University of New Orleans ScholarWorks@UNO University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations Dissertations and Theses 12-19-2003 The Accidental Place: Louis Armstrong Park Out of Place on the North Side Yvonne Estrade University of New Orleans Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.uno.edu/td Recommended Citation Estrade, Yvonne, "The Accidental Place: Louis Armstrong Park Out of Place on the North Side" (2003). University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations. 49. https://scholarworks.uno.edu/td/49 This Thesis is protected by copyright and/or related rights. It has been brought to you by ScholarWorks@UNO with permission from the rights-holder(s). You are free to use this Thesis in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights- holder(s) directly, unless additional rights are indicated by a Creative Commons license in the record and/or on the work itself. This Thesis has been accepted for inclusion in University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks@UNO. For more information, please contact [email protected]. THE ACCIDENTAL PLACE LOUIS ARMSTRONG PARK OUT OF PLACE ON THE NORTH SIDE Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the University of New Orleans in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in The Urban Studies Program by Yvonne Ragas Estrade B.S.G.S., University of New Orleans, 2000 December 2003 ACKNOWLEDGMENT There are many individuals at the University of New Orleans that I wish to thank for their encouragement in the completion of both my undergraduate and graduate degrees. This includes all faculty and staff of the General Studies degree program and the College of Urban and Public Affairs for their guidance and counseling. This was especially important to me after a long break from the world of academia. Most importantly I would like to thank Dr. Ralph Thayer, chairman of my thesis committee, for his dedication to students, his wonderfully interesting classes, his review and editing of my thesis, and his sense of humor. In addition to my committee members, Dr. Kenneth Lacho and Dr. Wayne Babovich, I wish to thank those individuals who granted me interviews. I lovingly thank my husband Stuart (UNO ’69), and my three sons, Matthew (Auburn University ’00), Brett (Auburn University ’00), and Grant (UNO ’04), for their continued support and encouragement that helped me get through it all; and finally to my good friend Diane Dempsey for struggling through classes with me and having lots of fun in the process. ii TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Figures ......................................................................................................................v Abstract ...............................................................................................................................vi Introduction..........................................................................................................................1 Understanding Through History..........................................................................................3 Congo Square...........................................................................................................5 Louisiana Purchase ..................................................................................................7 Faubourg Treme .....................................................................................................11 History of Jazz .......................................................................................................13 Louis Armstrong....................................................................................................16 Twentieth Century New Orleans and Urban Renewal in Treme .......................................21 The Cultural Center Complex—History of the Project .........................................23 The Beginning of the End ......................................................................................24 Construction Begins...............................................................................................31 Louis Armstrong Park is Planned ......................................................................................37 National Park Service Becomes Involved..............................................................47 The Jazz Connection: Louis Armstrong Park and the Back o’Town/ South Side of Rampart ...........................................................................................58 Conclusions and Recommendations ..................................................................................65 iii Works Consulted................................................................................................................69 Appendix A........................................................................................................................73 Appendix B........................................................................................................................74 Vita.....................................................................................................................................83 iv LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1 ................................................................................................................................1 Figure 2 ................................................................................................................................8 Figure 3 ................................................................................................................................9 Figure 4 ..............................................................................................................................10 Figure 5 ..............................................................................................................................10 Figure 6 ..............................................................................................................................18 Figure 7 ..............................................................................................................................20 Figure 8 ..............................................................................................................................22 Figure 9 ..............................................................................................................................29 Figure 10 ............................................................................................................................32 Figure 11 ............................................................................................................................36 Figure 12 ............................................................................................................................39 Figure 13 ............................................................................................................................40 Figure 14 ............................................................................................................................41 Figure 15 ............................................................................................................................44 Figure 16 ............................................................................................................................52 Figure 17 ............................................................................................................................53 Figure 18 ............................................................................................................................53 Figure 19 ............................................................................................................................55 v Figure 20 ............................................................................................................................58 Figure 21 ............................................................................................................................61 Figure 22 ............................................................................................................................61 Figure 23 ............................................................................................................................73 Figure 24 ............................................................................................................................74 Figure 25 ............................................................................................................................75 Figure 26 ............................................................................................................................76 Figure 27 ............................................................................................................................77 Figure 28 ............................................................................................................................78 Figure 29 ............................................................................................................................79 Figure 30 ............................................................................................................................80 Figure 31 ............................................................................................................................81 Figure 32