Reinventing the waterfront
Crescent Park, New Orleans’ newest public green space, opened in 2015 after nine years of planning, design, and construction. The park, which borders the Mississippi River from Elysian Fields Avenue in the Marigny to Mazant Street in Bywater, successfully transformed 1.4 miles of waterfront—long abandoned by the once bustling shipping industry—without blotting out the character and history of the surroundings.
The city broke ground on the park in late 2010, implementing the designs of at least three architecture firms in a coordinated effort with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Port of New Orleans, New Orleans Public Belt Railroad, the Sewerage and Water Board, Landis Construction, the Tobler Company, and subcontractor Rotolo Consultants. With that many cooks, it’s a minor miracle the park ever came to be.
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Address Chartres Street from Elysian Fields Avenue to Mazant Street | Hours Daily 8am–6pm| Tip East of the park in Bywater is a rocky spit where the Mississippi River meets the Industrial Canal. Locally, it is known as the End of the World Beach. From here one can watch large vessels on the river flow by, but the real beauty of the spot is the meditative sound of water lapping against half-submerged trees. To reach the “beach,” walk east past Mazant St on Chartres St for 3 1/2 blocks and take a left on Poland Ave. Walk four blocks and take a right on N Rampart St, which runs into a footpath. Follow the path to its terminus.
The multi-use urban park includes 20 acres of native landscaping, walking and biking paths lined with crape myrtle and oaks; a pedestrian promenade that runs from end to end; picnic areas, benches, and even a small dog run—all with rediscovered and spectacular views of the city’s skyline, Algiers Point, and the Mississippi. The decaying Piety Wharf was partially repaired to be a vista point, and the Mandeville Shed, another abandoned wharf, has been converted into an open-air community and event space. Streets that intersect the park are elegantly marked with stone blocks chiseled with their names.
The most eye-catching feature of the new park is the massive Piety Street Bridge, nicknamed “The Rusty Rainbow.” Designed by Tanzanian architect David Adjaye, the steeply pitched, raw and rusty steel archway allows pedestrians to cross over the levee wall and the riverfront railroad tracks to reach the newly sodded gardens. The bridge is quickly becoming an iconic photographer’s spot, rivaling St. Louis Cathedral and the St. Charles streetcar.
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