Tremé / Lafitte Treme | |
|---|---|
| Faubourg Tremé | |
 The Faubourg Tremé onMardi Gras day in 2018 | |
 Interactive map of Tremé / Lafitte | |
| Coordinates:29°58′06″N90°04′26″W / 29.96833°N 90.07389°W /29.96833; -90.07389 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Louisiana |
| Parish | Orleans |
| City | New Orleans |
| Planning district | District 4, Mid-City District |
| Area | |
• Total | 0.69 sq mi (1.8 km2) |
| • Land | 0.69 sq mi (1.8 km2) |
| • Water | 0.00 sq mi (0 km2) |
| Elevation | 0 ft (0 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
• Total | 4,155 |
| • Density | 6,000/sq mi (2,300/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (CST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| Area code | 504 |
Tremé (/trəˈmeɪ/trə-MAY) is aneighborhood inNew Orleans, Louisiana. "Tremé" is often rendered asTreme, and the neighborhood is sometimes called by its more formal French name, theFaubourg Tremé;[1] it is listed in the New Orleans City Planning Districts asTremé / Lafitte when including theLafitte Projects.
Founded in the 1810s, it is one of the oldest neighborhoods in the city, and was initially the main neighborhood of itsfree people of color. Historically a racially mixed neighborhood, it remains an important center of the city'sAfrican-American andCréole culture, especially the modernbrass band tradition. Some sources go so far as to call it the oldestblack-majority neighborhood in the U.S.
The Faubourg Tremé was created from land owned by Claude Tremé in 1810.[2] A subdistrict of theMid-City District Area, its boundaries as defined by the New Orleans City Planning Commission areEsplanade Avenue to the east,North Rampart Street to the south, St. Louis Street to the west and North Broad Street to the north.
The Tremé neighborhood began as the Morand Plantation and two forts—St. Ferdinand and St. John. Near the end of the 18th century, Claude Tremé purchased the land from the original plantation owner. By 1794 theCarondelet Canal was built from the French Quarter toBayou St. John, splitting the land. Developers began building subdivisions throughout the area to house a diverse population that included Caucasians and free persons of color.[3]
Tremé abuts the north, or lake, side of theFrench Quarter, away from theMississippi River—"back of town" as earlier generations of New Orleanians used to say. Its traditional borders wereRampart Street on the south, Canal Street on the west,Esplanade Avenue on the east, and Broad Street on the north.Claiborne Avenue is a primary thoroughfare through the neighborhood. At the end of the 19th century, theStoryvillered-light district was carved out of the upper part of Tremé; in the 1940s this was torn down and made into apublic housing project. This area is no longer considered part of the neighborhood. The "town square" of Tremé wasCongo Square—originally known as "Place des Nègres"—whereslaves gathered on Sundays to dance. This tradition flourished until theUnited States took control[when?], and officials grew more anxious about unsupervised gatherings of slaves in the years before the Civil War.
The square was also an important place of business for slaves, enabling some to purchase their freedom from selling crafts and goods there. For much of the rest of the 19th century, the square was an open-airmarket. "Creoles of color" brass and symphonic bands gave concerts, providing the foundation for a more improvisational style that would come to be known as "Jazz". At the end of the 19th century, the city officially renamed the square "Beauregard Square" after the French Créole Confederate GeneralP.G.T. Beauregard, but the neighborhood people seldom used that name. In 2011, the city restored the traditional name of "Congo Square".[4]
In the early 1960s, in anurban renewal project later considered a mistake by most analysts, a large portion of central Tremé was torn down. The land stood vacant for some time, then in the 1970s the city createdLouis Armstrong Park in the area and named Congo Square within Armstrong Park. In 1994, theNew Orleans Jazz National Historical Park was established here.
Musicians from Tremé includeDoreen Ketchens,Alphonse Picou,Kermit Ruffins,Troy "Trombone Shorty" Andrews,Lucien Barbarin, and "The King of Treme"Shannon Powell. Additionally, comedianMark Normand grew up in the neighborhood. While predominantly African-American, the population has been mixed from the 19th century through to the 21st. Jazz musicians ofEuropean ancestry such asHenry Ragas andLouis Prima also lived in Tremé. Also, Joe's Cozy Corner in Tremé is often considered the birthplace ofRebirth Brass Band, one of the most notable current New Orleans bands.Alex Chilton, who led the rock groupsBig Star andThe Box Tops, lived in Tremé from the early 1990s until his death in 2010.[5]DuringHurricane Katrina, the Tremé neighborhood suffered minor to moderate flooding. In the portion of the neighborhood in from I-10, the water was generally not high enough to damage many of the old raised homes. The neighborhood demographics have changed in recent years due to gentrification and the proliferation of short-term rentals such asAirbnb.[6]
Located in Tremé, theNew Orleans African American Museum is dedicated to protecting, preserving, and promoting through education the history, art, and communities of African Americans in New Orleans and theAfrican diaspora. It is listed on theLouisiana African American Heritage Trail, as is the community'sSt. Augustine Church — the oldest African-AmericanCatholic parish in the U.S..
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the district has a total area of 0.69 square miles (1.8 km2), all of which is land.
The New Orleans City Planning Commission defines the boundaries of Tremé as these streets: Esplanade Avenue, North Rampart Street, St. Louis Street, North Broad Street.[7]
As of thecensus of 2000, there were 8,853 people, 3,429 households, and 2,064 families residing in the neighborhood.[8] Thepopulation density was 12,830 /mi2 (4,918 /km2).
As of the census of 2010, there were 4,155 people residing in the neighborhood.[8] The neighborhood was 92.4% Black or African American, 4.9% White, 1.5% Hispanic, 0.1% Asian, 0.5% Two or More Races, and 0.6% Other.[9]
As of the census of 2020, there were 4,590 people residing in the neighborhood.[9] The neighborhood is 56.3% Black or African American, 35.6% White, 5.1% Hispanic, 0.4% Asian, 2.6% Two or More Races, and 0.2% Other.[9]
TheRoman Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans operates Catholic schools. St.Peter Claver School was in Tremé. It was established in 1921, and closed in 2019. In its final year it had 147 students, while the archdiocese's expected enrollment was 200. At the time its budget shortfall was $83,000. Its tuition usually ranged from $5,400 to $5,900 during the 2017-2018 school year.[12]
