New Orleans, Orleans Parish story
A Federal Footprint
Canal Street is known today as a retail heart, but its very width is a result of federal planning. It's 171 feet wide because of an 1807 Act of Congress that set aside land for a…
Read the story
Canal Street is known today as a retail heart, but its very width is a result of federal planning. It's 171 feet wide because of an 1807 Act of Congress that set aside land for a planned canal that was never actually built. This federal involvement left a lasting mark on the city's geography.
Along this grand boulevard, you'll find the U.S. Custom House at 423 Canal Street. Designed by principal architect Alexander T.
Wood, it stands as a symbol of the government's administrative and military presence in the port. While the street later became a showcase of Italianate buildings and electric lighting, the Custom House remains a reminder of the federal authority that managed the gateway to the Mississippi.
Updated June 2026