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THE NEW ORLEANS PHARMACY MUSEUM
HISTORY AS A MUSEUM
On December 15, 1937, Mayor Robert S. Maestri purchased the building
from the Interstate Trust and Banking Co. in liquidation. Mayor
Maestri donated the building to the City of New Orleans in the same
year to be used as a “Napoleon Museum”. Officials confused the
history of 514 Chartres Street with the history of the Nicholas
Girod House at 500 Chartres Street. The Girod House was the home
designated for Napoleon’s exile escape, not 514 Chartres. Dr. Edward
J. Ireland, Loyola Professor of Pharmacy dug deeper into the history
of the building and relayed his research to the City of New Orleans.
When the City officials realized the significance of Louis J.
Dufilho, Jr. and of 514 Chartres to the history of American
pharmacy, they designated the site to be the New Orleans Pharmacy
Museum.
On December 7, 1943, Mayor Robert S. Maestri appointed and
established the official “Historical Pharmacy Commission of the City
of New Orleans”. John F. McCloskey, a Commission member and Dean of
the Loyola School of Pharmacy at that time, was instrumental in the
careful accession of pharmacy artifacts and exhibit development for
the New Orleans Pharmacy Museum. Dr. Edward J. Ireland, a Commission
member and Loyola University Pharmacy professor, directed Loyola
Pharmacy students in the exhibit set-up at the Museum. After some
building repairs, the acquisition of artifacts and exhibit set-up,
the New Orleans Pharmacy Museum officially opened to the public with
a dedication ceremony on October 16, 1950.
The City of New Orleans operated the Museum from 1950 until 1987. At
that time, budget cuts threatened to close the New Orleans Pharmacy
Museum permanently. In 1987 a group of concerned pharmacists,
physicians and community business leaders established the “Friends
of Historical Pharmacy”, a non-profit organization. The “Friends”
took over the complete operation of the Museum, including
responsibility for all funding. This group led by President, Edward
S. Bopp and Chairman, Salvatore D’Angelo, maintain and operate the
Museum today. |
