New Orleans City Railroad Company, Canal Station, Square 365, bounded by Canal, North Dupre, Iberville, & North White Streets, New Orleans, Orleans Parish, LA

Significance: Buildings 1 and 2 at Canal Station were constructed in 1861 and 1887 as carbarns in support of the operation of the New Orleans City Railroad Company. The design, construction, and modification of Buildings 1 and 2 reflect the evolution of mass transit in New Orleans from animal-drawn service, to electric streetcars, to motorized buses. The original structural designs of the carbarns incorporated innovations in long-span construction that eliminated the necessity for interior support columns. The 1861 carbarn utilized a tied-arch truss system, constructed of cast and wrought iron, that frequently was used by the railroad industry for structures requiring clear spans in the mid- to late-nineteenth century. A commonly used heavy-timber framed structural system was adopted for the 1887 improvements to the site.
Unprocessed Field note material exists for this structure: N1632
Survey number: HAER LA-10
Building/structure dates: 1861 Initial Construction
Building/structure dates: 1887 Initial Construction
Building/structure dates: after 1993 Demolished
Building/structure dates: 1905-1908 Subsequent Work