Gracing much of the city, ironwork is as beautiful and as admired as it was in colonial New Orleans. New Orleans' European background explains the prevelance of ironwork throughout the city. Many European cities are decorated with ironwork, and no doubt the European settlers brought this artistic form to the New World. By creating and displaying works in iron, they were able to make themselves more at home in their new environments. This type of iron was often made in New Orleans, but some of it was also shipped from Spain.
Wrought iron is also much more resistant to rust and therefore lasts longer than cast iron.
Due to its hand-made nature, wrought ironworks are more often more delicate and unique. Because of the time involved in hand wrought iron, this type is used sparingly for more decorative purposes like building trim and balcony supports. Wrought iron was usually used to depict inanimate objects Cast iron , is iron which is made by pouring molten metal into pre-made forms. This type of iron was more commonly made in the New World and rarely shipped from Europe. Unlike wrought iron, cast iron is more brittle and rusts easily.