The Friends were organized in 1995 by neighborhood residents who pledged to assist the City of New Orleans in maintaining and restoring the building and grounds as well as encouraging active use by the public. Since then, the Friends have grown from the 15 original members to a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with more than 300 individual and group members. The Friends emphasize hands-on volunteer projects such as landscaping and cleanup around the buildings, but are also actively involved in raising money to fund projects such as sidewalk repair, painting, and renovation of the Stable as an Algiers Museum. A seafood dinner, held annually, is our principal fundraiser.

The Friends’ primary goal is to continue contemporary use of the Courthouse by adding more services and helping to maintain the structure for these uses.