In the glow of a fire and the rhythmic ringing of hammer on iron New Orleans blacksmith Darryl Reeves carries on a centuries-old craft that defines the city’s balconies, gates, and fences. From his Seventh Ward workshop, Reeves has become one of the few remaining masters preserving a tradition that blends artistry, history and cultural identity.
Reeves traces his fascination with metalwork back to his grandfather’s shop on a plantation in Donaldsonville, Louisiana. “We’d pass through and just watch these guys beat on this metal with the sparks and all,” he recalled. “I think that had a lot of influence with me enjoying the work with metal.”
legacy of a new orlens blacksmith
After high school, Reeves took a welding job at Avondale Shipyards, but his career shifted when he began repairing ironwork for homeowners in the French Quarter. What started as a side job quickly grew into a livelihood. “She told me how much she’d pay for a strap hinge,” Reeves said with a laugh. “That’s what lit the bug. It was economics. That’s how I got started.”
By 1990, Reeves had his own business, Andrews Welding and Blacksmith Shop. He apprenticed with other blacksmiths, and eventually built his own foundry to reproduce historic designs. One of his proudest projects was recreating the iron fence for the Cabildo in Jackson Square, following architectural plans from the 1790s. He’s always fascinated by what he sees in the city’s centuries-old ironwork. “That’s learning from the past,” Reeves said. “That’s having a conversation with the person who actually fabricated it.”
symbols and apprenticeship
The ironwork of New Orleans is rich in symbolism. Reeves points out that many patterns come from West African dinka symbols that carry cultural meaning. “Everybody looks at ’em as pretty designs,” he explained. “But it’s all through the city. That’s in my blood.”
Reeves also sees his shop as a place to pass down knowledge. His apprentice, Karina Roca, moved from Boston to New Orleans after watching a PBS documentary on Reeves. “I’ve always secretly wanted to be an ironworker,” she said. Now a graduate student in historic preservation at Tulane, Roca describes the city’s ironwork as “a beautiful symbol of alchemy, of craftsmanship, of structural integrity… it keeps this aesthetic of New Orleans alive.”
For Reeves, the satisfaction comes from both creation and continuity. “That’s my love,” he said. “That’s what gives me joy. And how many people get to beat on metal – especially if you’re frustrated?” In every strike of his hammer, Reeves ensures that the story of New Orleans’s wrought iron is not just remembered but lived, one handcrafted piece at a time.
New orleans blacksmith featured on tv
RECOGNATION – LA TRUST FOR HISTORIC PRESERVATION
Darryl Reeves was recently given the “Living Trades Award” by the Louisiana Trust for Historic Preservation. The award is given to individuals who continue to use a traditional technique or method in construction, considered both artistic in nature and rare in today’s construction practices. Those skills are used to achieve authenticity in the preservation, restoration or construction of historic resources in Louisiana.
Darryl Reeves shop, Andrews Welding and Blacksmith Shop, is located at 1873 Agriculture Street in New Orleans, LA. CLICK HERE for the shop’s Facebook page. Phone: (504) 944-5941
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