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I was curious about the history of the square and the statue. Here's what I learned. Early French colonial New Orleans was originally centered around an area which was then called the Place d' Armes. After the Battle of New Orleans in 1815, the Place d' Armes was renamed Jackson Square after the victorious United States general Andrew Jackson. In 1856 a statue of Jackson astride a horse was erected in the center of the park. It is one of four identical statues in the United States by the sculptor Clark Mills. (The other three are located in Nashville on the grounds of the Tennessee State Capitol, in Washington, D.C. near the White House, and in Jacksonville, Florida.)
On the north side of the square are three 18th‑century historic buildings, which were the city's heart in the colonial era. The center of the three is St. Louis Cathedral. The cathedral was designated as a minor Basilica by Pope Paul VI. To its left is the Cabildo, the old city hall, now a museum, where the final version of the Louisiana Purchase was signed. To the Cathedral's right is the Presbytère, built to match the Cabildo. The Presbytère originally housed the city's Roman Catholic priests and authorities; at the start of the 19th century, it was adapted as the city hall, and in the 20th century became a museum.