Originally a downtown Gretna parking lot, in the early 1990s The Marketplace pavilion was constructed under the direction of Mayor Ronnie C. Harris. In 2005 after Hurricane Katrina, when food was in short supply, then Councilperson Belinda C. Constant initiated the Gretna Farmers’ Market to satisfy residents’ needs.

Located on the south side is the Southern Pacific Freight Depot that was built in 1906 in a unique style not typically found in Louisiana. The freight depot went full circle! It was constructed at its present site, but had been physically relocated. It was threatened to be torn down in the early 1980s, when Mayor Ronnie C. Harris, a preservationist, made arrangements for the old depot to be moved back to its original location. Behind the depot is a retired red caboose.

On the north side is the Texas-Pacific Depot, built c. 1902. Flanked by a widely overhanging roof, supported by sturdy decorative iron brackets and large brick piers, the small brick structure is an excellent example of a turn-of-the-century railroad station. A portion of the depot is now a satellite post office where a W.P.A. art program mural is on display.