THE NEW ORLEANS CULTURAL CENTER

Collaboration with Sophia Chen

The project aims to give the neighborhood back to the people after the destruction from the I-10 interstate. The site is located around Claiborne Avenue, which is one of the oldest Black main street in America. The construction of the I-10 torned out 200 ancient oak trees and azalea bushes, more than 500 homes and businesses were closed down. Claiborne Avenue used to be where the neighbors would gather and feed on each other. After businesses scattered and people moved out, jazz funerals (the Second Line) and street music started reclaiming the area that the people lost. The New Orleans Cultural Center attempts to inject life into the neighborhood by including festivals and the second line progressions into our center.

The procession of the Second Line runs through extensive programs including an archive library, a jazz cafe, an amphitheater, resturants and an auditorium at the heart of the building. The amphitheater reactivates the cultural heritage of Creole people dancing and playing music in a circle within Congo Square. The sunken platform invites street vendors and musicians to introduce local food, while the indoor bars and cafes provide an audience for the dance floor. Acting as an extension of the Lafitte Greenway, the cultural center peels from the ground to form a habitable green roof for leisure walking and biking.

Developmental Sketches