Strolling through New Orleans by twilight, you might notice a signature glow emanating from the city’s iron balconies and walled gardens. That’s the work of gas lanterns, a leftover design trend from the nineteenth century. When gaslight was introduced to New Orleans in 1824, the city was only the third in the nation to enjoy such urban illumination (after Baltimore and Philadelphia). But the old-world technology endured—becoming synonymous with the city in the process—thanks to one man, Andrew Bevolo Sr., founder of the French Quarter’s famous Bevolo Gas & Electric Lights.
Bevolo shifted his metalworking skills from aircrafts to copper gas lanterns after World War II, and this year his company marks seventy-eight years in business, an achievement built on crafting beautiful light fixtures in traditional and modern styles using time-honored techniques. See for yourself by visiting Bevolo’s French Quarter workshop, museum, and showrooms, where the company has operated since 1945. The commitment to quality and timeless craftsmanship will appear out of another age—because it is.
