47 replies to this topic

[djp4lsu]

tombarnes, on Apr 7 2008, 08:11 PM, said:

The New Orleans City Hall complex is a group of buildings that only an architecture professor enamored of the Bauhaus could love.  I'm usually one to advocate retaining buildings of this vintage as a reminder that not all of them were good.  These sad lumps of concrete and aqua tile, however, do no credit to New Orleans and their disappearance would not be mourned in many quarters.

You're right about that! I go to the courthouse a couple times a week, and it's am embarassment to the city. It's crowded, ugly, moldy, and poorly-maintained. I don't go to City Hall as much, but I don't think it's any better. Maybe they are nice examples of international style architecture, but I hate international style architecture. The state is getting ready to tear down it's share of office buildings around Duncan Plaza, and I'd love for the city to follow suit.

What I'd like to see the city do is build a landmark-looking city hall, more along the lines of San Francisco's or Philadelphia's city halls. I think it would make a strong statement about New Orleans. I doubt it'll happen though.

[Jim856796]

Then the solution in this: a newly built City hall for New Orleans. I;m not sure where I would put it since there is limited space in the New Orleans Downtown area.

[djp4lsu]

Jim856796, on Apr 8 2008, 12:12 AM, said:

Then the solution in this: a newly built City hall for New Orleans. I;m not sure where I would put it since there is limited space in the New Orleans Downtown area.

I think a good place would be where the Iberville housing is now. It would be nice to build a park around the St. Louis cemetary which would showcase the history of New Orleans, and a new city hall, courthouse, and whatever else they need for the government. It would be on the edge of both the French Quarter and CBD, right in the heart of the city, and the city government would be reconnected with the Quarter to some degree, which is where it started. There would likely be some indirect benefits to the surrounding areas as well.

Just a pipe dream though. Probably too controversial to actually happen.

[Jim856796]

^ Any other options that that? I don't want to end up refurbishing City Hall because I donot want it to get a renovation. New Orleans is going to end to end up without a city hall if we don't find a good site soon.

[blackcoat]

I agree wholeheartedly with Tom Barnes: outside of a few academic architectural circles, the structure will not be missed.  That being said, the proposal to move into Dominion Tower died some time ago, and will doubtfully be revived.  The current building doesn't seem to be going anywhere in the immediate future, the city doesn't have the money to build a new City Hall building, and the state + federal governments aren't about to pay a dime for it.

djp4lsu, I really like that idea.  I think that the Iberville area would be an excellent location for new government facilities, and finding a good location for the mixed-income housing that will replace Iberville might alleviate some of the controversy.  You're right that it probably won't happen, but I think that it might not happen for a variety of reasons other than controversy.  Still a great idea.

For anyone who is interested, Wikipedia has a great collection of pictures of city hall buildings from around the world.

[Jim856796]

The Municipal Auditorium has been shuttered since Hurricane Katrina and future usage of the arena is uncertain. The auditorium is falling into disrepair and if the Auditorium was torn down, the site may be open for a new City Hall to be built.

[JPKneworleans]

Jim856796, on 27 December 2009 - 07:56 PM, said:

The Municipal Auditorium has been shuttered since Hurricane Katrina and future usage of the arena is uncertain. The auditorium is falling into disrepair and if the Auditorium was torn down, the site may be open for a new City Hall to be built.

What's the real point of Municipal Auditorium?  Prior to the storm, the only activity that occurred there were Carnival balls.  The building is beautiful and needs to be put to use, but do we need an auditorium that has two theaters?  

It should be put to use in connection with the movie industry.  However, let's wait until Nagin leaves office before anything happens.  

AS FOR THE JAZZ PARK, it's a huge shame that this did not happen.  A jazz museum built by a Pritzker Prize winning architect would have been incredible downtown.

[Antrell Williams]

Did the Armstrong Park replace this one?