New Orleans Mint

United States Mint, New Orleans Branch
A postcard dated July 12, 1907, showing the New Orleans Mint during its last few years of operation as a branch mint facility
New Orleans Mint is located in East New Orleans
New Orleans Mint
New Orleans Mint is located in Louisiana
New Orleans Mint
New Orleans Mint is located in the United States
New Orleans Mint
LocationNew Orleans
Louisiana, U.S.
Coordinates29°57′41″N 90°3′28″W / 29.96139°N 90.05778°W / 29.96139; -90.05778
Built1835
ArchitectWilliam Strickland
Architectural styleGreek Revival
NRHP reference No.73000875
Significant dates
Added to NRHPMarch 30, 1973[1]
Designated NHLMay 15, 1975[2]
The Ionic-columned portico of the New Orleans Mint building's façade in June 2005, seen from across Esplanade Avenue. The trees along the street in front of the Mint have grown tall, such that it is very difficult to obtain a good photograph of the old mint's façade today.

The New Orleans Mint (French: Monnaie de La Nouvelle-Orléans) operated in New Orleans, Louisiana, as a branch mint of the United States Mint from 1838 to 1861 and from 1879 to 1909. During its years of operation, it produced over 427 million gold and silver coins of nearly every American denomination, with a total face value of over US$ 307 million.[3] It was closed during most of the American Civil War and Reconstruction.

After it was decommissioned as a mint, the building has served a variety of purposes, including as an assay office, a United States Coast Guard storage facility, and a fallout shelter.

Since 1981 it has served as a branch of the Louisiana State Museum. Damaged by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, after over two years of repairs and renovations, the museum reopened in October 2007.

Exhibits include instruments used by some of New Orleans' notable jazz musicians, photographs, and posters, now part of the New Orleans Jazz Museum.[4] The site is also a performance venue for jazz concerts, in partnership with the New Orleans Jazz National Historical Park and the private Music at the Mint organization.[5][6]

The Louisiana Historical Center is located on the third floor of the building. The center includes collections of colonial-era manuscripts and maps, and primary and secondary source materials in a wide range of media. It is open to anyone with an interest in Louisiana history and culture.[7]

The New Orleans Mint has been designated a National Historic Landmark, and it is the oldest extant structure to have served as a U.S. Mint. Along with the Charlotte Mint, it is one of two former mint facilities in the U.S. to house an art gallery.[8]

  1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. April 15, 2008.
  2. ^ "United States Mint, New Orleans Branch". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. June 24, 2008. Archived from the original on March 8, 2011.
  3. ^ This refers to literally the face value of all the coins produced by the Mint added up. For example, the 720,000 3-cent pieces produced by the mint have a face value of US$0.03 x 720,000 = US$21,600.00. It does not reflect the value of coinage adjusted for inflation, nor does it account for the coins' numismatic value for collectors.
  4. ^ "The New Orleans Jazz Museum at the Old U.S. Mint". Louisiana State Museum. Archived from the original on December 22, 2017. Retrieved November 21, 2017.
  5. ^ "Plan Your Visit". New Orleans Jazz National Historical Park. Archived from the original on April 17, 2015. Retrieved April 22, 2015.
  6. ^ "Official site". Music at the Mint. Archived from the original on April 19, 2015. Retrieved April 22, 2015.
  7. ^ "Louisiana Historical Center". Music at the Mint. Archived from the original on April 30, 2015. Retrieved April 22, 2015.
  8. ^ See also this official page on the Charlotte Mint's history. Retrieved March 7, 2007. Archived March 12, 2007, at the Wayback Machine

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