New Orleans, Orleans Parish story
A Planned Canal
Have you ever wondered why Canal Street is so unusually wide? At 171 feet across, its dimensions aren't an accident. The street's origins trace back to an 1807 Act of Congress tha…
Read the story
Have you ever wondered why Canal Street is so unusually wide? At 171 feet across, its dimensions aren't an accident. The street's origins trace back to an 1807 Act of Congress that reserved a right-of-way for a planned canal that was never actually built.
Because federal land had been set aside for this project, the route became a wide boulevard instead of a waterway. By the late 19th century, this accidental expanse transformed into the retail heart of New Orleans, a showcase of electric lighting, streetcars, and ornate Italianate buildings. It's a classic New Orleans story: a grand plan that failed, resulting in a landmark that defined the city's commercial identity.
Updated June 2026