imagination with both the romance and realities of life in these grand homes in the age before modern conveniences. Bounded by the Crescent City Connection, Mississippi River, Jackson Avenue and St. Charles Avenue, the Lower Garden District was developed as six different faubourgs, and it known for its many irregularly shaped parks. You will gain a new understanding of the history and culture of the area through a review of its architecture, geography and famous residents. The Lower Garden District tour departs from the Muses statue, at the intersection of Prytania and Terpsichore street.

Battle of New Orleans Tour

Saturday (11am):  May 11th, 2.5 hour Tour
Tickets: $20 Members | $25 General Admission
Departure Point: 1850 House Museum Store (523 St. Ann Street)

The Battle of New Orleans was a defining event in America’s national identity. The Friends of the Cabildo Battle of New Orleans Tour offers a fascinating look at the battle away from the battlefield, from lost locations of forts that protected the city, to Jackson’s headquarters, to events in the French Quarter related to the unfolding battle. First developed for the Bicentennial of the Battle of New Orleans (2015) the tour continues to draw historians, locals and tourist for a unique perspective on this turning point in American history.

Faubourg St. Mary Tour (CBD)

Saturdays (10AM): June 8th, July 13th, August 10th
Tickets: $20 Members | $25 General Admission
Departure Point: Firestone (Corner of Julia & Camp Streets)

Walking along the busy concrete sidewalks of the Central Business District today, it is difficult to imagine that the streets now shaded by skyscrapers were originally part of Belair, the plantation of city founder Bienville—part of his 1719 land grant which stretched to the present-day Jefferson Parish line. The Friends of the Cabildo Faubourg St. Mary walking tour reveals the history behind the present day commercial district, from the plantation beginnings through the explosive American growth during the peak years from 1830–1860, to the present day. Marvel at historic buildings on Lafayette Square, St. Charles Avenue, Julia Street, Lee Circle, and more! This tour provides a historic backdrop for a new appreciation of the American Sector.

Irish Channel Tour

Saturday (10am): April 27th
Tickets: $20 Members | $25 General Admission
Departure Point: Sophie B. Wright Park (Intersection of Magazine & St. Andrews Street)

Most New Orleanians have enjoyed a sloppy roast beef poboy at a legendary Irish bar off Magazine Street, or caught cabbages, potatoes and carrots at the annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade. But not everyone has stopped to consider the history of the immigrant populations who lived and worked near the docks along the Mississippi River, their culture and traditions forming the foundation of the area we now know as the Irish Channel. The Friends of the Cabildo’s Irish Channel Tour explores this diverse home of working class immigrants, natives and free people of color. From famous churches to Irish bars, unique architecture, famous historic figures and notable festivals, the Irish Channel Tour reveals the many facets of this neighborhood beloved by locals and visitors alike.

Creole Neighborhoods (Marigny) Tour

Tuesday (10am): TBA
Tickets: $20 Members | $25 General Admission
Departure Point: New Orleans Jazz Museum at the Old U.S. Mint (Esplanade Gates Entrance)

Faubourg Marigny was one of the City’s earliest suburbs, located immediately downriver from the Vieux Carré on land subdivided from the plantation of Bernard Marigny de Mandeville, one of New Orleans most colorful historical figures. Today, the Marigny is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is a city-designated historic district, due to its preservation of Creole cottages and many ornamented shotgun dwellings.

Initially, Esplanade Avenue was designated by the French as a commons. In later years, both the French and Spanish built fortifications there. After the Louisiana Purchase, grand townhouses and mansions were built on this European style boulevard.

Treme Cultural Tour

Friday (10am): April 19th
Tickets: $20 Members | $25 General Admission
Departure Point: Treme Coffeehouse (1501 St. Philip Street)

This walking tour of Treme provides a rich, detailed perspective on one of the city’s oldest and most storied neighborhoods. Originally known as “back of town,” the old Creole feel of Treme makes it easy to imagine the early 1800s multicultural community formed by immigrants, free people of color, and refugees from Saint-Domingue. An important center of the city’s African-American and Creole culture, Treme is the cherished home of fourth and fifth generation residents who strive to maintain the area’s cultural and social traditions. We will trace the origin and development of Treme through the amazing nineteenth century architecture (including Creole cottages, townhouses, and shotgun houses), geography, and urban influences dating from the subdivision of this land by Claude Treme in the 1790s to the present day.

New Orleans Rhythm & Blues Tour

Friday (3pm): May 10th
Tickets: $20 Members | $25 General Admission
Departure Point: Corner of Royal & St. Philip Streets (across from CC’s Coffee House)

Between 1947 and 1965 Cosimo Matassa recorded 250 national charting singles, including 21 gold records in his three different recording studios in the French Quarter. This tour visits all three former studios and enjoys a huge playlist of the best rhythm and blues hits. Great history, great stories and wonderful tunes. Everything from “Good Rockin’ Tonight” by Roy Brown in 1947, to “Tutti Frutti” by Little Richard in 1955, to “Tell It Like It is” by Aaron Neville in 1966. And, of course, lots of Fats Domino and Allen Toussaint. We’ll explore how R&B developed in New Orleans, and follow Cosimo’s career, all the way to the Matassa Market, the family business on Dauphine Street where he retired in the 1980s. Matassa was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012, and his J&M Music Shop on Rampart Street, is the 11th historic American Rock ‘n’ Roll landmark.

Yoga at the Cabildo

Designed for all levels of practice, for travelers and residents alike, Yoga at the Cabildo is set in a light-filled gallery of one of the city’s most beautiful and historic buildings. Due to exhibit construction at the Cabildo all classes will be at the Presbytere (751 Chartres Street). The building opposite side of the cathedral from the Cabildo.

Tuesday, Thursdays, Saturdays
8:30am to 9:30am at the Presbytere

$15 Donation (includes admission to Cabildo Museum) $10 FOC/LMF members

Mats are provided