Move City Hall to Congo Square? Proposal drawing mixed notes
By Harrison Golden
WDSU 6 News
May 23, 2021
In a city ripe with the unexpected, drumbeats in New Orleans' Congo Square have long been sounds to expect. Its percussion sounded during slavery, as the site became one of few where slaves and free people of color could spend Sundays together. Its popularity has outlasted a civil war, world wars and segregation.
But longtime performers question how many more beats they'll be able to play at their landmark, as city leaders suggest turning the Municipal Auditorium inside Congo Square into a new City Hall.
"Congo Square is sacred ground," said percussionist Luther Gray, who co-founded the Congo Square Preservation Society in 1989. "Developers want to replace a building that has so much history with something that nobody can even go inside of, unless you go in there to pay your taxes."
"You can definitely feel the history of what happened here every time you walk through this plaza," said Eric Gabourel, a tour guide who takes visitors through the square often. "I'm not sure if having a City Hall is the best fit for this property."
City spokesman Beau Tidwell defends the proposed relocation of City Hall, noting the Municipal Auditorium has sat vacant since Hurricane Katrina in 2005. The city has outlined a few concepts, including parking garages and new buildings multiple stories high.
"We see it as an investment in the neighborhood," Tidwell said at a recent news conference.
Tidwell maintains that the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, gave the city $38 million for such infrastructure projects. If government leaders don't spend that money soon, they risk losing the money.
"It would be a tremendous mistake, to have that level of federal funding, to just walk away from it," he said. "That's a concern for us."
Tidwell insists much of Congo Square would stay a public gathering place, and he suggests Mayor LaToya Cantrell remains open to a public comment period on any City Hall relocation plan.
"That's something the mayor wants to have happen," he said. "She wants to have more of that. She wants to hear from people."
Gray is not convinced the city will hear public comments, though he hopes Cantrell's office proves him wrong.
"I see a bright future for this city if we can come together as a community and make it equitable and use the creativity that we have," Gray said. "You have to include communities in the things you plan."
A Change.org petition against the City of New Orleans' proposed move to Congo Square has collected more than 8,000 signatures, as of Saturday night.
(This story first appeared on WDSU. Click here for the original post.)
By Harrison Golden
WDSU 6 News
May 23, 2021
In a city ripe with the unexpected, drumbeats in New Orleans' Congo Square have long been sounds to expect. Its percussion sounded during slavery, as the site became one of few where slaves and free people of color could spend Sundays together. Its popularity has outlasted a civil war, world wars and segregation.
But longtime performers question how many more beats they'll be able to play at their landmark, as city leaders suggest turning the Municipal Auditorium inside Congo Square into a new City Hall.
"Congo Square is sacred ground," said percussionist Luther Gray, who co-founded the Congo Square Preservation Society in 1989. "Developers want to replace a building that has so much history with something that nobody can even go inside of, unless you go in there to pay your taxes."
"You can definitely feel the history of what happened here every time you walk through this plaza," said Eric Gabourel, a tour guide who takes visitors through the square often. "I'm not sure if having a City Hall is the best fit for this property."
City spokesman Beau Tidwell defends the proposed relocation of City Hall, noting the Municipal Auditorium has sat vacant since Hurricane Katrina in 2005. The city has outlined a few concepts, including parking garages and new buildings multiple stories high.
"We see it as an investment in the neighborhood," Tidwell said at a recent news conference.
Tidwell maintains that the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, gave the city $38 million for such infrastructure projects. If government leaders don't spend that money soon, they risk losing the money.
"It would be a tremendous mistake, to have that level of federal funding, to just walk away from it," he said. "That's a concern for us."
Tidwell insists much of Congo Square would stay a public gathering place, and he suggests Mayor LaToya Cantrell remains open to a public comment period on any City Hall relocation plan.
"That's something the mayor wants to have happen," he said. "She wants to have more of that. She wants to hear from people."
Gray is not convinced the city will hear public comments, though he hopes Cantrell's office proves him wrong.
"I see a bright future for this city if we can come together as a community and make it equitable and use the creativity that we have," Gray said. "You have to include communities in the things you plan."
A Change.org petition against the City of New Orleans' proposed move to Congo Square has collected more than 8,000 signatures, as of Saturday night.
(This story first appeared on WDSU. Click here for the original post.)