Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
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POYDRAS STREET: SKYSCRAPER
CENTRAL
BOUNDARIES:
Mississippi River, Poydras St., S. Robertson St.
DISTANCE:
2.04 miles
PARKING:
Lots, garages, metered parking
PUBLIC TRANSIT:
Riverfront Streetcar, St. Charles Ave. Streetcar
Poydras Street, the main thoroughfare of the Central Business District, extends from the
Mississippi River to well beyond downtown. But it's the stretch between the river and
South Claiborne Avenue that serves as the heartbeat of the city's economy, with the
Mercedes-Benz Superdome anchoring one side and the busy riverfront and the nearby Ern-
est N. Morial Convention Center the other.
Poydras Street is named after Julien Poydras, a French-American politician who represen-
ted Louisiana in the US House of Representatives from 1809 to 1811. Until the oil boom of
the 1980s, Poydras was just another downtown street, consisting mostly of low- to mid-rise
buildings. But with the construction of the Superdome in 1975, along with such buildings
as One Shell Square—the city's tallest—and 1250 Poydras Plaza, the city's skyline began
taking shape. Although Poydras lost many tenants to the oil bust in the late '80s, many
buildings were converted into luxury hotels to accommodate the city's ever-growing tourist
industry.
Other high-rises on Poydras include the Pan American Life Center, Benson Tower, and
First Bank and Trust Tower. Several hotels, restaurants, and bars can also be found on Poy-
dras and in the surrounding business district, making New Orleans an ideal choice for con-
ventions and big-time events such as the Super Bowl and the NCAA's Final Four. A relat-
ively recent addition to the street is the Poydras Corridor Sculpture Exhibition, featuring
more than a dozen sculptures by Southern artists, on the neutral ground between the Super-
dome and Convention Center Boulevard.
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Begin at the Hilton New Orleans Riverside and cross Poydras Street. The va-
cant high-rise in front of you was once home to the World Trade Center of
New Orleans and headquarters of the Port of New Orleans. Built in 1968, the
33-story structure housed foreign consulates and featured a popular revolving
bar that overlooked the Mississippi River. The Port has since moved its offices
