United States Mint, New Orleans Branch | |
![]() A postcard dated July 12, 1907, showing the New Orleans Mint during its last few years of operation as a branch mint facility | |
Location | New Orleans Louisiana, U.S. |
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Coordinates | 29°57′41″N 90°3′28″W / 29.96139°N 90.05778°W |
Built | 1835 |
Architect | William Strickland |
Architectural style | Greek Revival |
NRHP reference No. | 73000875 |
Significant dates | |
Added to NRHP | March 30, 1973[1] |
Designated NHL | May 15, 1975[2] |
The New Orleans Mint (French: Monnaie de La Nouvelle-Orléans) operated in New Orleans, Louisiana, as a branch mint of the United States Mint from 1838 to 1861 and from 1879 to 1909. During its years of operation, it produced over 427 million gold and silver coins of nearly every American denomination, with a total face value of over US$ 307 million.[3] It was closed during most of the American Civil War and Reconstruction.
After it was decommissioned as a mint, the building has served a variety of purposes, including as an assay office, a United States Coast Guard storage facility, and a fallout shelter.
Since 1981 it has served as a branch of the Louisiana State Museum. Damaged by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, after over two years of repairs and renovations, the museum reopened in October 2007.
Exhibits include instruments used by some of New Orleans' notable jazz musicians, photographs, and posters, now part of the New Orleans Jazz Museum.[4] The site is also a performance venue for jazz concerts, in partnership with the New Orleans Jazz National Historical Park and the private Music at the Mint organization.[5][6]
The Louisiana Historical Center is located on the third floor of the building. The center includes collections of colonial-era manuscripts and maps, and primary and secondary source materials in a wide range of media. It is open to anyone with an interest in Louisiana history and culture.[7]
The New Orleans Mint has been designated a National Historic Landmark, and it is the oldest extant structure to have served as a U.S. Mint. Along with the Charlotte Mint, it is one of two former mint facilities in the U.S. to house an art gallery.[8]