Elysian Fields Avenue
Encyclopedia
Elysian Fields Avenue is a broad, straight avenue in New Orleans named after the Avenue des Champs-Élysées
in Paris
. It courses south to north from the Lower Mississippi River
to Lake Pontchartrain
, a distance of approximately 5 miles (8 km). The avenue intersects with Interstate 610
, Interstate 10, and U.S. Highway 90
, Gentilly Boulevard passing by Brother Martin High School. The part between North Claiborne Avenue
(Louisiana Highway 39
) and Gentilly Boulevard (U.S. Route 90) is Louisiana Highway 3021 (LA 3021); the piece from N. Claiborne Avenue south to St. Claude Avenue carries Louisiana Highway 46
(which turns east on St. Claude Avenue).
For more than half of its route, from the river to Gentilly Boulevard (U.S. Route 90), it is six lanes wide; the remainder north of Gentilly Boulevard is four lanes wide. Anchoring the lake end and river end (northern and southern termini) respectively are the University of New Orleans
and the Esplanade Avenue Wharf
.
The location of Elysian Fields Avenue originated in the early 19th century placement of a sawmill
canal
on the Marigny Plantation
, which at that time was just outside of New Orleans proper (the present French Quarter
). In 1831 the Pontchartrain Railroad was built from that location straight to Lake Pontchartrain. The railroad carried both goods and passengers. Among the railroad's steady revenue sources was mail, which was carried from New Orleans to Lake Pontchartain for transfer to Mobile
, Alabama
-bound ships. The railroad, which came to be known locally as "Smoky Mary", operated until 1935. The tracks were removed in the 1950s.
bus
routes operated on Elysian Fields Avenue: one local (est. in the 1950s, first known as just Elysian Fields [or Elysian Fields - Pont. Beach/UNO], and later 55 Elysian Fields), the other an express (est. December 5, 1960, first known as Express 91 - Pontchartrain Beach via Elysian Fields, later 56 Elysian Fields Express). Both routes were shut down before the onslaught of Hurricane Katrina
; as of November 28, 2005 only the Elysian Fields local route has been returned to service.
's play A Streetcar Named Desire
is set.
Champs-Élysées
The Avenue des Champs-Élysées is a prestigious avenue in Paris, France. With its cinemas, cafés, luxury specialty shops and clipped horse-chestnut trees, the Avenue des Champs-Élysées is one of the most famous streets and one of the most expensive strip of real estate in the world. The name is...
in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. It courses south to north from the Lower Mississippi River
Lower Mississippi River
The Lower Mississippi River is the portion of the Mississippi River downstream of Cairo, Illinois. From the confluence of the Ohio River and Upper Mississippi River at Cairo, the Lower flows just under 1600 kilometers to the Gulf of Mexico...
to Lake Pontchartrain
Lake Pontchartrain
Lake Pontchartrain is a brackish estuary located in southeastern Louisiana. It is the second-largest inland saltwater body of water in the United States, after the Great Salt Lake in Utah, and the largest lake in Louisiana. As an estuary, Pontchartrain is not a true lake.It covers an area of with...
, a distance of approximately 5 miles (8 km). The avenue intersects with Interstate 610
Interstate 610 (Louisiana)
Interstate 610 is a long auxiliary route of Interstate 10 that lies entirely within the boundaries of New Orleans, Louisiana.-Route description:...
, Interstate 10, and U.S. Highway 90
U.S. Route 90
U.S. Route 90 is an east–west United States highway. Despite the "0" in its route number, U.S. 90 never was a full coast-to-coast route; it has always ended at Van Horn, Texas. A short-lived northward extension to U.S...
, Gentilly Boulevard passing by Brother Martin High School. The part between North Claiborne Avenue
Claiborne Avenue
Claiborne Avenue is a major thoroughfare in New Orleans, Louisiana. It runs the length of the city, about , beginning at the Jefferson Parish line and ending at the St. Bernard Parish line; the street continues in each of these locations under different names. It is called South Claiborne Avenue...
(Louisiana Highway 39
Louisiana Highway 39
Louisiana Highway 39 is a state highway in Louisiana that serves Orleans, St. Bernard, and Plaquemines Parishes. In New Orleans, LA 39 is referred to as North Claiborne Avenue, while in St. Bernard Parish, it is known as Judge Perez Drive...
) and Gentilly Boulevard (U.S. Route 90) is Louisiana Highway 3021 (LA 3021); the piece from N. Claiborne Avenue south to St. Claude Avenue carries Louisiana Highway 46
Louisiana Highway 46
Louisiana Highway 46 is a state highway in Louisiana that serves Orleans and St. Bernard Parishes. It runs a west to east direction for a total length of . It is demarcated as Elysian Fields Avenue and St. Claude Avenue in the city of New Orleans and as St. Bernard Highway, Bayou Road, East Judge...
(which turns east on St. Claude Avenue).
For more than half of its route, from the river to Gentilly Boulevard (U.S. Route 90), it is six lanes wide; the remainder north of Gentilly Boulevard is four lanes wide. Anchoring the lake end and river end (northern and southern termini) respectively are the University of New Orleans
University of New Orleans
The University of New Orleans, often referred to locally as UNO, is a medium-sized public urban university located on the New Orleans Lakefront within New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. It is a member of the LSU System and the Urban 13 association. Currently UNO is without a proper chancellor...
and the Esplanade Avenue Wharf
Port of New Orleans
The Port of New Orleans is a port located in New Orleans, Louisiana. It is the 1st in the United States based on volume of cargo handled, second-largest in the state after the Port of South Louisiana, and 13th largest in the U.S. based on value of cargo...
.
The location of Elysian Fields Avenue originated in the early 19th century placement of a sawmill
Sawmill
A sawmill is a facility where logs are cut into boards.-Sawmill process:A sawmill's basic operation is much like those of hundreds of years ago; a log enters on one end and dimensional lumber exits on the other end....
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:...
on the Marigny Plantation
Plantation
A plantation is a long artificially established forest, farm or estate, where crops are grown for sale, often in distant markets rather than for local on-site consumption...
, which at that time was just outside of New Orleans proper (the present French Quarter
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...
). In 1831 the Pontchartrain Railroad was built from that location straight to Lake Pontchartrain. The railroad carried both goods and passengers. Among the railroad's steady revenue sources was mail, which was carried from New Orleans to Lake Pontchartain for transfer to Mobile
Mobile, Alabama
Mobile is the third most populous city in the Southern US state of Alabama and is the county seat of Mobile County. It is located on the Mobile River and the central Gulf Coast of the United States. The population within the city limits was 195,111 during the 2010 census. It is the largest...
, Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
-bound ships. The railroad, which came to be known locally as "Smoky Mary", operated until 1935. The tracks were removed in the 1950s.
Transit routes
Two RTANew Orleans Regional Transit Authority
The New Orleans Regional Transit Authority is a body established by the Louisiana State Legislature in 1979; since 1983 it has controlled bus and streetcar service in the City of New Orleans....
bus
Bus
A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...
routes operated on Elysian Fields Avenue: one local (est. in the 1950s, first known as just Elysian Fields [or Elysian Fields - Pont. Beach/UNO], and later 55 Elysian Fields), the other an express (est. December 5, 1960, first known as Express 91 - Pontchartrain Beach via Elysian Fields, later 56 Elysian Fields Express). Both routes were shut down before the onslaught of Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
; as of November 28, 2005 only the Elysian Fields local route has been returned to service.
A Streetcar Named Desire reference
Elysian Fields is also the street on which Tennessee WilliamsTennessee Williams
Thomas Lanier "Tennessee" Williams III was an American writer who worked principally as a playwright in the American theater. He also wrote short stories, novels, poetry, essays, screenplays and a volume of memoirs...
's play A Streetcar Named Desire
A Streetcar Named Desire (play)
A Streetcar Named Desire is a 1947 play written by American playwright Tennessee Williams for which he received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1948. The play opened on Broadway on December 3, 1947, and closed on December 17, 1949, in the Ethel Barrymore Theatre. The Broadway production was...
is set.
Geographic coordinates
- northern terminus at Lake Pontchartrain - Gentilly Boulevard - Interstate 610 - Interstate 10 - southern terminus at Mississippi RiverSee also
- Elysian FieldsElysian Fields-General use:* Elysium, in Greek mythology, the final resting places of the souls of the heroic and the virtuous- Places :* Elysian Fields, Hoboken, New Jersey, site of the first organized baseball game* Elysian Fields Avenue, New Orleans* Elysian Fields, Texas...
- Brother Martin High SchoolBrother Martin High SchoolBrother Martin High School is an all-male, Catholic, university preparatory school located in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States operated by the Brothers of the Sacred Heart. It was established in 1869 by the Brothers of the Sacred Heart, establishing the school as St. Aloysius College...