NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — Residents and visitors of the French Quarter would not know which way to walk if it were not for the street name tiles around them. Officials with The French Quarter Management District have partnered with The Vieux Carré Commission to announce the Spanish Tile Replacement Program.
The program is a gift to the City of New Orleans from the Ambassador of Spain to the United States, Angeles Moreno Bau. She will also fund the program.
During the program, the Spanish-era broken and missing ceramic street tiles will either be repaired or replaced outside of several French Quarter properties.
As written in history, the original 126 tiles were a gift from the Spanish Government in 1959 and installed under the guidance of the Vieux Carré Commission between 1959 and 1961. They are markers used to commemorate the original Spanish names of streets in the Vieux Carré.
“The Spanish Tile Replacement Program is an example of the work we do every day to make the French Quarter a better place to live, work and visit. Thanks to the generosity of Ambassador Bau and the good work of the Vieux Carre Commission, the French Quarter is about to become even more beautiful than it already is,” said FQMD Executive Director Michelle Courseault.
Property owners must apply for the program by May 30 via the OneStop App. Anyone with question or in need of application assistance can email Maddie Charleston at maddiecharleston504@gmail.com.