“In June, New Orleanians driving along Interstate 10 rubbernecked in disbelief as demolition crews tore down the 142-year-old McDonogh No. 11 school building. The structure had sat vacant after being relocated to the site a decade ago. “How could this happen?” many wondered, while watching construction equipment send splintered historic building fragments crashing to the ground.
Following a post-Hurricane Katrina renovation and then three separate building relocations during the demolition of the Lower Mid-City neighborhood to make way for a new hospital complex, McDonogh No. 11 became blighted after LSU assumed control of the property and did not preserve the site.
Although the preservation battle for McDonogh No. 11 was lost, there’s still a bright future ahead for several other historic school buildings as renovations are restoring the structures to their former glory. Some have been renewed as schools, while others have been creatively reused for different purposes.”
Continue reading on prcno.org for a closer look at several historic school buildings that have been given a new lease on life. See Young Audiences Charter School specifically, which was designed by Sizeler Thompson Brown Architects and built by Landis Construction.
