The architecture, food, music, and passion of the Big Easy, brought to life in the heart of Burning Man.
What Is It?
The Black Rock French Quarter is a new village at Burning Man, consisting of a bakery, a voodoo botanica, a live jazz band, a coffee house that roasts raw beans on playa, a gumbo cookery, a vineyard, a brewery, a supper club, a bathhouse, a wine cellar, and a hotel. Most importantly, the Black Rock French Quarter is an experiment in collaboration, decentralization, and organic growth, designed to connect the citizens of Black Rock City in relationships extending far beyond the boundaries of the village itself. In addition, the Quarter is the launching point for events such as Mardi Gras at Burning Man and the Jazz Funeral for the Burning Man that involve the members of dozens of other camps and villages.

Pictured above, a rendering of the Black Rock French Quarter.
What Are The Details?
The core vision of the Black Rock French Quarter is to create a dynamic community that takes on a life of its own, and inspires the people it touches to create their own extraordinary experiences to share. To this end, our aim is not on quantity but on wonder - rather than trying to throw the biggest party in town, we want to gift experiences that expand the horizons of what a temporary city can offer - we want to make the city real. And so our bakery gifts fresh baked pastries and breads to unsuspecting camps, our botanica casts spells and crafts voodoo dolls that visitors can customize to match the object of their desire (or ire), our gumbo cookery brings together recipes and cooks to share their art, our bathhouse gifts tickets for showers (and even baths in a clawfoot tub!) in an elegant setting with infused soaps and salts, our coffee house roasts raw beans on playa, our bar serves delicate champagne cocktails and fresh mint juleps, etc, etc, etc...
Every aspect of the village is designed for organic growth and collaboration:
Firstly, the buildings are based on easily available components, and plans will be published - allowing other camps to construct and customize their own buildings, so that the village can grow in unexpected ways. Perhaps next year there will be a cathedral, a square, a theater, alleyways, a book store, or a street car?
Secondly, the buildings are designed to assemble and disassemble easily, and multiple times - so that rather than being a momentous structure that appears on playa for a single year, the Quarter will be able to return and evolve for many years to come.
Thirdly, the camps themselves are actually metacamps - each camp has a small dedicated team of members who live in the village, but most of their participants are from other camps and villages throughout the city. For instance, the brewery brings together brewers from all over BRC and hosts tastings and contests involving other brewing camps, the bakery brings together bakers from all over BRC and supplies wedding and birthday cakes for other camps, the wine cellar offers refrigerated storage for wine drinkers from all over BRC and hosts tastings where they can share their selections, etc.
Fourthly, the camps are structured to connect with each other and with camps outside the village. The supper club has already made arrangements to serve breads from the bakery. The coffee house is working on having a newspaper rack installed by one of our daily papers, ec...

Pictured above, the medallion worn by contributors and participants.
What Is The Money For?
The single biggest expense in the village are the two-story buildings, with their lovely balconies sporting faux wrought iron filigree, that house most of the camps. The buildings are composed of thousands of linear feet of steel frame (about $7000 worth), sheathed in plywood (about $2000 worth) meticulously cut and painted (about $2000 worth of paint and varnish) in the style of the New Orleans French Quarter, furnished in a kind of dirty elegance. The second biggest expense is transport - the buildings are designed to break down and pack efficiently, but we still need to rent and fuel a truck (about $2500).

Pictured above, roughly one fourth of the steel purchase for the village.
What Is The Bang For The Buck?
One of the most exciting aspects of this project is that everything we build here can return to Burning Man year after year - your contribution is helping to give birth to a new part of Black Rock City that will grow and evolve in 2012 and beyond, and you will always be one of the founding contributors.
Most importantly, the target we set is only a fraction of the actual costs of creating a thriving village of interconnected camps like the bakery, coffee house, and gumbo cookery. Not covered here is all the equipment already purchased or donated by our members, including propane ovens for the bakery, a refrigerator and generator for the wine cellar, sound system and generator for the jazz band, stoves and prep areas for the gumbo cookery, etc. Also not covered are the wines produced by our vintners, the brews produced by our brewers, the ingredients used by our bakers, etc. The seed money we provide to get the French Quarter started makes it possible to bring all these other contributions together.

Pictured above, scenes from the apartments above the Quarter.
Do We Need Help In Addition To Funds?
We need all the help we can get! If you live in the LA area or can get there for a weekday or weekend, swing on by to join us for some painting or carpentry or welding or decorating or recipe testing!

Pictured above, our texture team painting shutters for French doors.
FAQ
Have a question? If the info above doesn't help, you can ask the project creator directly.
272
Backers
$16,613
pledged of $5,000 goal
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Funding period
Jul 27, 2011 -
Aug 16, 2011
- 2 created · 19 backed
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- Website: arischindler.com
Pledge $10 or more
5 backers
You will be immortalized by having the name of your great colonial ancestor rendered on the plaque which displays the names of all the founders of the Black Rock French Quarter, commemorating the colonization of the Black Rock Desert by the French Queen River Company in 1718. You might not even know that you had a French ancestor who homesteaded on the playa in 1718, but rest assured, the name is listed right here in the charter of the original colony that I see before me.
Pledge $25 or more
147 backers
You get a lovely medallion in antiqued copper finish, trimmed in translucent enamel, bearing the tribal fleur-de-lis of the Black Rock French Quarter on the front, and our motto "Laissez les bons temps bruler!" (Let the good times burn!) on the back. After a day in the desert sun, or under the ubiquitous black light, your fleur-de-lis will glow with florescence. Your medallion can be picked up on playa, where everyone in the Quarter will recognize your contribution. And of course you will find your ancestor listed on the great plaque of founders, as described previously.
Estimated delivery: Aug 2011Pledge $60 or more
25 backers All gone!
*1* You get a parasol, suitable for a stroll in the French Quarter or a procession with the Jazz Funeral, crafted by the incomparable Anni of the Crescent City, in daylight white or jazz funeral black. *2* Along with your parasol, you get one of our unique copper medallions, described previously. *3* And of course you will find your ancestor listed on the great plaque of founders, as described previously.
Estimated delivery: Aug 2011Pledge $75 or more
15 backers Limited (15 of 30 left)
*1* You get fresh baked goods from the bakery, delivered to your camp by the invincible monks of the Black Rock Kwoon and Dojo. *2* In addition to your baked goods, you get one of our unique copper medallions, described previously. *3* And of course you will find your ancestor listed on the great plaque of founders, as described previously.
Pledge $75 or more
25 backers All gone!
*1* You get a silver ticket to the elegant Broken Angel Bathhouse, one of 50 such tickets in existence, that you may gift to whoever you choose. The ticket entitles the holder to a hot shower with special infused soaps provided by one of our lovely bath angels, as well as a lemon foot bath to preserve you against the drying effects of the playa. *2* In addition to your silver ticket, you get one of our unique copper medallions, described previously. *3* And of course you will find your ancestor listed on the great plaque of founders, as described previously.
Pledge $85 or more
1 backer
*1* You get a beautiful cookbook, featuring all the recipes from the Lonesome Gator Gumbo Cookery, including their gumbos and all the fixin's. The cookbook will be assembled from the combined knowledge and experience of everyone who brings their skills to the cookery this year, with lavish photos of each dish and its preparation. *2* Along with your recipe book, you get one of our unique copper medallions, described previously. *3* And of course you will find your ancestor listed on the great plaque of founders, as described previously.
Estimated delivery: Oct 2011Pledge $100 or more
6 backers
*1* You get a claim ticket for a lovely bottle of quality champagne chilling in our wine cellar. You can give the ticket to anyone you choose as a romantic gift, so they can recover the bottle and enjoy it at their leisure. *2* Along with your claim ticket, you get one of our unique copper medallions, described previously. *3* And of course you will find your ancestor listed on the great plaque of founders, as described previously.
Estimated delivery: Aug 2011Pledge $100 or more
10 backers All gone!
*1* You get two invitations to an authentic crawfish boil at the Lonesome Gator Gumbo Cookery, on Thursday night before the Circle of Regional Effigies burn. You and your guest will hunker down with the other diners, sharing shots of the Lonesome Gator's signature Crocodile Tears, as over 30 pounds of the delicious crustaceans are boiled with taters, corn, garlic, hot links, and other fixin's, and spilled across your table steamin' hot. *2* Along with the two crawfish boil invites, you get one of our unique copper medallions, described previously. *3* And of course you will find your ancestor listed on the great plaque of founders, as described previously.
Estimated delivery: Aug 2011Pledge $150 or more
25 backers All gone!
*1* You get two invitations to the legendary Sunset Supper Club, offering themed meals of seven to nine courses, served by attentive staff, paired with wine or cocktails, accompanied by live jazz or other performances, prepared and presented by a rotating team of guest chefs, which you use yourself or gift to whoever you choose. The supper club must be experienced to be believed, especially in this, its 6th year, when bread and other baked goods will be provided by the French Quarter bakery, cocktails by the bar, etc, etc, etc... *2* Along with the two supper club invites, you get one of our unique copper medallions, described previously. *3) And of course you will find your ancestor listed on the great plaque of founders, as described previously.
Estimated delivery: Aug 2011Pledge $150 or more
1 backer Limited (3 of 4 left)
*1* You get a dacquoise of surreal complexity, the most decadent cake ever created by God or Man, crafted by the head of the Black Rock Bakery. Your dacquoise is best enjoyed as a romantic surprise at the Baker's Table in the bakery, with a pairing from the Pierre Lafitte Ice Co. or the Black Rock Wine Cellar, but may be delivered to your camp by the monks of the Black Rock Kwoon, if you so choose. *2* Along with the cake of cakes, you get one of our unique copper medallions, described previously. *3* And of course you will find your ancestor listed on the great plaque of founders, as described previously.
Estimated delivery: Aug 2011Pledge $250 or more
6 backers All gone!
*1* You get an invitation to a candlelit dinner for two on one of the wrought iron balconies of the French Quarter, that you may use or gift as you choose. Each of these themed meals is seven to nine courses, served by the elite staff of the Sunset Supper Club, paired with wine or cocktails, prepared and presented by a rotating team of guest chefs. *2* Along with the invitations, you get *two* of our unique copper medallions, described previously. *3* And of course you will find your ancestor listed on the great plaque of founders, as described previously.
Estimated delivery: Aug 2011Pledge $500 or more
0 backers Limited (1 of 1 left)
*1* You get a gourmet dinner of many courses, in your home or other site of your choosing within an hour drive of Los Angeles, for up to 15 people, prepared by three-time Grilled Cheese Invitational champion and Gumbo Cookery leader Josh Prime, on some agreed date in October or later. *2* On the night of Mardi Gras, you and your guest will be invited to the Founders' Party and Absinthe Tasting, in one of the apartments above the French Quarter. *3* You get one of our medallions in an antiqued silver finish, and another in antiqued copper finish, identifying you as a contributor of angelic proportion. *4* And of course you will find your ancestor listed on the great plaque of founders, with an account of their exploits in bringing civilization to the desert, as described previously. *5* Further, you will appear in the mural depicting the founders of the French Quarter, as described previously.
Estimated delivery: Oct 2011Pledge $500 or more
2 backers Limited (1 of 3 left)
*1* You get a golden ticket to the Broken Angel Bathhouse, one of ten such tickets in existence, to gift to whoever you choose. The ticket can be redeemed for an honest-to-god bath in an honest-to-god clawfoot cast iron tub, amid elegantly appointed surroundings. One of our lovely bath angels will prepare the bath with a choice of flower petals, scented oils, bubbles, and bath salts. as well as delivering a clean fluffy white towel to dry off with. Special incense from the Botanica Bodhi Manman nan Bejeezus and various refreshments from the Black Rock Bakery, Lonesome Gator Gumbo Cookery, and other camps in the village will accompany the bath. *2* You get a silver ticket, good for a hot shower and lemon footbath at the Bathhouse, as described previously. *3* On the night of Mardi Gras, you and your guest will be invited to the Founders' Party and Absinthe Tasting, in one of the apartments above the French Quarter. *4* Along with the golden ticket, you get one of our medallions in an antiqued silver finish, and another in antiqued copper finish, identifying you as a contributor of angelic proportion. *5* And of course you will find your ancestor listed on the great plaque of founders, with an account of their exploits in bringing civilization to the desert, as described previously. *6* Further, you will appear in the mural depicting the founders of the French Quarter, as described previously.
Estimated delivery: Aug 2011Pledge $1,000 or more
0 backers Limited (3 of 3 left)
*1* You and a guest can spend a day and evening in one of the apartments on the second floor of the French Quarter buildings - perhaps it will be the Royal Suite, the Vampire Den, the Peacock Room, the Lafitte Suite, the Opium Den, or the Mardi Gras Room? Each of these apartments is a spacious 200 square feet, with an attached 50 square foot wrought iron balcony overlooking 7:30 and Esplanade - not only is your balcony a great spot from which to enjoy the sunrise, spend a lazy afternoon watching the street scene, and experience Mardi Gras on Tuesday, but you can invite our jazz musicians and burlesque dancers to perform there as is the local tradition. *2* Each morning, one of our sassy maids or befuddled butlers will deliver the daily newspaper, fresh roasted coffee from the Cafe de la Fin du Monde, the morning offering from the Black Rock Bakery, and a champagne cocktail from the Pierre Lafitte Ice Co. Every evening, another member of our quirky staff will deliver a cup of gumbo from the Lonesome Gator Gumbo Cookery, and a glass of wine from the Black Rock Wine Cellar. *3* During your stay in the apartment, you will have access to the hot showers of the Broken Angel Bathhouse. *4* On the night of Mardi Gras, you and your guest will be invited to the Founders' Party and Absinthe Tasting, in one of the other suites. *5* Along with your day and night in the apartment, you get one of our medallions in an antiqued silver finish and another in antiqued copper, identifying you as a contributor of angelic proportion. *6* And of course you will find your ancestor listed on the great plaque of founders, as described previously, EXCEPT that your ancestor will be listed as one of the famous or infamous visitors to the early colony. *7* Further, you will appear in the mural depicting the founders of the French Quarter, as described previously.
Pledge $3,000 or more
0 backers Limited (1 of 1 left)
*1* You and a guest can live in one of the apartments on the second floor of the French Quarter buildings, for the entire week of Burning Man. The apartments are the Royal Suite, the Vampire Den, the Peacock Room, the Lafitte Suite, the Opium Den, and the Mardi Gras Room. Each of these apartments is a spacious 200 square feet, with an attached 50 square foot wrought iron balcony overlooking 7:30 and Esplanade - not only is your balcony a great spot from which to enjoy the sunrise, spend a lazy afternoon watching the street scene, and experience Mardi Gras on Tuesday, but you can invite our jazz musicians and burlesque dancers to perform there as is the local tradition. *2* Each morning, one of our sassy maids or befuddled butlers will deliver the daily newspaper, fresh roasted coffee from the Cafe de la Fin du Monde, the morning offering from the Black Rock Bakery, and a champagne cocktail from the Pierre Lafitte Ice Co. Every evening, another member of our quirky staff will deliver a cup of gumbo from the Lonesome Gator Gumbo Cookery, and a glass of wine from the Black Rock Wine Cellar. *3* And in between the morning and evening service, you will have access to the hot showers of the Broken Angel Bathhouse. *4* Along with the key to the apartment, you get one of our medallions in an antiqued silver finish and another in antiqued copper, identifying you as a contributor of angelic proportion. *5* On the night of Mardi Gras, you and your guest will be invited to the Founders' Party and Absinthe Tasting. *6* And of course you will find your ancestor listed on the great plaque of founders, as described previously, EXCEPT that your ancestor will be listed as one of the leaders of the expedition, and one of the builders of the very building you inhabit. *7* Further, you will appear in the mural depicting the founders of the French Quarter, as described previously.