This historic building located at 147 Carondelet Street is a notable historic landmark in the heart of New Orleans’ Central Business District, just one block from Canal Street and the French Quarter. It was constructed in 1923 in a neoclassical architectural style, reflecting the importance of its original role in the U.S. financial system.
Designed with impentetrable construction, including reinforced concrete walls and classical details such as grand pillars and the Federal Reserve emblem above the entrance, the building served as the first permanent home of the New Orleans Branch of the Federal Reserve Bank. This branch was part of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, serving the economic and monetary needs of the region from this Carondelet Street location.
For over four decades, from its opening in October 1923 until 1966, the building functioned as a vital hub for federal banking operations in the Gulf South, handling currency distribution, financial oversight, and other essential services.
After the Federal Reserve relocated to its current facility on St. Charles Avenue in the mid-1960s, the Carondelet Street building passed into private hands and was repurposed for other uses. In the following decades it was known locally as the Security Center, housing offices and secure storage services leveraging the original function of the building. The building’s robust vaults, some spanning multiple floors, and its classical grandeur have made it attractive for adaptive reuse.
Today, the Old Federal Reserve Building at 147 Carondelet Street enters a new era with the reopening of its historic vault services. Originally engineered to safeguard currency and sensitive assets at the highest federal standards, these vaults once again serve their original purpose, secure private storage, while benefiting from modern enhancements and oversight.
We are proud to revitalize the prestige, discretion, and uncompromising safety that this structure has represented for over a century. Built with massive reinforced concrete, steel vault doors, and layered physical security, the building was designed from the ground up to protect what matters most. Few structures in the country were ever constructed with such intent, permanence, and foresight.
By restoring access to these vaults, we honor the building’s legacy while offering clients a private storage solution rooted in history, trust, and resilience. In an era of uncertainty, the Old Federal Reserve once again stands as a symbol of stability—providing secure, discreet, and time-tested protection for valuables within one of New Orleans’ most iconic financial landmarks.
We are excited to reopen these doors and welcome a new generation of clients seeking the confidence that only a structure of this caliber can provide.
Old Federal Reserve 