Culture & Commerce
Black commercial districts in Louisiana thrived during the 1950s and 1960s. Thoroughfares like Texas Avenue in Shreveport and Claiborne Avenue in New Orleans were rich in opportunity as well as culture. Along with radio stations, music venues, Black-owned motels and restaurants, these corridors didn't just boost local Black economies – they were the foundation of Black communities across the state during the Civil Rights Movement.
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Texas Avenue Historic District
Texas Avenue was home to many black businesses in the 1950s and 1960s, including the Shreveport Sun, the Star Theater, and several haberdashers, drugstores, bakeries and restaurants.
Freeman and Harris Cafe
Freeman and Harris Cafe was one of the oldest, continuously operating black businesses in the United States.
Koka Radio Station
KOKA radio station was Shreveport's first black-owned-and-operated station and featured black artists when other stations would not.
Claiborne Avenue
Claiborne Avenue in New Orleans emerged as the main thoroughfare for black business and culture.
Marsalis Mansion
Ellis Marsalis, a prominent New Orleans businessman and jazz patriarch converted a chicken barn into a 40-room motel with a swimming pool, restaurant and lounge.
City-Brooks Pool
Rev. W. K. Brooks organized the United Negro Recreation Association to raise funds to buy an area for the first safe black swimming pool.
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