The historic Dryades Market buildings, situated at what is now the intersection of Oretha Castle Haley Boulevard and Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard. The building on the right now houses the Southern Food and Beverage Museum, and the New Orleans Jazz Market occupies the left building. This photo, courtesy of the New Orleans Public Library, shows the Market being used as a WAC recruiting station during WWII.
our History
Since the late 1990's, the Oretha Castle Haley Boulevard Merchants & Business Association (OCHBMBA) has been the lead organization engaged in a strategic plan to revitalize the Boulevard. OCHBMBA has facilitated significant investment for the corridor over the years, especially in the post-Katrina environment, and the Boulevard is making a spectacular come-back.
In 2006, OCHBMBA successfully applied to become a Louisiana Main Street Community, and the area became a Louisiana Cultural Products District in 2009. Both initiatives are managed by OCHBMBA, which is a 501 c3 non-profit organization incorporated in the state of Louisiana.
Since hiring its first executive director in 2006, OCHBMBA has strengthened existing businesses and organizations; developed financial and other resources; procured technical assistance and university partners to assist property owners with redevelopment; and recruited new businesses identified as desirable by the community’s residents.
Once a thriving commercial district for New Orleans’ Jewish and African-American communities, Oretha Castle Haley Boulevard, formerly known as Dryades Street, is on its way to once again becoming a beacon for culture, history, commerce and so much more.
The Boulevard is home to long-time cultural and non-profit anchors such as the Dryades YMCA (since 1905), Ashé Cultural Arts Center, Café Reconcile, Gulf Coast Housing Partnership, Go.Be., Living Witness Social Services, the New Orleans Mission, and the Youth Empowerment Project. Other socially conscious organizations have made the Oretha Castle Haley Blvd. Main Street commercial district home, like HOPE Community Credit Union, Stay Local, Women With A Vision, and Bike Easy.
Restaurants and other culturally-oriented businesses have opened, including Café Roma, Café Porche and the Southern Food and Beverage Museum.
Streetscape enhancements were completed in the spring of 2017, which complement the existing community art murals and restored buildings.
The corridor was renamed in the late 1980's for Mrs. Oretha Castle Haley, a civil rights pioneer in New Orleans beginning when she was a young college student. Mrs. Haley was the president of the New Orleans chapter of CORE, the Congress of Racial Equality, and dedicated her life to social justice issues including education and healthcare.