The New Basin Canal was built by Irish and German immigrants to the city back in the 1830s,, as a link between the city and the lake. The canal's path followed what are now the Pontchatrain Expressway and West End Blvd. That massive neutral ground that separates West End Blvd. Built in the 1890s, the lighthouse has been a lakefront landmark for years, guiding boats in and out of the Orleans Marina and the Municipal Yacht Harbor. The Coast Guard moved their lakefront station here from over by Spanish Fort in the 60s.
Lakeshore drive a bit.
Behind the lighthouse is Bart's Restaurant. The original Bart's burned down in the summer of 1980, and the current building replaced it a couple of years later. Bart's used to be a great place to eat, but ownership changes over the last decade reduced the cuisine to positively awful. There was a bit of a flap last year when it was announced that the Levee Board was considering allowing Bally's to open their casino on the New Basin Canal instead of out at South Shore Harbor. It explained why politically-connected Dr. Robert Azar purchased Bart's in '93.