Majesty of the French Quarter, The (Majesty Architecture)
In 1716 John Law, in what McCaffety calls a "real-estate scam," persuaded the Duc d'Orleans to sell shares for a French settlement. A flood wiped out the settlement in the first year, but the colonists continued to come. By the mid-19th century, New Orleans was the busiest port in the world, with a strange alchemy of European, Carbbean, and American influences in character and architecture that is totally unique. NPR's recent report on the damage done in Louisiana and particularly in New Orleans by the voracious Formosa termite makes viewing these two books of stylish photography even more poignant. Award-winning photographer McCaffety (Obituary Cocktail: The Great Saloons of New Orleans) lovingly records scenes of luxury and decay in the Vieux Carr  or the French Quarter of New Orleans. McCaffety offers the reader views that elude the countless tourists. We are privy to private, antiques-filled residences, walled courtyards with balconies and fountains, lush tropical gardens--what she calls "the city's hidden memory." Sexton's work looks at "the River Road," a stretch of highway that links New Orleans to Baton Rouge. The National Trust for Historic Preservation has identified the area as one of the most endangered historic sites in the United States. Law's influence was shown here also, as he was given a charter to increase the French population to 10,000 in a ten-year period. Likewise, a distinctive architecture evolved here: the plantation on the river with a dominant main house. Much of the style is still around, and with aerial photographer Alex MacLean, Sexton captures the grandeur. We see standing chimneys from lost glorious homes, stately houses still active and enjoyed, and plantations of historical note. Sexton also shows other notable architecture and its geography--tenement "shotgun" houses, cemeteries, churches, steamboat landings, levees, swamp, sugarcane, and massive oaks hanging with Spanish Moss are occasionally interspersed by abandoned oil refineries and massive new petro-chemical operations. Both of these books are essential regional purchases, but they are also highly recommended for architecture, photography, and history collections everywhere.-Joseph C. Hewgley, Nashville P.L.Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.