in which capacity it served until 1943. The Coast Guard then took over the building as a nominal storage facility, though in truth the structure was largely abandoned and left to decay until it was transferred to the state of Louisiana in 1965. During the Cold War, when many believed there to be a high risk of nuclear war, the old Mint was considered to be the best fallout shelter in the city. The state agreed to save the structure from demolition on the condition that it be renovated and converted to some new purpose within fifteen years. Between 1978 and 1980 this goal was met. Since 1981, the Mint building has functioned as a museum of its coin production history. Additional exhibitions housed in the facility have been devoted to New Orleans Mardi Gras (since moved to the Presbytere building on Jackson Square), jazz music (a large exhibit and research materials previously in the New Orleans Jazz Museum – donated by the N.O. Jazz Club), and Newcomb Pottery. All three phenomena have contributed to New Orleans' fame. On the third floor, the Mint houses an archive of maps and documents, including French and Spanish colonial records. Along with the Cabildo, the Presbytere, the 1850 House, and Madame John's Legacy, this facility is one of five branches of the Louisiana State Museum in the French Quarter. The Mint building is located at 400 Esplanade Avenue, not far from the Mississippi River. Katrina aftermath The mint building suffered significant roof damage from the hurricane. Water entered the building and came into contact with approximately 3% of the New Orleans Jazz collection, portions of which were removed and cared for at Louisiana State University, the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, and the Louisiana State Archives. Coinage produced Silver coins Gold coins See also Historical United States mints List of National Historic Landmarks in Louisiana National Register of Historic Places listings in Orleans Parish, Louisiana References Bibliography Bailey, Thomas A., David Kennedy, Lizabeth Cohen. The American Pageant: A History of the Republic, 11th ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1998. 1044 pp. Bowers, Q. David. The Official Red Book of Morgan Silver Dollars: A Complete History and Price Guide. Atlanta: Whitman Publishing, 2004. 288 pp. Evans, George Greenlief. Illustrated History of the United States Mint. Philadelphia: G. G. Evans, 1885. New revised edition, 1894. 179 pp. Irwin, David. Neoclassicism. London, UK: Phaidon, 1997. 448 pp.