The French Quarter boasts of a distinct architectural consistency as evident in the lines of beautiful ancient residential structures dating back to the 17th and 18th centuries. Noticeably deviating from this cohesiveness is the Louisiana Supreme Court Building which is a mammoth Beaux-Arts masterpiece fashioned from white granite. Regardless of its nonconforming architecture and its stand out enormous size, the Louisiana Supreme Court Building is regarded as one of the most stunning structure within the French Quarter.

During the early years of the 20th century, the French Quarter faced significant deterioration and a great number of the historical buildings found here experienced dilapidation. Despite of this, the old structures has carved their place in the hearts of New Orleans residents. So it comes as no surprise that when the idea of demolishing an entire block of these historical abodes was put forward, it was met with a bit of resistance. Nevertheless, the construction of the Louisiana Supreme Court Building began in 1908. It debuted two years after in 1910 and served as the New Courthouse Building. It also held the Orleans Civil District Court and the Louisiana Supreme Court. Up until today, the building still remains the biggest Beaux-Arts structure in Louisiana.

The Supreme Court transferred to a more modern headquarters at the Duncan Plaza Civic Complex found in New Orleans? Central Business District. The Supreme Court Building was utilized to house government offices for a few years. It was deserted and rapidly deteriorated. A proposal to bring back the Supreme Court to its original location in the French Quarter was mapped out during the 1980s but the renovation of the structure only began in the 1990s which lasted 14 years. It was only in May 2004 that the Supreme Court reunited with its original courthouse.

Even though the Beaux-Arts style has a French heritage, there are only a limited number of structures made following this design aesthetic in Louisiana and the Louisiana Supreme Court Building is without a doubt the most beautiful Beaux-Arts building in New Orleans. The Louisiana Supreme Court Building is constructed primarily from marble and granite and boasts of a marvelous fa?ade partly concealed behind palm trees. The building?s entryway found at Royal Street features circular curved windows crowned with imposing Ionic columns. Fronting the entrance of the Supreme Court is a statue of Edward Douglas White. White was a former senator and served as United States federal court?s head for 11 years from 1910 to 1921.