The Building
The Exchange had its 1871 opening in a series of rented rooms in an existing building at Gravier and Carondelet. Although they moved several times, the Exchange would not leave this intersection until its closing in 1964. After constructing and then outgrowing a small building nearby on Gravier, the Exchange built a palatial Second Empire building in 1883 at the northern corner of Gravier and Carondelet, designed by architect S.S. Labouisse. Noted for its lavish interiors, the building soon became a landmark in New Orleans.
However, in 1916, the building was deemed unsafe and planning began for a replacement. World War I and several other factors conspired to delay the construction of the replacement until 1921, and the original plans for an equally-lavish replacement building were scaled back.
The resulting structure was much more modest, modeled after a Renaissance palazzo. The Cotton Exchange occupied this building until its 1964 closure, selling the building in 1962 and merely renting space for the last two years of operation.
Today, the building is a hotel in the New Orleans Central Business District. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977, and has been named a National Historic Landmark.
Read more about this topic: New Orleans Cotton Exchange
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