Our French Quarter bar, May Baily’s Place, was once one of the better known bordellos as part of the red-light district, known as Storyville, that existed from 1897-1917 in New Orleans. The modest cottage at 423 Rue Dauphine, built in 1821, was once one of the better known bordellos operating on the fringe of Storyville. Today May Baily’s Place is decorated in a Victorian style with portraits of madams by New Orleans’ famous Storyville photographer E.J. Bellocq. A framed copy of the operating license issued to May Baily is displayed at the bar. Our Bordello guest suite takes an appropriate featured place above May Baily’s, and a red light still burns in the courtyard next to it as a testimony to its history.
The red light, the memorabilia and the Baily name are all that remain of an era that made even decadent old New Orleans blush.
