New Orleans jazz funerals are one of the city’s most profound cultural traditions. A true example of The American Melting Pot. This community expression blends Indigenous American, West African, French, Spanish, and other influences into a beautiful ritual. Thus transforming grief into celebration in honor of the deceased. Rooted in the brass band tradition and the spirituals of enslaved communities this practice emerged in the late 19th century.
Music here is as much a part of death as it is of life. -Sidney Bechet
St. Augustine Church in the heart of The Tremé neighborhood is arguably the spiritual heart of this tradition. Founded in 1841 by free people of color, it’s one of the oldest African American Catholic parishes in the United States.
A Church, A Neighborhood, and a Community that Remembers
The church sits just steps from Congo Square (Louis Armstrong Park). It is also home to “The Tomb of the Unknown Slave,” a memorial honoring those who built the city. The Tremé’s historic brass band clubs along with the social aid and pleasure societies have long organized jazz funerals for their members at this location. Directly across the street from the church is Blandin Funeral Home, a family-owned institution that served the Tremé community for generations.
Blandin Funeral Home was intimately involved in countless jazz funerals that began at St. Augustine. One of the most famous funerals to begin here was that of Big Chief Tootie Montana in 2005 shortly before Katrina. Many of New Orleans’ most legendary musicians from the Olympia Brass Band to the Dirty Dozen have played funerals that originated at St. Augustine and were handled by Blandin. This makes the church and the funeral home inseparable from the tradition’s living history.
Enshrining Memories and Perpetuating the Culture
Many years ago Sylvester “Hawk” Francis turned Blandin into a museum for this special culture and the history surrounding it. He named it The Backstreet Cultural Museum. Countless hours and money from his own pocket were spent to preserve this historical treasure. Today his daughter, Dominique Dilling, continues the legacy of preserving the culture in another building. Backstreet is one of the few places that locals and tourists can see fancy beadwork and learn the history of local tribes.
Though the museum has moved to a newer, larger location the original building still holds many memories for the local community. Most families in the neighborhood would consider it sacred. It is a place where many of their relatives were mourned and celebrated.
A New Era Brings Possibilities
The Rhodes Family Funeral Home now owns the building. They are another prominent, multi-generation black-owned business in the city.
Mr. Rhodes Jr. often told the story of how his father created The Rhodes Undertaking Company out of nothing, after the Civil War: “At that time, there were no Black funeral homes, so often times Blacks ended up being prepared in the stable where the horses were kept. My father decided to go into the funeral business to provide burial services for Negro New Orleanians.” Indeed, Mr. Rhodes Sr. established his first funeral home on Valence Street in uptown New Orleans. -D.W. Rhodes Funeral Home Website
The old Blandin Building has fallen into disrepair over the years. The current owners have listed the property for sale. There has been talk of placing a city plaque on the sidewalk to honor this historic spot. What would be even better is if the community comes together and purchases the building to keep it as a landmark and community center.
The Rhodes Family recognize the historical significance. They want to see the building preserved but they need to let it go. Currently the building at 1116 Henrietta Deillie Street and the recently cleared lot next-door (1122) are listed for sale for $366,000. The potential to restore it and add a structure in the large back and adjacent lot for concerts, gatherings or workshops is real… and it is within reach!
A Strong Precedence for Historical Preservation
St. Augustine Church also once faced a serious threat of closure and sale. The story of how the community saved it is one of the most powerful chapters in the church’s long history. The crisis came to a head in 2005, right after Hurricane Katrina devastated the city. The Archdiocese of New Orleans, facing enormous financial strain and a dramatically reduced population, began evaluating which parishes should remain open. St. Augustine was already struggling with declining membership and had significant storm damage. So The Archdiocese placed it on a list of churches slated for permanent closure and possible demolition.
The community’s response was swift, creative, and deeply rooted in the church’s identity as a historic pillar of Black Catholicism and civil rights activism. When word of the closure spread, parishioners and allies launched a multi-pronged campaign. A “Save St. Augustine” coalition was formed that included everyone from lifelong parishioners to national preservationists.
They drew on the church’s historic significance as a site of the 1960s civil rights movement, where activists like A.L. Davis and Oretha Castle Haley had organized, to build a preservation case that reached far beyond the Catholic community. The campaign succeeded! By 2006, the Archdiocese reversed its decision and allowed St. Augustine to remain open.
It’s Personal for So Many of Us
Reverend Goat Carson first brought me to meet Sylvester at Backstreet Museum many years ago for White Buffalo Day. The significance of New Orleans in relation to the White Buffalo Prophecy is yet another facet of the storied history of this place. I feel Goat’s presence today along with Sylvester, Tootie Montana and many other ancestors who would want us to do our part to preserve the Blandin Building.
You could probably ask thousands of people in New Orleans if they had a story or memory about that place and they would say yes. Maybe you had a relatives funeral there, Mardi Gras morning with Chief FiYiYi and drumming, community school supply and BBQ’s, your band met for a second line there as parishioners and mourners poured out the front doors of St. Augustine. All sorts of deeply meaningful and sentimental gatherings have happened at that place.
With the passing of time and gentrification so much of the cultural presence of the Tremé has faded. The Blandin Building needs to be preserved and celebrated for generations to come. We cannot let this opportunity slip through our hands.
Roll Call! Where Ya At?
Cyril Neville reached out and pledged his support for this effort along with Sylvester’s daughter Dominique Francis Dilling. We are actively seeking visionary investors or partners who share a commitment to cultural preservation and community heritage.
Hey Zulus, Tremé Center, Social aid and Pleasure Clubs, Kermit Ruffins, Jazz and Heritage Foundation, the Indian Council, Trombone Shorty Foundation, Tipitinas Foundation, WWOZ, and Preservation Hall. Let’s do this!
This is a collaboration to develop a strategic acquisition and development plan for this unique site. Here is your invitation to spread the word, share this article, make some phone calls and be part of history. You can fill out the form below if you’d like to participate or follow Backstreet Cultural Museum on Instagram for updates.
