New Orleans Institute

The vacant lot collection 

It’s in my hood. It’s been unused since the early Nineties. There’s a big project coming that will save most of the church. The trade-off is that we had to accept enough condos so that they could afford to save the church walls and bell tower. the above comment was left on another blog in August of 2006 They took great pains in deconstructing the Church. But it looks like that is as far as they got in the plans. The photos of the deconstruction were taken a year and a half ago. With the economy tanking there is no… (continued)

What get’s squandered. 

In 1988 I moved to a small village in Mexico. The church which is located in the main square defines the town itself. It is a compass and a gathering spot and it is also the manifestation of a dream some say. The original was been built in 1683 and completed by Zeferino Gutierrez in 1880 inspired by postcards from Europe. My husbands family had moved there in 1968 when there were 6 thousand people. By the time I met him and moved there the population was at about 25 thousand. It was still a small and very personal space.… (continued)

Lower Mid City has one minute to speak 

Last Friday I went the Budget presentation that was scheduled for 9:30. The Chambers were about 3/4 filled with people there to hear the budget presentation for ORDA At around noon Councilwoman Clarkson left to attend a luncheon which begs the question who schedules these things and did they not look at a calendar to see if there may be a conflict? The small crowd began to dwindle as people scurried to fill parking meters, call work and figure out if they had time to stay and speak. By 1 people were exchanging cell phone numbers and asking those who… (continued)

Your one minute is up..tommorows news today.. 

VA Chooses Site for New Medical Center VA Deputy Secretary to Join Local, State and Federal Officials for Announcement What: VA Deputy Secretary Gordon Mansfield will join New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin and other state, local and federal officials to announce the site of the future New Orleans VA Medical Center. Who: Deputy Secretary of Veterans Affairs Gordon Mansfield The Honorable C. Ray Nagin, Mayor of New Orleans Louisiana State University President Dr. John V. Lombardi Louisiana Hurricane Recovery Coordinator Paul Rainwater Jim Stark, FEMA Gulf Coast Recovery Office When: Tuesday, November 25, at 11:30 a.m. Where: City Hall (2nd… (continued)

Po Boy Festival 

While I am out shooting photographs for the next agenda. My husband is getting ready for the Po Boy Fest He designed the poster Come visit him in his studio I may be there too.No Tags (continued)

One saved.. 

This property in Central City was on the last NCDC demolition agenda. a day later I received this announcement Unified Indian Practice featuring The Pinettes (All Female) Brass Band to kick things off. Come out, help us to preserve our culture. Come have some fun with TAMBOURINES AND DRUMS Pinettes start at 6:30pm sharp Indians start immediately after The Pinettes Feel free to bring a cow bell, tambourine, drum or sing along and join in on the fun! YIA Cafe’ 2401 Danneel St (corner of First & Danneel) I was glad to see that someone came and argued this house… (continued)

N.O. council adopts demolition ordinance 

NEW ORLEANS – The New Orleans City Council this morning adopted an ordinance requiring an independent structural engineer to inspect buildings slated for demolition in the city’s historic core. (continued)

Real Time Crime 

The Gambit Weekly takes at look at the potential citizen-driven crime mapping initiatives have to make us safer — and the NOPD’s failure to commit the resources necessary to make it happen. It’s 8 p.m. on a Friday night. You’ve been spending a few happy hours at a bar in the French Quarter. It’s a cool, crisp fall evening, your apartment is only six blocks away, and you decide to walk. As you make your way to the exit, a friend grabs your arm with one hand while studying a crime map on his iPhone. In the past week, there… (continued)

…not with a bang but a whimper 

This is the way the world ends This is the way the world ends This is the way the world ends Not with a bang but a whimper. here Last week when the I received the agenda for the November 17th meeting I didn’t have a lot of time to take the photos. So it was late in the game before I realized this building was on the agenda. Who was Samuel Green and where were the people who cared about this building, this monument? Would anyone show up at the hearing? Would we have another Gilbert Hall , one… (continued)

50 Visionaries Who Are Changing Your World 

Growing the Grass Roots The mendacious politician who belittles the role of community organizers should hoof it to People’s Grocery in West Oakland, California, where Brahm Ahmadi leads the crusade for food justice. (continued)

NCDC Agenda November 17 2008 

Because of the budget hearings the meeting location has been moved. 2:00 p.m. Safety & Permits Conference Room City Hall 1300 Perdido Street, Room 7E07 This property is on the agenda as a voluntary demolition Looking forward to the reasoning. To see the rest of the agenda…. AGENDANo Tags (continued)

Emeril unveils culinary teaching center in New Orleans 

NEW ORLEANS — Chef Emeril Lagasse today appeared at St. Michael Special School to unveil the new culinary teaching center that bears his name. (continued)

Hollygrove market, farm sprout in 'food desert' 

NEW ORLEANS – A new breed of market is coming to New Orleans. After months of tilling soil and tapping funding sources, an unlikely group of barn hands today unveiled the city’s first community-run market and farm on the site of the former Guillot’s Nursery at 8301 Olive St. in Carrollton. The Hollygrove Market & Farm will sell fresh produce six days a week and on the three-quarter-mile spread that surrounds the store, train budding urban farmers to grow. (continued)

Industrial Canal lock plans are unfair, critics say 

The Army Corps of Engineers’ latest plan to build a new Industrial Canal lock drew sharp criticism Wednesday night from activists who say the controversial project unfairly puts shipping interests above the environmental health of neighborhoods along the waterway. Pam Dashiell, chairwoman of the Holy Cross Neighborhood Association, said the new lock would usher in “gangs of barges and deep-draft ships to a community that is struggling.” “Are you trying to kill us again?” Dashiell said, referring to the breached floodwalls that allowed Katrina’s floodwaters to inundate neighborhoods abutting the Industrial Canal. (continued)

N.O.'s Beacon of Hope brightens ravaged Texas town 

When David Breaux returned to his home in Bridge City, Texas, three days after Hurricane Ike, this is what he saw: An empty, ruined coastal town of 8,500 still soaked from a 14-foot storm surge that swirled through every building — its every street and rooftop thatched with loose marsh grass driven inland from the wetlands just beyond the town. (continued)