Barthelemy Lafon
Encyclopedia
Barthelemy Lafon was a notable architect
, engineer
, city planner and surveyor
in New Orleans, Louisiana
. In later life, he turned away from architecture and engaged in piracy
and smuggling
.
Lafon was born in Villepinte
, France
and travelled to New Orleans c. 1790. He designed several public buildings, including public baths (plans submitted in 1797, but the bath house was never built) and a lighthouse, and numerous private homes (including the Benachi Cotton Brokers' House and the Vincent Rillieux house).
After the Louisiana Purchase
in 1803, with the Mississippi River
open to free trade, landowners upriver from the Vieux Carre
realized that the old quarter dominated by the Spanish and French could not contain the hordes of Americans who were now flooding the city, and they retained Lafon to subdivide their property to create an American suburb. From 1806 to 1809 he was Deputy Surveyor of Orleans County, and prepared elaborate plans for what is today known as the Lower Garden District
. His designs crossed the barriers of five plantations (Soulet, LaCourse, Annunciation, Nuns and Panis) to include all properties up to Felicity Street. A lover of the classics, Lafon named his streets after the nine muse
s of Greek mythology
: Calliope
, Clio
, Erato
, Thalia, Melpomene
, Terpsichore
, Euterpe
, Polymnia
and Urania
. His sophisticated plan featuring tree-lined canal
s, fountains, churches, markets, a grand classical school and a coliseum, but few features were ever realised. However, the grid pattern of streets survives, as do some of the street names leading to Coliseum Square. Parts of the Bywater
and Bayou St. John
neighborhoods were also planned by Lafon.
His services included map making, designing the plan for Donaldsonville in 1806, and surveying and recommending improvements to the fortifications of New Orleans during the War of 1812
.
Lafon also had a relationship with Modeste Foucher, a free woman of color. When Lafon wrote his will, he acknowledged several free black children that he had with Foucher. Thomy Lafon
(born 28 December 1810) was likely named after him, though the father was probably one Pierre Laralde.
As a businessman and investor, Lafon became a rich man, but was also noted for his philanthropy
. However, after the Battle of New Orleans
in 1815, he did not resume his architectural career, instead turning to piracy
and smuggling
, working in league with the notorious brothers, Pierre
(1779–1844) and Jean Lafitte
(1782–1854). He died of yellow fever
in New Orleans and is buried in Saint Louis Cemetery
No 1.
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
, engineer
Engineer
An engineer is a professional practitioner of engineering, concerned with applying scientific knowledge, mathematics and ingenuity to develop solutions for technical problems. Engineers design materials, structures, machines and systems while considering the limitations imposed by practicality,...
, city planner and surveyor
Surveying
See Also: Public Land Survey SystemSurveying or land surveying is the technique, profession, and science of accurately determining the terrestrial or three-dimensional position of points and the distances and angles between them...
in New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
. In later life, he turned away from architecture and engaged in piracy
Piracy
Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence at sea. The term can include acts committed on land, in the air, or in other major bodies of water or on a shore. It does not normally include crimes committed against persons traveling on the same vessel as the perpetrator...
and smuggling
Smuggling
Smuggling is the clandestine transportation of goods or persons, such as out of a building, into a prison, or across an international border, in violation of applicable laws or other regulations.There are various motivations to smuggle...
.
Lafon was born in Villepinte
Villepinte
Villepinte is the name of two communes in France:* Villepinte, Aude, in the Aude département* Villepinte, Seine-Saint-Denis, in the Seine-Saint-Denis département...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and travelled to New Orleans c. 1790. He designed several public buildings, including public baths (plans submitted in 1797, but the bath house was never built) and a lighthouse, and numerous private homes (including the Benachi Cotton Brokers' House and the Vincent Rillieux house).
Louisiana Purchase
The Louisiana Purchase was the acquisition by the United States of America of of France's claim to the territory of Louisiana in 1803. The U.S...
in 1803, with the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
open to free trade, landowners upriver from the Vieux Carre
French Quarter
The French Quarter, also known as Vieux Carré, is the oldest neighborhood in the city of New Orleans. When New Orleans was founded in 1718 by Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville, the city was originally centered on the French Quarter, or the Vieux Carré as it was known then...
realized that the old quarter dominated by the Spanish and French could not contain the hordes of Americans who were now flooding the city, and they retained Lafon to subdivide their property to create an American suburb. From 1806 to 1809 he was Deputy Surveyor of Orleans County, and prepared elaborate plans for what is today known as the Lower Garden District
Garden District, New Orleans
The Garden District is a neighborhood of the city of New Orleans. A subdistrict of the Central City/Garden District Area, its boundaries as defined by the City Planning Commission are: St. Charles Avenue to the north, 1st Street to the east, Magazine Street to the south and Toledano Street to the...
. His designs crossed the barriers of five plantations (Soulet, LaCourse, Annunciation, Nuns and Panis) to include all properties up to Felicity Street. A lover of the classics, Lafon named his streets after the nine muse
Muse
The Muses in Greek mythology, poetry, and literature, are the goddesses who inspire the creation of literature and the arts. They were considered the source of the knowledge, related orally for centuries in the ancient culture, that was contained in poetic lyrics and myths...
s of Greek mythology
Greek mythology
Greek mythology is the body of myths and legends belonging to the ancient Greeks, concerning their gods and heroes, the nature of the world, and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices. They were a part of religion in ancient Greece...
: Calliope
Calliope
In Greek mythology, Calliope was the muse of epic poetry, daughter of Zeus and Mnemosyne, and is now best known as Homer's muse, the inspiration for the Odyssey and the Iliad....
, Clio
Clio
thumb|Clio—detail from [[The Art of Painting|The Allegory of Painting]] by [[Johannes Vermeer]]In Greek mythology, Clio or Kleio, is the muse of history. Like all the muses, she is a daughter of Zeus and Mnemosyne...
, Erato
Erato
In Greek mythology, Erato is one of the Greek Muses. The name would mean "desired" or "lovely", if derived from the same root as Eros, as Apollonius of Rhodes playfully suggested in the invocation to Erato that begins Book III of his Argonautica....
, Thalia, Melpomene
Melpomene
Melpomene , initially the Muse of Singing, she then became the Muse of Tragedy, for which she is best known now. Her name was derived from the Greek verb melpô or melpomai meaning "to celebrate with dance and song." She is often represented with a tragic mask and wearing the cothurnus, boots...
, Terpsichore
Terpsichore
In Greek mythology, Terpsichore "delight of dancing" was one of the nine Muses, ruling over dance and the dramatic chorus. She lends her name to the word "terpsichorean" which means "of or relating to dance". She is usually depicted sitting down, holding a lyre, accompanying the dancers' choirs...
, Euterpe
Euterpe
In Greek mythology, Euterpe + τέρπειν terpein ) was one of the Muses, the daughters of Mnemosyne, fathered by Zeus. Called the "Giver of delight", when later poets assigned roles to each of the Muses, she was the muse of music. In late Classical times she was named muse of lyric poetry and...
, Polymnia
Polyhymnia
Polyhymnia , was in Greek mythology the Muse of sacred poetry, sacred hymn and eloquence as well as agriculture and pantomime. She is depicted as very serious, pensive and meditative, and often holding a finger to her mouth, dressed in a long cloak and veil and resting her elbow on a pillar...
and Urania
Urania
Urania was, in Greek mythology, the muse of astronomy. Some accounts list her as the mother of the musician Linus. She is usually depicted with a globe in her left hand. She is able to foretell the future by the arrangement of the stars...
. His sophisticated plan featuring tree-lined canal
Canal
Canals are man-made channels for water. There are two types of canal:#Waterways: navigable transportation canals used for carrying ships and boats shipping goods and conveying people, further subdivided into two kinds:...
s, fountains, churches, markets, a grand classical school and a coliseum, but few features were ever realised. However, the grid pattern of streets survives, as do some of the street names leading to Coliseum Square. Parts of the Bywater
Bywater, New Orleans
Bywater is a neighborhood of the city of New Orleans. A subdistrict of the Bywater District Area, its boundaries as defined by the City Planning Commission are: Florida Avenue to the north, the Industrial Canal to the east, the Mississippi River to the south and Franklin Avenue Street to the west...
and Bayou St. John
Bayou St. John
Bayou St. John is a bayou within the city of New Orleans, Louisiana.The Bayou as a natural feature drained the swampy land of a good portion of what was to become New Orleans into Lake Pontchartrain...
neighborhoods were also planned by Lafon.
His services included map making, designing the plan for Donaldsonville in 1806, and surveying and recommending improvements to the fortifications of New Orleans during the War of 1812
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
.
Lafon also had a relationship with Modeste Foucher, a free woman of color. When Lafon wrote his will, he acknowledged several free black children that he had with Foucher. Thomy Lafon
Thomy Lafon
Thomy Lafon was a Creole business man, philanthropist and human rights activist in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA. He was born poor, but was a free person of color. He started out selling cakes to workers, opened a small store, was a school teacher for a time and became successful at money lending...
(born 28 December 1810) was likely named after him, though the father was probably one Pierre Laralde.
As a businessman and investor, Lafon became a rich man, but was also noted for his philanthropy
Philanthropy
Philanthropy etymologically means "the love of humanity"—love in the sense of caring for, nourishing, developing, or enhancing; humanity in the sense of "what it is to be human," or "human potential." In modern practical terms, it is "private initiatives for public good, focusing on quality of...
. However, after the Battle of New Orleans
Battle of New Orleans
The Battle of New Orleans took place on January 8, 1815 and was the final major battle of the War of 1812. American forces, commanded by Major General Andrew Jackson, defeated an invading British Army intent on seizing New Orleans and the vast territory the United States had acquired with the...
in 1815, he did not resume his architectural career, instead turning to piracy
Piracy
Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence at sea. The term can include acts committed on land, in the air, or in other major bodies of water or on a shore. It does not normally include crimes committed against persons traveling on the same vessel as the perpetrator...
and smuggling
Smuggling
Smuggling is the clandestine transportation of goods or persons, such as out of a building, into a prison, or across an international border, in violation of applicable laws or other regulations.There are various motivations to smuggle...
, working in league with the notorious brothers, Pierre
Pierre Lafitte
Pierre Lafitte was a pirate in the Gulf of Mexico in the early 19th century. He also ran a blacksmith shop in New Orleans, his legitimate business. Pierre was the historically less-well-known older brother of Jean Lafitte...
(1779–1844) and Jean Lafitte
Jean Lafitte
Jean Lafitte was a pirate and privateer in the Gulf of Mexico in the early 19th century. He and his elder brother, Pierre, spelled their last name Laffite, but English-language documents of the time used "Lafitte", and this is the commonly seen spelling in the United States, including for places...
(1782–1854). He died of yellow fever
Yellow fever
Yellow fever is an acute viral hemorrhagic disease. The virus is a 40 to 50 nm enveloped RNA virus with positive sense of the Flaviviridae family....
in New Orleans and is buried in Saint Louis Cemetery
Saint Louis Cemetery
Saint Louis Cemetery is the name of three Roman Catholic cemeteries in New Orleans, Louisiana. All of these graves are above ground vaults; most were constructed in the 18th century and 19th century....
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