New Orleans’ St. Charles streetcar line has been designated a National Historic Landmark.
Making its debut in 1835 as a rail line powered by mule, the line initially linked New Orleans with Carrolton, La., and was dubbed the Carrolton Line. It was electrified in 1893 and renamed the St. Charles Line.
The Regional Transit Authority, which oversees rail and bus transit in the greater New Orleans area, was scheduled to mark the occasion Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2014, with a celebration on Howard Avenue at Lee Circle.
Local media report the Saint Charles Avenue Association, a civic group, lobbied for 10 years to capture the federal designation, making the line the second “moving” National Historic Landmark, joining San Francisco’s cable cars.
Saint Charles Avenue Association member Laura Claverie said the group has worked for 10 years to get the historic landmark designation.