Drawing on her many years of leading initiatives and building projects in government work, Sandra Herman felt inspired to take on a major task: revitalizing Canal Street. Once home to beloved department stores such as Maison Blanche and Gus Mayer, the area became less of a common destination when these retail anchors departed. After asking around, Herman was amazed by the number of people who wanted this project to happen, as many longtime residents of the city still fondly recalled Canal Street in its heyday.
Herman decided to divide this task into two parts. First, she is building a coalition of people who are interested in really doing the work on Canal Street. This includes opening more shops and cafes, as well as addressing public safety, transportation, and parking concerns. One of the additional goals is to entice more upscale, major retailers to return to the area as well. This all serves the main goal, which is to make families feel welcome on Canal Street.
The second portion of Herman’s plan involves beautifying the area. As she researched how other cities accomplished revitalizations, Herman learned that art installations were common. Inspired by the Christmastime storefront displays in Manhattan, Herman envisioned a way to dress up the historical buildings along Canal Street. She collaborated with Cat Todd and Collin Ferguson, founders of Where Y’Art, to create themed designs that celebrate the history of these buildings.
“When Sandra told us about the vision she had for creating immersive art installations on Canal Street to help bring families back to Canal, we ran toward this experience,” said Ferguson. To create a throughline, each business will have one element of local flora and fauna. And to really connect with the hearts of current New Orleanians, each installation will also feature Scrim – the little white dog whose escape attempts gained nationwide attention. As Scrim travels to each location, he meets a different animal that teaches him about the significance of the building on Canal Street, creating a sort of walking storybook.
The installations, similar to house floats, will pull in the history of these buildings in creative and fantastical ways. Palace Cafe, for instance, was once home to Werlein’s Music Store, where many in New Orleans purchased musical instruments, sheet music, and records. To celebrate this deep, rich musical history, the concept for this building is called “Live at the Palace Cafe,” and it features four dancing frogs as Scrim looks on from the top of the building. The lively amphibians are a nod to “The Picayune Frog Polka,” whose original sheet music was published by Phillip Werlein in 1894.
The theme for Rubensteins features Mr. P, the uptown peacock, one of the showiest local animals. This honors the fact that Rubensteins is currently celebrating 100 years of men’s fashion on Canal Street.
There is another creative way the team found to honor Canal Place, which was originally built for the 1984 Louisiana World Exposition, along with the Convention Center and the RiverWalk. Attendees may recall the fair’s mascot, Seymore D’Fair, a top hat-wearing pelican. The official ambassador of Canal Street is set to become Semora Canal, the original Seymore’s granddaughter. It is one way to help get younger people excited about the area as well.
“We are super excited about the talented group of diverse artists that we are bringing on board for this,” said Cat Todd. “We have really been intentional about making sure the artists who are involved in this project are representative of the community.” Some of the artists involved include Courtney “Ceaux” Buckley and Tyla A. Maiden.
The Where Y’art team partnered with a local production partner to handle the design’s specifications and installations for each building, so that the artists only have to focus on the creative side of the project. They hope that the networks and opportunities fostered by the Canal Street projects will help open doors for these artists in the future.
The craft, whimsy, and creativity that are involved in this project is clear, and the Celebrate Canal team is thrilled to share the history of this area with locals and visitors alike. “We want everybody to feel like part of the team that makes it happen,” said Herman.
Get Involved
As Herman explained, getting more people interested and involved in the revitalization of Canal Street will only make the task easier. Keep up with the coalition via their website and social media, attend the quarterly meetings, and sign up for their newsletter. The team also has sponsorship opportunities for companies or other organizations that support their mission. Lastly, be sure to check out the window displays that will debut in April 2025.
Contact
celebratecanal.com, @canalstreetnola
