NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Registration Form This form is for use in nominating or requesting determinations for individual properties and districts. See instructions in National Register Bulletin, How to Complete the National Register of Historic Places Registration Form. If any item does not apply to the property being documented, enter "N/A" for "not applicable." For functions, architectural classification, materials, and areas of significance, enter only categories and subcategories from the instructions. 1. Name of Property Historic Name: The White Rock Saloon Other Names/Site Number: Frank Early’s My Place Saloon, My Place Cabaret Name of related multiple property listing: N/A 2. Location Street & Number: 1216 Bienville Street City or town: New Orleans State: LA County: Orleans Parish Not for Publication: Vicinity: 3. State/Federal Agency Certification As the designated authority under the National Historic Preservation Act, as amended, I hereby certify that this nomination request for determination of eligibility meets the documentation standards for registering properties in the National Register of Historic Places and meets the procedural and professional requirements set forth in 36 CFR Part 60. In my opinion, the property meets does not meet the National Register Criteria. I recommend that this property be considered significant at the following level(s) of significance: national state local Applicable National Register Criteria: A B C D ________________________________________________________________________________ Signature of certifying official/Title: Kristin Sanders, State Historic Preservation Officer Date Louisiana Department of Culture, Recreation, and Tourism State or Federal agency/bureau or Tribal Government In my opinion, the property meets does not meet the National Register criteria. Signature of commenting official: Date Title: State or Federal agency/bureau or Tribal Government 1 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 White Rock Saloon Orleans Parish, LA Name of Property County and State 4. National Park Certification I hereby certify that the property is: ___ entered in the National Register ___ determined eligible for the National Register ___ determined not eligible for the National Register ___ removed from the National Register ___other, explain: ___________________________ Signature of the Keeper Date of Action 5. Classification Ownership of Property (Check as many boxes as apply.) X Private Public – Local Public – State Public – Federal Category of Property (Check only one box.) X Building(s) District Site Structure object Number of Resources within Property (Do not include previously listed resources in the count) Contributing Non-contributing 1 Buildings Sites Structures Objects 1 0 Total Number of contributing resources previously listed in the National Register: 0 6. Function or Use Historic Functions (Enter categories from instructions.): COMMERCE/TRADE: tavern Current Functions (Enter categories from instructions.): COMMERCE/TRADE: specialty store 2 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 White Rock Saloon Orleans Parish, LA Name of Property County and State 7. Description Architectural Classification (Enter categories from instructions.): No style Materials: (enter categories from instructions.) foundation: brick walls: wood roof: metal other: Narrative Description (Describe the historic and current physical appearance and condition of the property. Describe contributing and noncontributing resources if applicable. Begin with a summary paragraph that briefly describes the general characteristics of the property, such as its location, type, style, method of construction, setting, size, and significant features. Indicate whether the property has historic integrity.) ______________________________________________________________________________ Summary Paragraph White Rock Saloon, a wood-frame, two-story, circa 1901 commercial building, sits at the corner of Bienville and Crozat Streets in New Orleans. The square building rests upon a low chain wall foundation and features a standing seam metal hip roof. The second story features original historic elements including a wrap-around gallery, window openings highlighted by original squared headers, quoins, Italianate brackets, and wooden drop lap siding made to resemble ashlar masonry. Located at 1216 Bienville Street, the building operated as a night club and bar when the neighborhood in which it is located functioned as the city’s Red-Light District. From 1897 to 1917, New Orleans tolerated and controlled prostitution within a multi-block area of the city called The District, but more commonly known as Storyville. In addition to accommodating houses of ill repute, Storyville fostered new forms of music within its numerous saloons, dance halls, bordellos, and cabarets, which led to racial melding in an era of legal segregation. Numerous black, innovative, and renowned musicians such as the celebrated pianist Tony Jackson, who performed regularly at the White Rock Saloon, helped spearhead these new forms of music, which would become known as jazz. At the onset of American’s involvement in World War I, Storyville permanently closed, and in the 1940s, most of its buildings were razed for urban renewal projects. Although altered, the former White Rock Saloon is the only identifiable building remaining within the former District that was extant during the period of significance. As such, it serves as the only representative of the culturally significant district of Storyville and is the only building within the neighborhood that preserves its musical associations with the origins of New Orleans jazz. _____________________________________________________________________________ Narrative Description White Rock Saloon, located at 1216 Bienville Street, is a wood-frame, two-story, commercial building featuring a corner entrance. Crozat, Basin and Iberville Streets border the structure, which sits adjacent to the former Iberville Public Housing Development National Register District (1940-1950) on its northeast side. This property underwent a recent rehabilitation to become the Bienville-Basin Apartments, a mixed use, 23-acre redevelopment, completed in 2019, that features both historic and new buildings. The rowhouse-styled buildings consist primarily of two or three-story multi-family units designed to match the scale, form, style and mass of traditional New Orleans vernacular homes. To the southwest sits a large, six-story, modern hotel with ground floor parking. A single-story masonry building, historically known as “Lulu White’s Saloon,” sits to the northwest on the corner of Bienville Street and Basin Streets. This property originates from the Storyville era (1897-1917) but was extensively damaged in 1965 resulting in the loss of its second story and overall historic 3 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 White Rock Saloon Orleans Parish, LA Name of Property County and State integrity.1 A series of old growth oak trees providing a canopy of vegetation line and shade Bienville and Crozat Streets. The oldest historic photograph of White Rock Saloon dates to around 1930 and details the property in relationship to its original setting (Figure #1). Another photograph, taken in 1943, serves as the best historic documentation of the building; it shows the property as mostly unaltered from its appearance during the period of significance (Figure #2). These historic photographs along with current photo documentation clearly demonstrate the modifications the building and the neighborhood have undergone since the 1930s. The historic photographs will be used to describe the alterations that have occurred.2 The Crozat Street elevation of White Rock Saloon functions as the main façade but features only one small functional opening on the first story. This elevation and the Bienville Street elevation feature a wrap-around gallery that spans the entire facades and extends outward to the street, covering the entire sidewalk. Smooth, precast metal columns support the gallery; historically, these had been chamfered wooden columns.3 Although altered, the existing precast columns follow the rhythm of those that had existed historically. A pre- cast metal railing featuring a diamond pattern encloses the gallery. This railing differs from the original balustrade which featured intersecting chamfered newel posts and ball caps.4 Although altered in materiality, the gallery, which has existed throughout the evolution of the building, retains its original form, which allowing the building read as a turn-of-the-century structure. The Bienville and Crozat Street elevations on the first-floor display smooth stucco siding, which differs from the original wooden rusticated block siding extant on the second story5. The main entrance on the first floor, composed of a raised concrete step which leads to a set of wooden French doors, is located on the northeast corner of the building. The door casing features fluted molding and rosettes, while above the door opening, exists an enclosed transom obscured by a metal security panel