Since its founding in 1961, Preservation Hall has been dedicated to preserving New Orleans musical traditions. From its inception, founders Allan and Sandra Jaffe fostered a community of inclusion, committed to the preservation of New Orleans Jazz and to caring for elder musicians.

Normally, more than 150,000 visitors attend memorable shows with the 60 musicians who make up the Hall’s Musical Collective, 360 nights each year, at 726 St. Peter Street. While the building may not have changed much over its history, the Hall ensures that musical traditions are revered and celebrated, while allowing it to breathe and evolve with the contributions of subsequent generations, and raise up those who play and appreciate it.

The Preservation Hall Foundation is based on the ethos, values and practices of Preservation Hall: and brings them to life in classrooms, detention centers, concert venues, and community centers around New Orleans, the nation, and the world. We work to protect, preserve, and perpetuate the musical traditions and heritage of New Orleans through the Foundation’s four program areas: Education, Community Engagement, Legacy and Archives.

We believe that tradition is not just a static body of knowledge. It’s the personal bond between generations of practitioners that allows culture to be transmitted and made meaningful in the present.