riverboat president new orleans

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President (riverboat).

NPS Photo / Gateway Riverboat Cruises

St. Elmo, IL

Designated an nhl: december 20, 1989 designation withdrawn: july 13, 2011.

The President (Riverboat) was built in 1924 as a sidewheel river excursion boat for travel on the Upper Mississippi River. The riverboat was originally christened the Cincinnati . At the time, it was one of the last overnight packet boats in operation, travelling between Cincinnati and Louisville with occasional excursions to New Orleans and Pittsburgh. Riverboats were also used for day excursions and provided onboard entertainment. In 1929, the riverboat was sold to the Streckfus Steamer Company and was briefly used as a packet boat. Shortly after, it was temporarily removed from service to undergo renovation work for conversion into an excursion boat. More stringent safety requirements encouraged the new owner to rebuild the entire superstructure of steel. As a result, the boat was stripped and rebuilt from the hull up. The new superstructure took the same general form as the old but replaced two decks of cabins with a two-deck-high Grand Salon (ballroom), and Art Moderne ornamentation and styling replaced the Victorian Steamboat Gothic of Cincinnati . By 1933, renovation work converted her into the largest excursion boat in America. Streckfus Steamers renamed the boat President and advertised it as “the New 5 Deck Luxury Super Steamer, Biggest and Finest On The Upper Mississippi.”

The President traveled the majority of the year and went to New Orleans for the winter months when low water and cold weather made operations difficult. The ship travelled north as the winter ended, following the warm weather. President would stop at any port where it could take on passengers and hold performances. By August, the boat would travel upriver to St. Paul, Minnesota, and would gradually work its way back south again.

NPS Photo / Robert Yarnall Richie, Southern Methodist University, Central University Libraries, DeGolyer Library

The President (Riverboat) was designated a National Historic Landmark on December 20, 1989, as the only remaining Western Rivers sidewheel excursion boat. During the spring of 2009, the President was dismantled at its mooring location in Alton, Illinois, and moved by truck to a temporary holding area in St. Elmo, Illinois. It took over 100 semi-trailer loads to transport the 65-foot-high, 300-foot long, and 84-foot wide riverboat. The owner plans to reassemble the boat on a small lake in St. Elmo for use as a hotel and conference center. It will be placed upon concrete piers in a newly dug pit near the lake. The pit will be flooded after the reconstruction to give the appearance that the riverboat is on water. The President had already suffered from previous neglect and earlier alterations to accommodate gambling. Both the earlier gambling alterations and the present actions taken to relocate the ship have removed all aspects of integrity from this National Historic Landmark. The President had its NHL designation withdrawn on July 13, 2011. Its National Register of Historic Places listing has also been withdrawn.

Last updated: August 29, 2018

• News & Events

Jerry Garcia Band

Riverboat President

November 3, 1982

PEOPLE CHECKED OUT THIS SHOW

New Orleans, LA

Show Details

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• How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)
• They Love Each Other
• Love In The Afternoon
• Let It Rock
• I Second That Emotion
• Tangled Up In Blue
• Harder They Come
• Don't Let Go
• The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down >
• Run For The Roses

Jerry Garcia guitar, vocals

John Kahn bass

Melvin Seals keyboards

Greg Errico drums

Shirley Faulkner backing vocals

Elisecia Wright backing vocals

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Eric Jeffries | Sunday, December 26th, 2021

Having seen JGB many times over the years, this was a special show, very special. I would LOVE to have a recording.

Mark Williams | Thursday, December 14th, 2017

Great, great show!

Lew Ledyard | Friday, October 20th, 2017

Rocking show with a very few people. Stage was maybe two feet high.

David Goldstone | Monday, July 10th, 2017

Best show of all time. Seemed like every song from the second set went back into Sugaree. The boat traveled up and back down the Mississippi River on a spectacular night while they played. Music was amazing. Once in a lifetime show.

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Cardi's, 11/02/1982

Chrysler Auditorium, 11/05/1982

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• Riverboat President, New Orleans, LA, USA

Riverboat President New Orleans Concert Setlists

The neville brothers at new orleans jazz & heritage festival 1992.

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The Producers at Riverboat President, New Orleans, LA, USA

The neville brothers at new orleans jazz & heritage festival 1988, the robert cray band at new orleans jazz & heritage festival 1988, little feat at new orleans jazz & heritage festival 1988.

• Fat Man in the Bathtub
• Spanish Moon
• Skin It Back
• All That You Dream
• On Your Way Down
• About to Make Me Leave Home
• Three Time Loser
• Hate to Lose Your Lovin'
• Let It Roll
• Old Folks Boogie

Bonnie Raitt at New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival 1988

B.b. king at new orleans jazz & heritage festival 1988, stevie ray vaughan and double trouble at new orleans jazz & heritage festival 1988.

• Superstition
• Lookin' Out the Window
• Willie the Wimp
• Life Without You
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New Orleans’s Newest Resident Riverboat Debuts

On December 14 in New Orleans, near where Poydras Street meets the east bank of the Mississippi River, Hospitality Enterprises—the Crescent City-based tourism company whose brands include the Paddlewheeler Creole Queen, Jean Lafitte Swamp and Airboat Tours, and a line of double-decker hop-on-hop-off buses—christened the riverboat Louis Armstrong.

Bearing the name of one of New Orleans’ native sons and arguably the most recognizable name in jazz music, the 3,000 passenger Louis Armstrong aims to draw locals and visitors alike to the riverfront for events of all sizes, both cruising and dockside.

“The riverboat Louis Armstrong will bring the music of its soul and the vibrancy of the region together, just like its namesake did,” said Warren Reuther, president and CEO of Hospitality Enterprises.

Hospitality Enterprises acquired the Louis Armstrong, formerly named the City of Evansville, in late 2017. Built by Jeffboat in Jeffersonville, Ind., in 1995, the vessel, also known as the Tropicana Evansville or Casino Aztar, served as Indiana’s first riverboat casino. The vessel received a $10 million renovation in Louisiana, transforming it into the music and entertainment venue it is today.

The vessel’s first level offers executive meeting space for a variety of large functions. The second deck is a concert hall, featuring a VIP backstage area, artist green room, 40-foot-long bar and 3,500-square-foot lounge. The third level offers a 4,000-square-foot wedding venue with private bathrooms, along with an 8,000-square-foot banquet hall, sprawling bar and a “Louis Armstrong Foundation Room” that honors the musical legacy of the musician also known as Satchmo. The top deck is an open-air promenade offering 360-degree views of the Mississippi River and the New Orleans riverfront.

“The boat is such a beautiful tribute to Louis Armstrong and his mission to give back some of the goodness he received during his life,” said Louis Armstrong Foundation Executive Director Jackie Harris. “We are honored to have Mr. Armstrong’s name associated with a venue of this class and magnitude.”

Port of New Orleans President and CEO Brandy Christian also praised the new addition to the New Orleans riverfront.

“The iconic riverboats of the Mississippi River have been a part of the landscape of the city and the Port of New Orleans for over 300 years,” Christian said. “The majestic riverboat Louis Armstrong is such a beautiful addition to that heritage, and we look forward to seeing it ‘jazzin’ on the river’ for decades to come.”

Louisiana Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser presented Reuther with an official certificate praising the riverboat Louis Armstrong for the economic and workforce impacts it will have on the local and state economy.

To officially welcome the Louis Armstrong into service, Reuther’s wife, Nancy, along with their eight granddaughters and the daughter of Craig Smith, Hospitality Enterprises’ marine operations manager, shattered a bottle of champagne on the vessel’s top deck.

The riverboat Louis Armstrong is open and available as a venue for music events, concerts, weddings, conventions and private parties. The vessel will also offer a jazz brunch on Sundays and scheduled late-night and moonlight cruises.

For more information, visit www.bigeasy.com .

Caption for top photo: “Satchmo’s” likeness on the new New Orleans riverboat named in his honor. (photo by Frank McCormack)

• Billy Nungesser
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• Casino Aztar
• City of Evansville
• Craig Smith
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• Hospitality Enterprises
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• Louis Armstrong
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• Warren Reuther

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New Orleans Steamboat Company Announces Purchase of a Sternwheeler Riverboat

This page has expired. It may contain outdated information.

Last Updated: Tuesday, November 1, 2022 2:04 PM

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Media Contact: Adrienne Thomas, Director of Sales and Marketing 504-587-0724 [email protected]

New Orleans - Gordon Stevens, President and CEO of New Orleans Steamboat Company and Gray Line Tours, announced the purchase of the former ROCK ISLAND Casino Boat.

A new name, fitting a New Orleans vessel, has not yet been selected.

Stevens said that the former casino boat, located in Illinois, will be towed to New Orleans to be completely renovated. Stevens said that the boat is 189' long and 55' wide with three large enclosed passenger decks, and a beautiful shear to her decks resulting in a lovely exterior appearance. She will be licensed to carry 1,000 passengers. The boat will have a full service kitchen and bars.

The boat will complement the Steamboat NATCHEZ running harbor and dinner cruises and private charters. Because the boat will have a much larger interior capacity than the NATCHEZ, she will be able to accommodate larger charters, special events, concerts, dance cruises and shows.

The boat will berth at the lower end of the Riverfront Park adjacent to the Steamboat NATCHEZ. The company leases this berthing spot, on a long term basis, from the Port of New Orleans. The boat will begin sailing in New Orleans in late 2017, following the renovation. The Company will act as general contractor for the renovation along with marine architect, Andy Lebet of DeJong & Lebet.

Celebrating its 41st anniversary this year, the Steamboat NATCHEZ first sailed in New Orleans in 1975. In addition to the NATCHEZ, the New Orleans Steamboat Company has owned and operated the Sternwheeler COTTON BLOSSOM, the Riverboats PRESIDENT, MARK TWAIN, BECKY THATCHER, M/V JOHN JAMES AUDUBON and the AUDUBON EXPRESS in New Orleans and the Sternwheeler P.A. DENNY at the 1984 World's Fair.

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