They tore down a masterpiece to build a casino. And New Orleans is still arguing about it.
The Rivergate Exhibition Hall stood at the foot of Canal Street for barely three decades, but its demolition in 1995 remains one of the most controversial architectural losses in New Orleans history. Designed by one of the city's most important architects, the Rivergate was a bold, futuristic convention center that represented New Orleans at its most ambitious. Its replacement — Harrah's Casino — represents something else entirely.
A Building Like No Other
The Rivergate was designed by Nathaniel Curtis Jr. and Arthur Q. Davis of the firm Curtis and Davis, the same New Orleans architects who designed the Louisiana Superdome. Completed in 1968, the Rivergate was a work of modernist architecture that looked like it had arrived from the future. Its most striking feature was its roof — a massive, undulating concrete shell structure that flowed in organic curves, creating a dramatic silhouette against the downtown skyline.
The building sat at the foot of Canal Street, near the Mississippi River, occupying a prime piece of New Orleans real estate. It was designed as a multi-purpose exhibition and convention space, with vast interior halls that could accommodate trade shows, conventions, and large-scale events. The interior was as dramatic as the exterior, with soaring ceilings and open floor plans that gave the space a sense of grandeur befitting its location.
Architecturally, the Rivergate was significant far beyond New Orleans. The thin-shell concrete roof structure was an engineering achievement that placed the building in the company of other mid-century modernist landmarks around the world. It was the kind of building that architecture students studied and that critics admired — a serious work of design in a city better known for its 19th-century architecture.
The Convention Years
For its first two decades, the Rivergate served its intended purpose as a convention and exhibition hall. It hosted trade shows, corporate events, and public gatherings, contributing to New Orleans' growing convention and tourism economy. The building helped establish the foot of Canal Street as a hub for visitors, complementing the French Quarter and the hotels along the riverfront.
But the Rivergate had a problem: it was too small. As the convention industry grew in the 1970s and 1980s, cities needed larger and larger facilities to compete for the lucrative convention business. The Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, which opened along the riverfront in 1984, dwarfed the Rivergate and gradually took over the city's major convention bookings. The Rivergate found itself increasingly sidelined — still a beautiful building, but one struggling to find its role.
The Casino Deal
In the early 1990s, Louisiana legalized casino gambling, and the race was on to build a land-based casino in New Orleans. The site chosen for the casino was the Rivergate's footprint at the foot of Canal Street. Harrah's Entertainment won the license, and in 1995, the Rivergate was demolished to make way for what would become Harrah's New Orleans casino.
The demolition was fiercely opposed by preservationists, architects, and many residents who saw the Rivergate as an irreplaceable piece of New Orleans' architectural heritage. The building had been placed on the National Register of Historic Places, but that designation didn't prevent its destruction — the National Register protects buildings from federal actions but doesn't prevent private demolition with local approval.
The fight over the Rivergate was bitter and, for preservationists, ultimately heartbreaking. They argued that the building was a nationally significant work of architecture that deserved adaptive reuse, not a wrecking ball. Casino supporters argued that the economic benefits — jobs, tax revenue, tourism — outweighed the loss of a building that most New Orleanians didn't particularly love. The casino side won.
What Replaced It
The casino that replaced the Rivergate had a troubled start. The original Harrah's project went through bankruptcy, construction delays, and political controversy before finally opening as a permanent facility in 1999. The casino building that now occupies the site is, by any architectural measure, unremarkable — a large, generic gaming facility that could be in any city in America.
The contrast between what was lost and what replaced it is what makes the Rivergate's demolition sting. A one-of-a-kind work of modernist architecture — designed by the same team that created the Superdome — was traded for a building with no architectural distinction whatsoever. Whether the economic trade-off was worth it depends on who you ask, but the architectural trade-off is not debatable. New Orleans lost something unique and gained something ordinary.
The Larger Loss
The Rivergate's demolition is part of a broader pattern in New Orleans — and in American cities generally — of treating modernist architecture as disposable. While the city fiercely protects its 18th- and 19th-century buildings, mid-century modernist structures have historically received far less preservation attention. The Rivergate was barely 27 years old when it was torn down, too young to have acquired the patina of age that often triggers preservation instincts.
Curtis and Davis, the architects who designed the Rivergate, left a significant mark on New Orleans and beyond. Their portfolio included the Superdome, numerous schools and public buildings, and projects around the world. The loss of the Rivergate diminished the city's collection of their work and removed one of the most architecturally adventurous buildings in the region.
For a city that prides itself on its unique character, the demolition of the Rivergate was a moment of self-inflicted architectural amnesia. The building represented a New Orleans that was looking forward — that was willing to be bold and modern while remaining distinctly itself. What replaced it looks like everywhere else. And in New Orleans, looking like everywhere else is the greatest sin of all.
Frequently Asked Questions
When was the Rivergate built and demolished?
The Rivergate Exhibition Hall was completed in 1968 and demolished in 1995. It stood for only 27 years before being torn down to make way for Harrah's Casino.
Who designed the Rivergate?
The Rivergate was designed by Nathaniel Curtis Jr. and Arthur Q. Davis of the New Orleans firm Curtis and Davis. The same architects also designed the Louisiana Superdome.
Why was the Rivergate demolished?
The Rivergate was demolished to clear the site for Harrah's Casino after Louisiana legalized casino gambling in the early 1990s. Despite being listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the building could not be protected from private demolition with local government approval.
Was the Rivergate on the National Register of Historic Places?
Yes. The Rivergate was listed on the National Register of Historic Places, but this designation only protects buildings from federally funded or permitted actions. It did not prevent the privately driven demolition that occurred in 1995.
What is on the Rivergate site now?
The site at the foot of Canal Street is now occupied by Harrah's New Orleans casino (now Caesars New Orleans), which opened as a permanent facility in 1999 after a troubled development process that included bankruptcy and construction delays.
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