Market Entergy Power Plant

The Market Street Power Plant was constructed at the turn of the century in 1905 and began producing power for the city of New Orleans that same year. The 5-story factory made of glass and steel was built during a time when the early modern architectural style was dominant in America and it reflects that design with its clean lines, symmetry, and the towering twin smokestacks that can be seen from miles around Despite the "form follows function" mantra that was the backbone of this early modernism style and a strong preference for no-frills design, the decaying utilitarian aesthetic boasts its own sort of beauty. Walking through the rusting ruins is almost like being in the guts of a great mechanical beast – alive, but sleeping. ​ In 1922, the New Orleans Public Service Incorporated (NOPSI) was founded and deemed that all power to the city of New Orleans would be produced by the Market Street Power Plant. The facility generated electricity for the growing city by burning coal. Hundreds of thousands of gallons of water from the nearby Mississippi River were pumped through the factory every day to cool the machinery. ​ The power plant provided the city of New Orleans with electricity for 68 years straight before finally closing its doors in 1973 when it was part of the New Orleans Public Service, Inc. The rising waters of the Mississippi River didn't seem to get the memo though and continue to flood the lower floors of the power plant to this day. ​ In early 2007, Entergy New Orleans sold the now-abandoned power plant and the surrounding property to Market Street Properties LLC for $10 million.