PRESS + MEDIA
If you want to learn all the adult history New Orleans has to offer and learn, I recommend giving the Storyville Museum a try. Where you can learn about the music and fun but also the secret naughty side of New Orleans they didn't teach in school.
-Ron Anthony, Jr.
IN SOCIAL MEDIA
December 9, 2024
Storyville Museum is a Woke, Intersectional Feminism Ally
TikTok Star Scarlett Savannah @scarlettsavannahlong Waxes Poetic About Storyville.
Window boxes outside of cribs and brothels were known to grow pennyroyal and other useful botanical tools. Their oppressors labeled them "lewd and abandoned" women, but that label erases their brilliance. These women were innovators, finding ways to protect themselves and build lives amid the chaos of a system that was designed to exploit them. Storyville was a playground for men from a diversity of backgrounds, a world of whiskey soaked bars tinkling with the sound of slot machine coins and the flappity flap of card games.
It was a place where the lines were blurred and a brief escape from life as it was could be reached. But behind the allure and the indulgence, the women were the heart of this world. They were the only ones who made the games worth playing and the drinks worth pouring. While men reveled in fleeting pleasures, the women of Storyville fought to carve out moments of power in a world that saw them only as objects.
It was a place of contradictions where pleasure and survival had to collide and coexist for them. This is where their strength was both exploited and unacknowledged.
Okay, now you've got to see what is no doubt my favorite exhibit. This is the photography of E.J. Bellocq, shot between 1911 and 1913. These portraits show us a rare and vulnerable peek into the lives of Storyville's residents.
These photographs, rediscovered decades later, capture their humanity in a way written history fails to. The women, and bellicose images exude strength, complexity, and agency. They are not just his subjects, but their own storytellers. And I find these images to speak volumes. In fact, they moved me downright to tears. The existence of these portraits push back against the erasure and dehumanization that so often accompanies the narratives of women like these in places like this.
The New Orleans Storyville Museum "really made an impact"
on TikTok Star Scarlett Savannah
by @scarlettsavannahlong
"Great museum 5/5 ⭐️"
Let me take you into the Storyville Museum, a place that reveals the oddities and hidden tales of a past too often overlooked. This place doesn't just tell the history of a notorious district. It tells of the women who fought here for their survival against every odds stacked against them. Storyville, New Orleans' own legalized red light district, operated from 1897 to 1917, and it was sold as a kind of moral compromise with hopes to reduce crime, but it only underscored the inequities and paradoxes of its day further.
Despite the enormous challenges they faced, these women found ways to resist oppression daily, shaping their own lives and cultivating communities rooted in resilience and mutual support.
Now, about the Blue Book. The neighborhood directory of madams and freelancers was the Blue Book. Think of it as a menu listing the women's appearance and their specialties, all listed alongside advertisements from major brands you know today.
This book could truly be a tool of elusive empowerment where women are concerned, a way to market themselves in a world that was already commodifying them. Some bought out whole pages to advertise. Women have always thought to define ourselves, especially when the world tries to do it for us.
And now on to the everyday relics of the museum. From the stained glass perfume bottles to the well-worn shoes, these weren't just objects of beauty. They were tools and glamor magic, in my opinion. Painting and printing on dignity and individualism in a society that refused them both. Surviving this kind of work required quick wit, dangerous birth control methods, and SDI prevention attempts like laudanum douches and Gentian Violet show how they managed risk in a world that offered no safety net.
The legacy of Storyville, once a vibrant and complex part of New Orleans, is a story marked by erasure and neglect. After its closure in 1917, the district faded into obscurity, overtaken by economic decline and gentrification. As for the women of Storyville, whose resilience and survival defied systems of control, the closure wasn't just an end, but a devastating upheaval.
Women of color, in particular, faced compounded struggles left with even fewer opportunities for survival in a society already steeped in racial injustice. The museum serves as a somber reminder of how history has consistently marginalized and erased these communities. Yet their stories endure, bearing witness to their strength and defiance, while challenging us to confront the systems that failed them and continue to fail so many today.
I thought the curators of this museum did a good job honoring the women whose stories have been erased or dismissed for far too long. They're recognizing the ways in which women continue to fight for their autonomy, their safety, and their place in this world. Walking through these exhibits should remind us that the fight for equality is ongoing. It's a call to look at how far we've come and how far we still must go.
And most of all, it's a reminder that women, no matter the circumstance, have always found a way to rise, to survive and to thrive.
IN THE NEWS
December 2, 2024
There is Always Something New in New Orleans to Explore
The Big Easy is a melting pot of cultures and a constant generator of new music, restaurants, hotels and sights. Recent openings do just that but also bring back favorites and reflect the city’s past.
A Fascinating, Slightly Scandalous New Museum
by Laurie Werner
Rather than denying its somewhat risqué past, the city has put it on vivid, detailed display in the New Orleans Storyville Museum which opened in the French Quarter in September. Named for the red light district created in 1897 by an alderman who wanted to quarantine the various sin city vices in one section, the museum describes in exhibits spread out over 7,000 square feet the operation of high end brothels, nightclubs and gambling dens in photos, histories and artifacts including the books listing prostitutes for hire at any given time.
Apparently, singer Eric Burdon, lead singer of the 60’s British pop group The Animals, who had a hit with a folk song describing one of the brothels, “House of the Rising Sun,” has turned up at the museum and performed a surprise rendition. Even without that, though, it’s a museum really worth visiting. Not surprisingly, visitors must be at least 18.
IN THE NEWS
December 1, 2024
French Quarterly Magazine's Spotlight Story on New Orleans Storyville Museum
by Anthony Leggio
"There is a house in New Orleans
They call the Rising Sun
And it's been the ruin of many a poor boy
And God, I know I'm one."
This popular folk song "House of the Rising Sun" has been a part of the American music scene, performed by noteworthy artists such as Bob Dylan and Woody Guthrie, with probably the most famous version done by The Animals. It talks about a man whose addictions get the better of him in New Orleans.
The song and its subject matter play an important role in a fascinating new museum that has just opened in the Vieux Carré.
The New Orleans Storyville Museum opened in the French Quarter recently that brings to life the colorful and storied past of New Orleans through holograms, rare relics, multi-media experiences and informative exhibits. This new, interactive museum, located at 1010 Conti Street, is 7,000 square feet of vibrant exhibits that explores the rich cultural heritage of New Orleans and its infamous red-light district known as Storyville.
Founder and lead curator Claus Sadlier is a successful entrepreneur and New Orleans native. Claus graduated from Brother Martin High School and the University of New Orleans, then left the city in the early 90s to pursue his fortune in San Francisco. Among his accomplishments, he invited and commercialized the world's first insulted paper coffee cup and built it into a successful business, which he ultimately sold to Dixie Cup. But Sadlier's heart was always in New Orleans, and he returned to his roots in 2013, making his residence in the French Quarter.
Sadlier, fascinated by the subject matter, thoroughly researched, read and studied everything about Storyville. Storyville was a raucous neighborhood of music, entertainment, gambling and prostitution that operated in New Orleans from 1897 until 1917. The district was conceived by councilman Sidney Story to clean up prostitution from most neighborhoods in the city and confine it to a district that could be more easily contained and controlled. The museum offers a comprehensive exploration of the unique history of New Orleans leading up to the creation of the notorious Red-Light District. Their mission is to educate, inform and entertain visitors by offering a vivid glimpse into the fascinating world of New Orleans, from its founding in 1718, through the early 1900s, when the Storyville District flourished as a center of music, entertainment and vice.
But this museum not only highlights Orleans' storied past as America's original Sin City, it sheds light on the social cultural, and economic impacts of the Storyville District on New Orleans and beyond. From the early days of jazz to the struggles of the individuals who lived and worked in the District, they delve into the complex narratives that shaped this extraordinary era. From rare original copies of the District's directory of pleasure known as the "Blue Book", personal letters, photographs and other fascinating relics from a bygone era, each item in our collection offers a glimpse into the vibrant and often controversial world that once thrived within these streets.
The museum is laid out in sections devoted to a different subject and time period starting with the Founders of New Orleans and the Casket Girls. To get a better understanding of Storyville, the curators wanted to show that this famous area is tied to the city's founding by Jean-Baptiste de Bienville in 1718. The museum introduces its guests to Storyville through a full-scale map of the United States as divided by its lifeblood and main thoroughfare, the Mississippi River. Bienville asks for France to "send me wives for my men, they are running into the woods after Indian girls." Women of dubious morality are shipped to New Orleans, including the infamous casket girls who traveled with their belongings in casket-like trunks, one of which is on display.
After that, comes the sections on "WAR, PIRATES & THE SCARLET MIGRATION" all the way through to "STORYVILLE SHUT DOWN / STORYVILLE IN THE CINEMA" when World War I brings an end to Storyville. The tenderloin district is shut down in 1917, and the back-o'-town area of New Orleans has gone through several transformations over the years since the days of the sex trade empire.
Another memorable exhibit is the E.J. Bellocq Gallery. Much of what is known about Storyville is based on the historic photographs of a professional photographer E.J. Bellocq who lived in New Orleans during the Storyville years and as a hobby, captured the images of the working ladies in various stages of undress. These still images are displayed beautifully in the museum's gallery dedicated to Bellocq and his hauntingly intimate portraits of the girls posing in relaxed, casual manners.
This museum is made for both locals and visitors alike (ask about the locals discount). It has something for the history enthusiast, music lover, movie buff or just a personal interested in this intriguing part of New Orleans' past. The museum is currently open from Thursday through Monday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
IN THE NEWS
December 1, 2024
New Orleans-centric museum tells glorious tales of a vibrant city
TravelHost Magazine is Shedding Light on the New Orleans Storyville Museum in the Winter Issue
New Orleans is a city unlike any other, where the sound of jazz drifts through the air and the scent of Creole cuisine entices you from every corner. Known for its blend of French, Spanish, and African influences, the city's rich history and cultural vibrancy are evident at every turn. While Mardi Gras is its most famous celebration, there's more to uncover beyond the parades. For those eager to delve deeper into the essence of New Orleans, a visit to its unique museums offers a journey into the heart of the city's culture.
New Orleans has always been a city rich in history and culture, and now there's a new way to experience its storied past. The New Orleans Storyville Museum, open in the French Quarter at 1010 Conti Street, offers over 7,000 square feet of immersive exhibits that bring the city's infamous red-light district, known as Storyville, back to life. The district, originally conceived to confine prostitution to a controlled area, was a hub of early jazz, gambling, entertainment and vice from 1897 to 1917.
The museum, a passion project of New Orleans native Claus Sadlier, delves into the raucous area with a unique blend of history and technology. Visitors can explore lifelike sets and holograms created by local artists and theater professionals, providing an engaging and educational experience. Exhibits trace the city's evolution from its founding in 1718 through the golden age of vice in the 1800s, culminating in Storyville's creation in the early 1900s. The museum is open to adults 18 and older from Thursday through Monday, 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
IN THE MEDIA
October 31, 2024
Listen to "The Museumgoer" Podcast covering NOSM
The Museumgoer is a website dedicated to museums in New Orleans and the Gulf South. Featuring a blog, a podcast, a free newsletter, and a YouTube page, www.themuseumgoer.com visited the New Orleans Storyville Museum for in-depth coverage.
Podcast Episode & Article in the Times-Picayune / The Advocate
Dave Walker covers the behind-the-scenes experience of visiting the New Orleans Storyville Museum with its creator, Claus Sadlier, who provides visitors an overview of the city's infamous red-light district at the turn of the 20th century. The newspaper article and podcast episode takes you on a journey as Dave Walker enters and explores the entire museum, located just a few steps from the district's historical footprint, for a walk-and-talk with Sadlier.
IN THE NEWS
October 31, 2024
Storyville, New Orleans' Famed Red-Light District, Gets a Fresh Look
at French Quarter Site
A show-stopping gallery colorfully simulates what a stroll down Basin from Canal might’ve looked like — through the bottom of a shot glass.
by Dave Walker
At least by neighborhood standards, the new Storyville Museum will strike some visitors as chaste, or at least chaste-adjacent, given the topic, which is New Orleans’ civic attempt at vice consolidation at the turn of the last century.
The historic footprint of the Storyville red-light district, where not-legal-but-tolerated sex work occurred in fancy mansions and grungy cribs from 1897 to 1917, is just a few steps toward the lake from the museum’s storefront.
A few steps toward the river, at least at certain hours? Much worse than you’ll see inside 1010 Conti St.
“If people are expecting a sex museum, they'll be disappointed,” said Claus Sadlier, the museum’s creator.
If, however, they’re expecting a PG-13 introduction to the city’s celebrated collection of fin de siècle brothels, the cultural and political winds that caused their assembly and then dissolution, and some of the district’s lasting legacies in popular culture, there are worse ways to spend $31.50 in the French Quarter. (That’s for the adult admission, the only kind there is. This is an ages-18-and-up joint.)
The Storyville Museum offers an immersive exhibit that includes a walking tour of the vanished New Orleans red-light district.
The story of Storyville as told here begins with a brief and colorful primer on the historic founding and earliest years of the city, introduced as the setup to how New Orleans inevitably became a continental capital of immorality.
Early commerce traffic down the Mississippi, the booming international port near the river’s termination and an apparently permanent state of moral flexibility all contributed to the demimonde boom. Storyville itself came about as a civic cure, or at least cosmetic remediation, to a citywide “plague of prostitutes,” per one of the newspapers of the day.
Past the intro, once Storyville got roaring.
Informational text describes some of the district’s finer destinations (Lulu White’s Mahogany Hall, Tom Anderson’s Arlington Annex, etc.) and the gallery concludes with a reveal that will raise a smile with fans of any of Disney’s Haunted Mansions — a face-to-face meeting with life-size apparitions of Storyville workers, posing (albeit as merchandise) in a simulated showroom parlor.
Subsequent galleries address the medical perils those workers faced, the other dissipating activities (gambling, drinking, jazz-listening) available in the district, and Storyville’s federally mandated shuttering. E.J. Bellocq’s haunting portraits of Storyville’s women appropriately get their own gallery.
New Orleans piano music was an essential part of the Storyville experience.
Among the marquee objects on view are a couple of the infamous Blue Book directories, presented next to digital interactives that allow visitors to swipe through the pages. There are several Instagram-ready tableaus throughout the museum, including one that explains why the light is red.
Storyville museum's founder is back in New Orleans.
The origin of the Storyville Museum deserves its own explainer. A Brother Martin and University of New Orleans graduate, Sadlier went from business school in Indiana to business success, a couple of times, in California. Inventing the insulated paper coffee cup was his Sutter’s Mill moment “at the right time, at the right place, the beginning of the specialty coffee industry,” he said. Yet, “My heart was really always in New Orleans.”
His fortune made, Sadlier moved back about 10 years ago and renovated a few historic homes. “So, again I was more intertwined in the history of the Quarter and reading more and more and then really getting the itch to start a business,” he said.
He toured museums throughout America and abroad and was struck by how contemporary museum exhibits had reached beyond objects in cases and wall text to better engage visitors in narrative. On one return home, he visited the National WWII Museum for the first time in many years.
“And I was just floored,” he said. “It was basically the best of everything I had seen around the world.”
Sadlier said he wrote every word on the Storyville Museum’s walls (and then some; the museum’s 58 text panels were edited down from 108) and personally oversaw the acquisition of the museum’s historical objects. The doors opened in late September. The news release called it a passion project.
IN THE NEWS
October 25, 2024
The Storyville Museum
is More Than A Good Time
Where Y'at Spotlight Article by Emily Hingle
One aspect of New Orleans history has finally gotten to tell its story. It may be a bit scandalous and tawdry, but the people involved deserve this respect. The brand new Storyville Museum in the French Quarter is an all-encompassing and loving look at the short-lived legalized prostitution and vice district of New Orleans and how it came to be. While the subject matter may not be suitable for all ages or belief systems, The Storyville Museum is not offensive nor indecent.
Throughout the eight large rooms of explanations, exhibits, and immersive areas, visitors are taken all the way back to the very founding of the city of New Orleans and how women of ill-repute or "correction girls" were shuttled off to the new colony to be wives to the rowdy men who first populated it. Lady sex workers were present throughout New Orleans history, even setting up camp near battlefields and creating brothels decades before Storyville. The museum has well-researched exhibits explaining the history of The House of the Rising Sun, the history of the red light, and why and how the Storyville District came to be.
Entertainment of all kinds could be found between the casinos, saloons, bars, and beyond. I thoroughly enjoyed the emphasis on musical history as American music history has so much to do with jazz and ragtime which may have been born in the brothels of the district. In fact, the research done for this museum found that during times when Storyville bars were shuttered and after its permanent closure, musicians had to travel away from the city to find gigs or play on riverboats leading to jazz being heard far and wide and spreading influence. Drug use was also common in this area, and opium dens were available to those wanting to partake.
The story of Storyville would not be complete without seeing the work of photographer E.J. Bellocq who captured striking and beautiful images of some sex workers in the area. His portraits are displayed in one exhibition and show the rooms, the lifestyle, and the ladies in an incredibly dignified way.
The titillating Storyville Museum is a must see for those wanting a true look at New Orleans history beyond the men who founded it and fought for it. These women and men played vital roles in shaping the city's culture into what it is today.
IN SOCIAL MEDIA
October 23, 2024
VCC Foundation Visits the Museum
The VCCF (Vieux Carré Commission Foundation) visited the New Orleans Storyville Museum and posted a wonderful video on social media.
IN THE NEWS
October 9, 2024
Local Reporter and Morning News Anchor Morgan Lentes Visits the Museum
Airing on Wednesday, October 9th, the New Orleans Storyville Museum got a close up look during the WDSU-NBC newscast after the anchor visited with the owner.
New Orleans Storyville Museum tells sordid stories of city's past
NEW ORLEANS —
New Orleans' newest museum is now open in the French Quarter.
The New Orleans Storyville Museum tells the sordid tale of the city's redlight district, known as Storyville, which thrived from 1897 to 1917.
Claus Sadlier founded the museum. "Vice was running rampant, and they needed a way of taking it (out of) all the neighborhoods and trying to put it in a confined area, which they could control," Sadlier said.
Storyville was known for gambling, saloons and brothels, which Sadlier said were frequented by men working on the Mississippi River.
"(It was) a Disney Land for adults," Sadlier said. "It was World War I that ended up sort of putting the nail in the coffin for Storyville."
There are several exhibits in the museum, featuring artifacts, holograms and sets.
IN THE MEDIA
October 6, 2024
Listen to "Episode 199:
Claus Sadlier's Storyville"
Give a listen to the latest episode of Louisiana Life Podcast by Louisiana Life Magazine, a superlative guide to a great state's destinations, hosted by Errol Laborde, Executive Editor of Louisiana Life Magazine as he interviews Claus Sadlier about the immersive experience of the New Orleans Storyville Museum.
Episode 199: Claus Sadlier’s Storyville – An Immersive Experience
You have heard of Basin Street and its blues? Well intersecting that street on the edge of New Orleans’ French Quarter is “Conti,” a street that was part of the neighborhood that gave Basin its reputation because of the surrounding Storyville red-light district.
Storyville has been closed since 1917 but now there is a great new museum that creates an immersive journey into the city’s, and the district’s, past.
Claus Sadlier, the owner/curator of the New Orleans Storyville Museum, joins Louisiana Life Executive Editor Errol Laborde, and podcast producer Kelly Massicot, to discuss the museum including its virtual visuals, holograms, videos, vintage photographs, narrations and artifacts. Sadlier is also a compelling storyteller with tales to tell about the district – including the music actually played in the bordellos. It wasn’t just the blues.
IN SOCIAL MEDIA
October 4, 2024
Take a Tour with Morgus & his Amazing Dog, Quinn!
Take a tour with Morgus and his amazing pup Quinn through the New Orleans Storyville Museum and through various cemeteries showcasing where some of those mentioned within the museum lay to rest!
IN SOCIAL MEDIA
September 27, 2024
A Stroll Through Storyville
Take a walk through a brand new immersive journey through #neworleans storied and sinful history! #nola #thingstodoinneworleans #museum #hurricane #nolastoryville #storyville #redlight
IN SOCIAL MEDIA
September 24, 2024
TikTok Superstar Cajun Dan
Goes Deep in Storyville
Cajun Dan (drz400dan2) takes a stroll through the museum to show his many followers the exhibits.
IN SOCIAL MEDIA
September 23, 2024
Insta Influence Tours the Storyville Museum
Quinn L. Bishop (@quinnlbishop)
History Educator & Tarot Reader Reviews the Museum!
IN THE NEWS
September 23, 2024
New Orleans Storyville Museum now open in French Quarter
The New Orleans-born inventor of the paper coffee cup has opened a new French Quarter museum examining the city's history with prostitution, gambling and alcohol.
Why it matters: You can't make this stuff up.
The latest: The New Orleans Storyville Museum is now open, named for the infamous red light district that once sat behind the French Quarter.
The big picture: "New Orleans was the gambling capital of America, the drinking capital of America, and the prostitution capital of America," says museum creator and curator Claus Sadlier. "But the museum is really about the storied past of New Orleans told in an interesting way."
Flashback: The neighborhood was founded in 1897 as an attempt by alderman Sidney Story to shove New Orleans' grittiest vices into just one corner of the city.
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If you can't beat 'em, the thinking went, at least try to manage 'em.
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Some residents with a solid sense of humor borrowed Story's name as a moniker for the neighborhood, which stuck to this day.
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The Storyville experiment managed to last two decades, according to New Orleans' history website A Closer Walk, while it filled with high-end brothels, rollicking nightclubs and gambling dens.
Zoom in: The new museum is a "passion project" for Sadlier, whose claim to fame and fortune is that, in the late 1990s, he invented the paper coffee cup.
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At the time, he was living in San Francisco and watching the specialty coffee craze take hold as plastic foam cups fell out of favor. Sadlier realized a single-walled paper coffee cup wasn't going to cut it
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Eventually, he built a company around his invention and sold it to Dixie Cup for $170 million in 2006
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Another invention and company followed, Covermate, which he sold in 2012
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He moved home to New Orleans the next year and bought a house in the French Quarter. See inside.
"It was always a dream as a child because we spent family Sundays going to Cafe du Monde and my father would show me the architecture," Sadlier tells Axios New Orleans.
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After moving there, Sadlier, knowing he was ready to start a new business, started reading more about the neighborhood's history
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"The more I got into it, the more obvious it became," he says.
Inside the room: The museum begins its story with the city's founding and winds through rooms of photographs, videos and sets, including the recreation of a saloon complete with holograms of women in period dress.
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But the displays don't shy away from Storyville's often difficult reality, Sadlier says, with panels that focus on birth control and abortion attempts
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Artifacts range from 200-year-old coins and weapons used in the Battle of New Orleans to original copies of "Blue Book" brothel directories, and peep show and gambling machines.
If you go: The New Orleans Storyville Museum is located at 1010 Conti St.
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Visitors must be at least 18 years old.
IN SOCIAL MEDIA
September 21, 2024
TikTok Influence Reveals the Naughty Side of NOLA
Caitlin Orellana (@colorbycaitlin)
Explores the New Orleans Storyville Museum
IN THE NEWS
September 19, 2024
Newly opened Storyville Museum tells early, ‘sinful’ history of New Orleans
Move over Las Vegas; there’s another ‘Sin City’ with a history of gambling, prostitution, music and entertainment. And the stories behind those raucous times at the turn of the 20th century is on full display at the New Orleans Storyville Museum, which has opened in the French Quarter.
New Orleans native, Brother Martin and UNO graduate Claus Sadlier has opened a 7,000-square-foot interactive museum at 1010 Conti St. to tell the history of the red-light district known as Storyville – a neighborhood that operated in New Orleans from 1897 until 1917. The district was conceived by councilman Sidney Story to clean up prostitution from most neighborhoods in the city and confine it to a district that could be more easily contained and controlled.
“At the New Orleans Storyville Museum, we are committed to entertaining educating and informing,” said Sadlier. “Our exhibits not only shine light on the social and economic impacts of the Storyville District but also celebrate the cultural heritage that makes New Orleans unique.”
Sadlier left New Orleans in the 1990s to pursue various business ventures in San Francisco. Among his accomplishments, he invented and commercialized the world’s first insulated paper coffee cup and built it into a successful business, which he ultimately sold to Dixie Cup for $170 million. In 2013, Sadlier returned to New Orleans to live in the French Quarter. He said once he returned, he started to read about the city’s history and became intrigued about Storyville.
The museum tells the whole story beginning with the city’s founding in 1718, continuing through its the golden age of vice in the 1800s and culminating with the establishment of the Storyville district in the early 1900s.
“When I moved back, I started to read books about the sinful history of New Orleans and thought it was fascinating,” he said. “I thought ‘Wow, what an amazing idea for a museum to be dedicated to telling this incredible story as it unfolded.’”
The New Orleans Storyville Museum is open to the public Thursday through Sunday, from 10:00 a.m. to 6 p.m., with an admission price of $31.50. Patrons must be 18 or older to enter.
IN SOCIAL MEDIA
September 18, 2024
Local Social Media Influence Captures His First Visit
Ron Anthony, Jr. (@ronorleans)
Experiences the New Orleans Storyville Museum
IN THE NEWS
September 17, 2024
New Orleans Storyville Museum Opens in French Quarter
Holograms, rare relics part of immersive experience
New Orleans, LA – A new, interactive museum that explores the colorful and storied past of New Orleans is now open in the French Quarter. The New Orleans Storyville Museum, which opened last week at 1010 Conti Street, is 7,000 square feet of vibrant exhibits that showcase the rich cultural heritage of New Orleans and its infamous red-light district known as Storyville.
Storyville was a raucous neighborhood of music, entertainment, gambling, and prostitution that operated in New Orleans from 1897 until 1917. The district was conceived by councilman Sidney Story to clean up prostitution from most neighborhoods in the city and confine it to a district that could be more easily contained and controlled.
The New Orleans Storyville Museum is a passion project for founder and lead curator Claus Sadlier, a successful entrepreneur and New Orleans native. After graduating from Brother Martin High School and the University of New Orleans, Sadlier left the city in the early 90s to pursue his fortune in San Francisco. Among his accomplishments, he invented and commercialized the world’s first insulated paper coffee cup and built it into a successful business, which he ultimately sold to Dixie Cup for $170 million. But Sadlier’s heart was always in New Orleans, and he returned to his roots in 2013, making his residence in the French Quarter.
Once he returned, Sadlier became fascinated with the city’s unique and storied past. “When I moved back, I started to read books about the sinful history of New Orleans and thought it was fascinating,” says Sadlier. It’s a story that starts with the city’s founding in 1718, continues through its the golden age of vice in the 1800s and culminates with the establishment of the Storyville district in the early 1900s. “I thought wow, what an amazing idea for a museum to be dedicated to telling this incredible story as it unfolded.”
Museum highlights include immersive sets, engaging videos and hyper-realistic holograms created by local artists and theater professionals. A dedicated section on the early history of jazz and a gallery featuring E.J. Bellocq's poignant photographs from Storyville illustrate the complex narratives that shaped this extraordinary era.
“At the New Orleans Storyville Museum, we are committed to entertaining educating and informing,” said Sadlier. “Our exhibits not only shine light on the social and economic impacts of the Storyville District but also celebrate the cultural heritage that makes New Orleans unique.”
The museum is now open to the public Thursday through Sunday, from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM. Admission is $31.50, and you must be 18 or older to enter. For tickets and information, please visit nolastoryville.com