A Message from THNOC President and CEO Daniel Hammer

Closure to remain in effect until stay-at-home order lifted

Posted Monday, April 20, 2020; 10:50 p.m.

The Historic New Orleans Collection will not reopen before the local stay-at-home order is lifted. New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell recently extended that order through May 16, 2020. Until we re-open, there will be no activities on THNOC's campus, but we do encourage visitors to browse the extensive options available at our new online portal History From Home.

THNOC extends closure, cancels all public events through April 15
Posted Wednesday, March 25, 2020; 2:35 p.m.

Dear friends,

As the coronavirus continues to keep most of us shuttered indoors and disconnected from our routines, we at The Historic New Orleans Collection join all of you in adapting to the situation as it continues to develop and doing what we can to make it as livable as possible.

As you have already heard, all of THNOC’s public programs have been canceled or postponed through the month of March. This now extends to all guided tours and all programs through April 15, 2020, including the lecture on April 1 presented in conjunction with the exhibition Enigmatic Stream, the opening reception for the exhibition Cajun Document: Acadiana, 1973-74, and this year’s Bill Russell Lecture sponsored by the Derbes Foundation.

Anyone who has registered for a tour or evening program will soon be hearing from our Events and Ticketing staff with details about refunds and rescheduling opportunities.

Although our doors remain closed, our website offers a host of activities and resources. Explore them through our History from Home portal, which includes virtual exhibitions, educational lesson plans, and a wealth of oral histories. In addition, our staff is hard at work now creating new online experiences. We look forward to sharing these new endeavors with you as soon as they are completed.

The mission of The Collection, our commitment to bringing enrichment and education to the public via history and culture, remains unchanged, even in this current challenging chapter.

The great day when we reopen our beautiful French Quarter buildings to the public will come. Until then, visit hnoc.org to continue to enrich your life with the history and culture of our resilient city. Be safe and well.

In hopefulness and with gratitude,

Daniel Hammer

President and CEO

THNOC closes amid coronavirus outbreak

Posted Friday, March 13, 2020; 4:45 p.m.

Dear friends,

To help prevent the spread of COVID-19 and for the safety of our community, The Historic New Orleans Collection will close temporarily starting Saturday, March 14. This closure includes Cafe Cour and The Shop at The Collection.

In light of state and national declarations of emergency, and out of a desire to actively help with containment of the coronavirus, we have taken this step out of civic duty. In addition, all public events for the month of March have been canceled or postponed. This includes the following activities:

• All class visits and field trips

• Group tours

• The Williams Decorative Arts Lecture scheduled for Saturday, March 14

• Master classes, the Tennessee Williams Scholars Conference, and other events connected with the 2020 Tennessee Williams/New Orleans Literary Festival (Click here for details about the festival’s cancelation.)

Like you, we are monitoring the updates from governmental public health officials and adhering to their recommendations.

For now, no changes have been made to THNOC’s public events scheduled for the month of April and beyond. Please continue to visit our website regularly, stay tuned to THNOC’s social media feeds (Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter), and look for emails from us with further updates.

While our physical spaces are unavailable for exploration, you can stay connected with THNOC online and enjoy historical content across our digital media platforms. Here are some of the ways you can interact with our resources from home:

Research your interests and explore our digital holdings on THNOC’s online catalog. Staff will be responding to research queries as they are able.
Read the latest stories from THNOC’s digital publication “First Draft: Stories from The Historic New Orleans Collection.”
Watch previous lectures and performances on THNOC’s YouTube Channel, including this talk from April 2018 on the archaeology research conducted at 520 Royal Street.
Explore some of THNOC’s virtual exhibitions, including “Shout, Sister, Shout! The Boswell Sisters of New Orleans” and “Purchased Lives: New Orleans and the Domestic Slave Trade.”
Discover THNOC’s extensive oral history collections. Hear firsthand accounts from those who participated in New Orleans’ civil rights movement, lived in the French Quarter before it was a top tourist destination, came to the city’s aid as first responders in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, and more in our diverse oral history collections.
Follow THNOC on social media. Our Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter feeds not only provide the latest institutional news during these unusual times, but also feature historical images, trivia, and videos.

This is a fluid and rapidly changing situation. We will communicate additional adjustments to our services and offerings as quickly as possible. Follow THNOC’s email, social media, and website postings for the latest information.

Sincerely,