Pontalba Buildings

The 1840s red-brick townhouses flanking Jackson Square — among the oldest apartment buildings in the country, built by the Baroness Pontalba and famous for the elegant cast-iron galleries that helped define the Quarter's signature look. Shops and a house museum occupy the ground floors; apartments above remain occupied to this day. The matching rows frame the square and St. Louis Cathedral into one of America's great urban set-pieces. For visitors, they're both a landmark and a living piece of the city — the ironwork balconies overhead are the image most people carry away from the French Quarter.