Place Archive

New Orleans

The abandoned Dixie Brewery in New Orleans exhibits extensive interior decay, with peeling paint, broken windows, and scattered industrial machinery marking years of disuse since its closure in 2005. Once a prominent landmark, the site now reflects the city’s ongoing struggles with preservation and redevelopment following Hurricane Katrina.

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Neon sign for Willie's To Go Bar advertising daiquiris, cold beer, and cocktails in New Orleans.
Willie's To Go Bar advertises daiquiris, cold beer, and cocktails through a neon sign built for sidewalk and street visibility, a common fixture at walk-up daiquiri counters throughout New Orleans. To-go bars like this one operate under Louisiana's allowance for sealed to-go alcoholic drinks, a practice largely unique to the state.
Interior of a New Orleans candy shop displaying packaged pralines and confections on wooden shelves and displays.
Praline Company sells the classic New Orleans confection made from sugar, butter, cream, and pecans, a candy that traces its roots to French settlers who adapted a similar treat first made in the Poitou-Charentes region. Pecan pralines became a New Orleans specialty by the 19th century, sold by street vendors known as "pralinières" who often set up along the French Quarter. The shop's shelves carry the trade's usual staples alongside them — jarred candies, coffee, and hot sauces common to Louisiana specialty stores. Brick walls and barrel accents nod to the French Quarter's historic commercial buildings, many of which date to the late 1700s and early 1800s after fires destroyed earlier wooden structures.
House of Blues Gear Shop interior with neon-lit display cases and colorful ceiling lighting.
The House of Blues New Orleans opened in 1994 on Decatur Street in the French Quarter, one of the original locations of the chain founded by Isaac Tigrett and Dan Aykroyd. The Gear Shop sells branded merchandise, guitar picks, and memorabilia tied to the adjoining music hall and restaurant. Folk art and religious icons collected from the Mississippi Delta and greater New Orleans region fill the building's interior, assembled under the direction of art director Robert "Mudcat" Hodge. The music hall next door has booked touring blues, rock, and jazz acts since the venue's opening, part of a franchise that at its peak included clubs in Chicago, Las Vegas, and Los Angeles.
New Orleans box office sign with a red LED display reading HELLO.
A box office sign with a red LED message reading HELLO is mounted on a New Orleans building. The sign appears above a closed opening, likely associated with a theater or music venue.
Blue ATM in a doorway at 211 Decatur Street in New Orleans’ French Quarter.
211 Decatur Street in New Orleans’ French Quarter contains a freestanding ATM recessed in a narrow doorway. The machine is covered with graffiti and stickers. Decatur Street is a commercial corridor in the historic French Quarter.
Sun 509 Bangkok Spa sign with red lettering on white background with blue border.
Sun 509 Bangkok Spa operates at 509 Bourbon Street in the French Quarter, offering massage and spa services in a neighborhood dense with bars, restaurants, and tourist-oriented businesses. The address places it within one of New Orleans' busiest commercial corridors, blocks from Jackson Square and the Mississippi River. Bourbon Street storefronts in this stretch of the Quarter often carry hand-painted or simply lettered signage rather than elaborate design, a practical choice suited to the street's high foot traffic and frequent business turnover.
Felix's Sea Foods neon sign at the restaurant entrance in the French Quarter of New Orleans.
Felix's Sea Foods sign marks the restaurant entrance in the French Quarter of New Orleans. The business, established in 1946, is a long-running seafood restaurant associated with oysters and other Gulf Coast fare. Its neon storefront sign is part of the commercial signage along the Quarter's restaurant and nightlife corridors.
Entergy Ninemile 6 Power Plant in Westwego, Louisiana, at dusk.
Entergy Ninemile 6 Power Plant in Westwego, Louisiana, is a natural gas-fired generating unit operated by Entergy Corporation. The facility began operation in 2014 and supplies electricity to the New Orleans area.
Naval Support Activity New Orleans warehouse in New Orleans covered with large-scale graffiti.
Naval Support Activity New Orleans warehouse, New Orleans. The former military logistics building on the Mississippi River front has been covered with large-scale graffiti murals and tags. The base was decommissioned and has been awaiting redevelopment.
Caveman Building, New Orleans
READ UP CAVEMAN building in New Orleans. The graffiti on the former Holiday Inn was removed in 2022 when the building was renovated to housing.
NASA Michoud Assembly Facility at Night
The NASA logo is illuminated on the exterior of the Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, Louisiana. Established during World War II, this vast industrial complex was later repurposed to support the Apollo and Space Shuttle programs. Today, the facility continues its central role in U.S. space manufacturing. Michoud currently supports the construction of major components for NASA’s Artemis missions, including the Space Launch System rocket and the Orion spacecraft.
NASA tooling 3
The Vertical Weld Center (VWC) at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility, which is producing components for the Space Launch System (SLS) and Artemis rockets. Shown here is the tool used to do the barrel fabrication. From NASA: The Barrel Fabrication process consists of the sequential trimming and welding of Barrel Panels on the Vertical Weld Center (VWC) to form a 8.4-meter barrel. Post-weld non-destructive evaluation is also performed while the Barrel is positioned on the VWC. Barrels will be fabricated for the LH2 Tank, LO2 Tank, Forward Skirt, and Engine Section and transported to Building 110 for weld operations on the Vertical Assembly Center. NASA says there are 40 different Barrel Panel configurations with various thicknesses and heights and the 32 barrels to be fabricated each weight between 6,600 to 9,500 pounds.
Inside the vertical weld center at NASA Michoud
The Vertical Weld Center at NASA Michoud Assembly Facility in Louisiana houses the friction-stir-weld tool, a critical piece of infrastructure for the Space Launch System (SLS) program. This specialized tool is designed to weld barrel panels for both wet and dry structures of the SLS core stage. It precisely joins these panels to form complete barrels for the rocket's two pressurized tanks, the intertank, the forward skirt, and the aft engine section. The SLS core stage is a fundamental component of NASA's Artemis missions, which aim to return humans to the Moon and prepare for future missions to Mars. The facility plays a vital role in the production of America's next-generation heavy-lift rocket.
Vertical weld center at NASA Michoud Rocket Facility
The Vertical Weld Center (VWC) operates within NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, Louisiana. This precision friction-stir welding system is engineered to join massive aluminum alloy panels, forming the rocket fuel tanks and core stages for the Space Launch System (SLS). The facility, a key site for aerospace manufacturing since the 1940s, plays a crucial role in the production of components for America's space exploration programs. The VWC's advanced tooling, visible in bright blue and yellow structures, ensures millimeter-level accuracy during assembly, a requirement for the Artemis program's deep space missions.
Inside the massive NASA Michoud Assembly Facility
At the NASA Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, Louisiana, a component of the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket core stage undergoes production. This vast industrial complex, historically significant for manufacturing components for the Saturn V and Space Shuttle programs, now serves as a primary site for assembling the core stages of "America's Rocket". The green-painted structure, surrounded by specialized yellow access platforms and intricate piping, represents a critical section of the massive tooling infrastructure required for precise rocket assembly and testing. These core stages, produced by Boeing, are integral to NASA's Artemis program, which aims to return humans to the Moon and establish a sustained lunar presence.
Interior of the SLS fuel tank at NASA Michoud Facility
The interior of a Space Launch System (SLS) Core Stage fuel tank at NASA Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, Louisiana. This massive tank is designed to hold cryogenic liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen propellants, powering the rocket's four RS-25 engines. The Core Stage is the central component of the SLS, a super heavy-lift launch vehicle developed for NASA's Artemis program. Michoud Assembly Facility serves as a primary manufacturing and assembly site for these critical components, supporting the agency's efforts to return humans to the Moon and explore deeper into space.
NASA Space Launch System Liquid Oxygen Tank
A liquid oxygen tank for NASA’s Space Launch System core stage is positioned for processing inside the Michoud Assembly Facility. Formed from welded aluminum-lithium sections, the tank stores supercooled liquid oxygen that feeds the RS-25 engines during launch. Together with the larger liquid hydrogen tank, it supplies the propellants required to generate thrust for missions in NASA’s Artemis program.
SLS Forward Skirt NASA Rocket
The forward skirt section of NASA’s Space Launch System is shown shortly after its final assembly at the Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, Louisiana. This uppermost segment houses the rocket’s flight computers, avionics, and camera systems, serving as the control center that guides the SLS during launch and ascent. Built for the Artemis I (Exploration Mission-1) mission, this critical structure was manufactured at Michoud, a significant NASA facility with a long history of producing large-scale aerospace components. It would later be integrated into the core stage for its 2020 launch from Kennedy Space Center, marking a key step in the Artemis program's efforts to return humans to the Moon.
Manufacturing robots at NASA Michoud Assembly Facility
At NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, Louisiana, a robotic friction stir welding cell, developed by Genesis Systems Group and Boeing, constructs components for the Space Launch System (SLS) core stage. Michoud, a site with a long history of aerospace manufacturing since the 1960s, plays a crucial role in producing large-scale structures for space exploration. This advanced system precisely joins massive aluminum panels using friction stir welding, creating the rocket’s fuel tanks and structural sections. This specialized process ensures the structural integrity and reliability essential for the SLS, which powers NASA’s Artemis missions to the Moon and beyond.
Barrel tools at NASA Michoud Assembly Facility
Precision barrel tooling for the Space Launch System (SLS) core stage is positioned on the production floor at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, Louisiana. This specialized infrastructure is crucial for the assembly of the massive rocket, which supports the Artemis missions to the Moon. The fixtures precisely hold large aluminum panels during the friction stir welding process, ensuring the perfect alignment and uniform curvature required for the rocket’s cylindrical sections. NASA Michoud Assembly Facility has a long history of producing large-scale space structures, including components for the Saturn V and Space Shuttle programs. In the background, a completed barrel segment awaits further integration, highlighting the facility's ongoing contribution to space exploration.
Boeing Space Launch System Operations Center at NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans.
Boeing operates the Space Launch System Operations Center inside NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in eastern New Orleans. Michoud is a government-owned, contractor-operated site covering 832 acres, with a main manufacturing building enclosing about 43 acres under one roof. NASA has used the facility since 1961, previously for Saturn V stages and space shuttle external tanks. Boeing builds the SLS core stage there, the structure that houses the rocket's propellant tanks and four RS-25 engines. The core stage measures 212 feet long, making it the largest rocket stage NASA has ever flown.
Inside SLS Barrel at NASA Michoud Assembly Facility
This photograph shows the interior of a Space Launch System (SLS) liquid hydrogen tank barrel at NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, Louisiana. This component is a critical part of the SLS core stage, designed to hold super-cold liquid hydrogen, one of the propellants for the rocket's engines. Constructed from AI 2219, a specialized aerospace aluminum alloy, the barrel's robust design ensures structural integrity under extreme conditions. The SLS rocket is central to NASA's Artemis program, which aims to return humans to the Moon and prepare for future missions to Mars. The Michoud Assembly Facility plays a vital role in the manufacturing and assembly of large-scale space structures for American space exploration.
The Boeing Gore Weld Tool at Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans is used for friction-stir welding of aluminum dome sections for aerospace vehicles like NASA's SLS rocket.
Boeing Gore Weld Tool at Michoud Assembly Facility, New Orleans. The facility manufactures components for next-generation aerospace vehicles, including the Space Launch System (SLS) for NASA's Artemis program. The Gore Weld Tool, built by Futureamic, joins massive aluminum dome sections using friction-stir welding for rocket fuel tanks and spacecraft pressure vessels. Michoud Assembly Facility has a long history in spaceflight hardware production, having previously manufactured components for the Saturn V rockets and Space Shuttle external tanks. It continues to be a key national center for large-scale precision manufacturing and assembly of spaceflight hardware, supporting deep space exploration efforts. Keywords: Boeing, Michoud Assembly Facility, New Orleans, Gore Weld Tool, Space Launch System, Artemis program, friction-stir welding, aerospace manufacturing
Boeing Gore Weld Tool Station 8 at NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, Louisiana, used for manufacturing the SLS core stage for the Artemis program.
The image shows the Boeing Gore Weld Tool Station 8 at NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, Louisiana. This heavy-duty industrial equipment is designed for precision welding of large-scale components. A label on the equipment reads "FUTURAMIC TOOL & ENGINEERING COMPANY." This station is part of the manufacturing process for the Space Launch System (SLS) core stage, a critical component for NASA's Artemis program. The SLS is the most powerful rocket ever built and is intended to carry astronauts to the Moon and eventually to Mars. The Michoud Assembly Facility has a long history of building large structures for space exploration, including the Saturn V rocket and the Space Shuttle external fuel tanks.

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