A History of South Rampart/Jazz
Excerpt from: Number Three of the Jazz History Walking and Motor Tour
The Little Gem is part of an area of our city once known as “Faubourg Ste. Marie (now the Central Business District) composed of the back edge of the business district and the front edge of a residential and small commercial area populated by a variety of ethnic groups including African-Americans, Chinese-Americans, Italian-Americans, and Jewish-Americans. Geographically it was composed of Baronne St., the last totally “respectable” street in the business district; Dryades St., a small alley-like street of innu- merable very small businesses; and S. Rampart St., a promenade for African- Americans and an indispensable business street for the inexpensive and hard-to-find in both musical instruments and haberdashery. It included a low end “sporting life” area alter- nately called “Back O’Town,” “Black Storyville,” and “The Battlefield,” as well as Parish Prison and New Orleans’ own amoeba-shaped Chinatown. “
