The Daily Reveille | April 3, 2014 | Volume 118 | Issue 121
Fifty years ago, President Lyndon B. Johnson addressed Congress and called for a
war on poverty. That same year, ongoing construction brought Interstate-10 through the heart of
Old South Baton Rouge, the area surrounding the University’s North Gate. Today, that neighborhood is dominated by poverty and crime, with the interstate blamed for its decline. The Daily Reveille takes a look at Old South Baton Rouge today and assesses the progress we have made in our community since 1964.
from “Old South Baton Rouge: The Roots of Hope” (UL Press, 2009)
This map from 1960 shows planned construction of Interstate-10 through Old South Baton Rouge. The interstate’s opening split Old South Baton Rouge in half, causing property values to decline and demolishing 400 homes.
Poverty lives in LSU’s culturally and historically rich neighbor
North Gate developments show signs of gentrification
ANDREA GALLO · Senior Reporter
FERNANDA ZAMUDIO-SUAREZ · Senior Reporter
U
ntil 1999, a barbed wire fence divided the University from the impoverished and primarily black community of Old South Baton Rouge. The neighborhood, known as “the Bottom,” encompasses about three square miles between the University and downtown Baton Rouge. It has been blighted by poverty, failing businesses and crime since the 1960s. The Interstate 10 corridor was built through the heart of Old South Baton Rouge in the 1960s, and the neighborhood never recovered. Dilapidated shotgun houses, empty
lots and run-down convenience stores now sit a stone’s throw from the University’s North Gate. Before desegregation and the development of the interstate, Old South Baton Rouge was a bustling, multi-ethnic next-door-neighbor that LSU ignored. It was home to the nation’s first bus boycott and the beginning of the civil rights movement. The community was also an entertainment hub: blues musician Tabby Thomas was born there, and other famous OLD SOUTH, see page 6
T
he North Gate area has seen countless changes in recent years. The area near South Baton Rouge — known as a lowincome neighborhood — is where the city first began, and it is now switching gears, looking to cash in on students with money. In December, houses on Alaska Street were torn down to make room for a luxury high-rise apartment complex, a trend that reflects changes in the area. The north part of campus is closest to north Baton Rouge — the oldest and poorest part of the Capital City.
Read about a Baton Rouge resident’s experience with poverty on page 3. Baton Rouge realtor David Engle sells homes in the North Gate area of campus. He said Baton Rouge started in the north, along the water, and as the city grew it expanded toward the southeast, explaining why Old South Baton GENTRIFICATION, see page 6
photos by TAYLOR BALKOM / The Daily Reveille
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