Sitting on the corner of Decatur Street and N. Peter Street in a cozy little park by the name of Place de France, there's a very bold and bright statue. New Orleans and France have a strong bond, so it should come as no surprise that this Joan of Arc statue in Louisiana was a gift from France. This unique statue has gone on quite the world tour to make it to the French Quarter, and you may be surprised to learn the history of this iconic landmark.
The statue is one of several copies designed by French artist Emmanuel Frémiet in the late 1800s. The other statues ended up finding homes all over the world including Melbourne, Quebec, and even other cities in the United States, including Philadelphia and Portland.
For some reason, the statue ended up in a warehouse in New York City for many years.
A New York Company purchased the warehouse and when they began to go through it and found the statue, they knew New Orleans would be the best place for it. After all, there’s no other city in the country that’s as closely linked to France as New Orleans.
But it wasn’t a quick process. The “Maid of Orleans” took on another warehouse tour of the United States, this time in a New Orleans warehouse, where she would stay for almost 15 years.
Once it was brought over to New Orleans, it took many years before it was finally installed, mostly due to funding issues. There’s a steep price tag to installing these statues, and the City of New Orleans had trouble finding the $35,000 to fund the project. There was also debate over where such an iconic statue should be placed, which would end up playing a major part in her relocation - but we’ll get to that in a minute.
Without funding, she sat in storage for over a decade.
That is, until a visit from French President Charles de Gaulle in 1960. He learned of the statue’s situation during his visit and decided to help pick up the tab for the statue. De Gaulle called on the French cities of Orléans, Paris, Rouen, and Reims to help. These cities not only have ties with New Orleans, but also Jeanne d’Arc herself. They say it takes a village to raise a child... well, it takes at least five cities to raise a statue.
However, the statue would remain in storage for many more years before finding a home at the base of Canal Street at the International Trade Mart Plaza, which would later become the World Trade Center of New Orleans.
The site was dedicated in 1964 with a grand ceremony that even included French ships arriving at the port to celebrate. At France’s request, the park was named Place de France and they also sent over two bronze cannons that date back to 1813 to flank the incredible statue. Four French cities also sent over a plaque to be placed on the statue: Reims, where Charles VII was crowned as king, Lorraine, where Joan was born, Orléans, where she freed the city from the British, and Rouen, where Joan was burned at the stake.
More time dragged on, and it wasn’t until 1972 that the statue was finally installed for everyone to see.
The statue sat proudly for many years at the foot of Canal Street, until the 1990s when the nearby Rivergate Convention Center was purchased by Harrah’s Casino. Joan didn’t fit in with Harrah’s plans and wanted to remove the statue. This was met with great resistance from locals, preservationists, and politicians and ended up in the court system for many years.
You would think that 500+ years after her death, Joan would be done fighting... but she had one more epic battle to wage.
A very lengthy (and costly) courtroom battle wages on between the Louisiana Landmarks Society and Harrah’s. After many years, Harrah’s won the case, though they did have to assume the expenses for moving, storing, and relocating the statue as well as upgrading the new park. Overall Harrah’s ended up with close to a half-million dollar price tag for moving the statue.
So in 1999, a new Place de France Park was rededicated and the statue found her permanent home on Decatur Street.
The 13-foot Maid of Orleans is a massive statue, constructed of gilded bronze that clocks in at 2,700 pounds. She rests on top of a seven-foot base, and for everyone involved, let’s hope she doesn’t get moved again.
This isn't even the only French find in New Orleans. You might be surprised to learn that there's a piece of the Eiffel Tower in New Orleans, too.
Subscribe to our newsletter
Get the latest updates and news
Thank you for subscribing!
