Twenty years after its inception, the red-light district known as Storyville was declining.
Prevailing social and political opinions sought to eradicate rather than control prostitution, and the integrated activities of vice districts were highly unpopular with segregationists. In addition, World War I prompted the federal government to prohibit open prostitution within five miles of military installations.
Red-light districts were closing across the nation, and on November 12, 1917, Storyville closed permanently.
A century after its closing the District remains part of New Orleans’ identity. To learn more, visit “Storyville: Madams and Music” at The Historic New Orleans Collection.
This is the final installment in a four-part series about Storyville, a legally sanctioned red-light district that operated in New Orleans from 1898 until 1917.
— Teresa Devlin, The Historic New Orleans Collection