DeGaulle Manor

Last updated
Charles DeGaulle Manor Apartments
Degaullemanorapt.png
Photograph of buildings viewed from Murl Street
DeGaulle Manor
General information
Location3010 Sandra Drive, New Orleans, LA 70114
Coordinates 29°55′46″N90°01′30″W / 29.9295°N 90.0251°W / 29.9295; -90.0251
StatusVacated 2005 (partly reopened 2007) (closed 2012)
Construction
Constructed1963–1964
Demolished(partly razed in 1996) 2024 ongoing [1]
Other information
Governing
body		Louisiana Housing Corporation. HUD
Famous
residents		 Malik Rahim

DeGaulle Manor was a low-income public housing complex in the Algiers neighborhood of New Orleans. [2] The apartment complex was known for crime and was one of the oldest and most troubled apartment complexes in the city before being shut down in 2012. It later became a dumping ground for trash and in 2014, became a work of art as it was transformed into a graffiti display. [3] [4] [5]

Contents

History

The 450-unit apartment complex opened in 1964, with 12 5-6 story mid-rise buildings originally known as "Bridge Plaza." [6] Members from the Black Panther Party were among the first blacks to move into the apartments along with the New Orleans Saints players. Towards the early 1970’s most of the 200 apartments were being leased by the Federal Housing Administration and some were being administered and subsidized by the Red Cross. It later became a low-income PBV assisted property by the Louisiana Housing Corporation (LHC), through U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). [7] [8] Between 1970 and the present, no owner kept the property for more than seven years; and each time that it changed hands, the new owners made little effort to rectify the many problems that arose under the supervision of the previous owners. [9] By the mid-1980s only 364 units remained occupied as the rest were abandoned with squatters who would normally burglarize the apartments. [10] With bad management, the apartments fell into terrible conditions with interior walls damaged from water leaks of rusted pipes and broken elevators. Large rats and cockroach infestations were commonplace as well as rotting garbage stacked up in clogged trash in the dumpsters. The balcony railings were rusted along with the security gates which did not close. The broken gates made the complex easily accessible for drug dealers to openly distribute narcotics. In 1993, the complex became one of NOPD's Fourth District hotspots for drug activity and violence. [11] Robberies and killings occurred frequently to the point local taxi cab companies suspended cab services around the apartments for several months. [12] [13] [14] In 1996, HUD razed 39 abandoned townhouse units that were allegedly being used as heroin dens. That year it was renamed the Live Oaks. HUD granted approval to sale the complex due to poor living conditions and it was then placed on the market. In December 2000 Woody Koppel, Neal Morris and Mark Schreiner bought the complex for $5 million in hopes of transforming it but many apartments still failed HUD inspections. By then it became ground zero for heroin sales, prostitution and violence. Locals nicknamed the area "D-Block." [15] In 2005 after Hurricane Katrina struck, 135 out of 364 units were vandalized. One hundred families still lived in the apartments until they were evicted on Thanksgiving. [16] Johnson Properties Group purchased the complex and was able to renovate 160 units. [17] [18] In 2007, Common Ground Collective bought the property from Johnson Properties Group, renaming it the Crescent City Gates Apartments. Only a portion of the complex was opened at the time and was in poor condition with termites and rodents infesting the apartments. [19] North of Crescent City Gates were the Christopher Homes Development, another run-down housing complex torn down in 2013. [20]

in 2024 The City of New Orleans has announced the demolition for the complex which was on Mayor LaToya Cantrell blighted properties list known as “Dirty Dozen.” According to the city, “the ownership was found guilty of 15 violations, including deteriorating condition of sidewalks, driveways, exterior walls, porches, doors, windows and roof, as well as trash and debris, rodents and graffiti. [21]

Kevin Mosley death

On October 28, 1999, 13-year-old Kevin Joseph Mosley was visiting his aunt. Mosley climbed out of an open hole in the top of the cab of the elevator and got stuck and was crushed. Several hours later, a wall was removed to retrieve him from the elevator shaft. Mosley was pronounced dead in the early morning hours of October 29, 1999. Mosley's wrongful death was caused by the negligence of DeGaulle Manor under the theories of strict liability, gross negligence, total neglect and negligence. Carolyn Kitzman was the manager of the apartment complex at the time of Kevin Mosley's death. Carolyn Kitzman communicated with existing tenants and employed and supervised the groundskeeping crews which cleaned the interior of the elevator cars. [22] [23]

Police shootings

2005 double murder

On May 8, 2005, authorities discovered the decomposed bodies of two men, stuffed in the trunk of a car parked in the 2900 block of Vespasian Street. Officers arrived and found two men dead, both with gunshot wounds to the head. No arrests were made. [30]

ExhibitBe

In 2014, Brandan Odums and his graffiti crew transformed DeGaulle Manor into a graffiti art exhibit, painting murals of famous civil rights leaders and entertainers such as Tupac Shakur, Malcolm X, Martin Luther King Jr. and Muhammad Ali. [31] The murals located on 3010 Sandra Drive attracted 3,000 people when Odums opened it as ExhibitBe on 15 November 2014. [32] It was described as "the largest single-site street art exhibit in the American South." ExhibitBe closed in January 2015 with a concert including musicians David Banner, Erykah Badu, Dead Prez, Dee-1 and a performance by the Edna Karr High School Marching Band. [33]

Film

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Algiers, New Orleans</span> 15th Ward of New Orleans

Algiers is a historic neighborhood of New Orleans and is the only Orleans Parish community located on the West Bank of the Mississippi River. Algiers is known as the 15th Ward, one of the 17 Wards of New Orleans. It was once home to many jazz musicians and is also the second oldest neighborhood in the city.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harry Lee (sheriff)</span> American sheriff in Louisiana (1932–2007)

Harry Lee was an American law enforcement officer best known as the long-time sheriff of Jefferson Parish, Louisiana. He was first elected in 1979 as the thirtieth sheriff, and was re-elected six times, having served twenty-eight years and six months.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Six Flags New Orleans</span> Abandoned theme park in New Orleans

Six Flags New Orleans is an abandoned theme park located near the intersection of Interstate 10 and Interstate 510 in New Orleans. It first opened as Jazzland in 2000, and a leasing agreement was established with Six Flags in 2002 following the previous operator's bankruptcy proceedings. Six Flags invested $20 million in upgrades, and the park reopened as Six Flags New Orleans in 2003. Following substantial damage caused by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the park was closed to the public to make efforts to repair and reopen it. However, in 2006, Six Flags declared the property a total loss, and the park was permanently closed. The lease was terminated in 2009 during Six Flags' bankruptcy proceedings.

Edward Francis Jemison, Jr. is an American film and television actor. He is known for his roles as Livingston Dell in the Ocean's film trilogy and Mickey Duka in The Punisher, as well as the television series Hung, iZombie and Chicago Med.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Magnolia Projects</span> United States historic place

The Magnolia Projects, later the C. J. Peete Public Housing Development, was one of the Housing Projects of New Orleans. The area has been more recently renamed Harmony Oaks as part of a complete HOPE VI redevelopment of the property. As a housing project, it was among the largest, housing approximately 2,100 people. It is also home to numerous hip-hop artists and is located in the part of uptown New Orleans known as Central City within the 11th Ward of New Orleans. It was bounded by Louisiana Avenue, South Claiborne Avenue, La Salle Street and Washington Avenue. The Magnolia Projects was made famous by rappers such as Juvenile, Soulja Slim, and Magnolia Shorty. At its height, the Magnolia projects had 1403 units.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Housing Authority of New Orleans</span> Housing authority in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States

The Housing Authority of New Orleans is a housing authority in New Orleans, Louisiana, tasked with providing housing to low-income residents.

Desire Projects was a housing project located in the Ninth Ward of New Orleans, Louisiana. These projects were the largest in the nation and consisted of about 262 two-story brick buildings, containing about 1,860 units across 98.5 acres of land. The overall conditions of the projects were deplorable from the moment they were put into place in the later part of the 1950s. The projects were meant to serve the large number of underprivileged African-American residents in the New Orleans area. Soon it became a place of despair, and Desire eventually evolved into a dark no-man's land, leaving many residents infested with problems and little or no help from the government. Located in a cypress swamp and dumping ground, Desire was known as the poorest housing development in New Orleans—it was bordered by railroad tracks, the Mississippi River, the Industrial Canal and a corridor of industrial plants.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Iberville Projects</span> New Orleans Neighborhood in Louisiana, United States

Iberville Projects was a neighborhood in the city of New Orleans and one of the low-income Housing Projects of New Orleans. The Iberville was the last of the New Deal-era public housing remaining in the city. Its boundaries were St. Louis Street, Basin Street, Iberville Street, and North Claiborne Avenue. It is located in the 6th ward of downtown New Orleans, on the former site of the Storyville district. The area has recently been redeveloped into a modernized apartment complex called the Bienville Basin Apartments.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fischer Projects</span> Former housing project in Algiers, New Orleans, Louisiana, United States

The William J. Fischer Housing Development, better known as the Fischer Projects, was a housing project in Algiers, New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. It was known notoriously for a series of high-profile murders in the 1970s and 1980s. It was the last conventional public housing development constructed in New Orleans, and one of the first to begin demolition. It originally consisted of a 13-floor high-rise and fourteen 3-floor units. The area has been undergoing redevelopment since about 2004 and currently none of the original low-rise buildings remain. The development is located along Whitney Avenue in the Algiers area of the city's west bank, which is part of the 15th Ward and is named for William J. Fischer who served as chairman of HANO in the 1950s. The property is now converted to a small low-income housing development.

Henry Glover was an African American resident of New Orleans, Louisiana, who was shot to death on September 2, 2005. Glover's charred body was later found in a destroyed Chevrolet Malibu parked on a Mississippi River levee near a police station.

The B. W. Cooper Public Housing Development, also known as The Calliope Projects, was a neighborhood of the city of New Orleans and one of the housing projects of New Orleans. This project of New Orleans gained notoriety for its extremely high violent crime rate. It was demolished in 2014 and replaced with newer, mixed-income apartment buildings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">L.B. Landry College and Career Preparatory High School</span> High school in New Orleans, Louisiana

L. B. Landry College and Career Preparatory High School is a charter high school on the west bank of Orleans Parish in Algiers, New Orleans, Louisiana.

Behrman also known as "Behrman Heights", is a community located in Algiers, New Orleans It was named after popular New Orleans mayor Martin Behrman, and is nestled south of the US Naval Support neighborhood and north of Tall Timbers/Brechtel, flanked on the west by Fischer Housing Development and Whitney, and on the east by Old Aurora.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">930 Poydras</span> Residential in Louisiana, United States

930 Poydras is a 21-story, 270.31-foot (82.4 m) residential skyscraper in New Orleans, Louisiana. Located on Poydras Street, the main thoroughfare in the city's Central Business District (CBD), it is the tallest building completed in the city in the 2010s and the first residential skyscraper completed in the city following Hurricane Katrina. Some sources affirm that the building was financed via Gulf Opportunity Zone financing that was enacted by the United States Congress to aid in the recovery from Katrina, while other sources state that alternative financing was used. The building's construction was the subject of a court battle regarding damage to surrounding buildings. Nonetheless, the building's design, which was scaled back from early plans, has won many awards.

The D-Block Boys, also known as DBG, was an African-American drug ring operating in Algiers, New Orleans, Louisiana. The gang has been involved in criminal activity including drug trafficking and murder. According to NOPD, The "D-Block Gang" has a history of violations, along with involvement in violent crimes. This gang is not to be confused with the Dumaine Street Gang operating out of the 6th Ward of New Orleans, which is also called D'Block.

Christopher Homes, also known as Christopher Park Homes was a scattered-site housing complex in the Algiers neighborhood, operated by HANO, with originally 250 townhouse style units which opened in 1971. It would be celebrated as the nation's first rent-to-own public housing. Since the complex first opened, disgusted homeowners have been driven away by Formosan termites and rotting wood left under the complex's flat roofs. Families also fled in the 1980s after a ceiling collapsed on a girl's head and a roof leak caused an electrical short that set a boy's bed on fire. Due to the poor living conditions, pests became a major problem for residents living in the Christopher Homes. There had been numerous reports about large rodents known as "Nutria Rats" roaming though the buildings and outside, but HANO refused to get the buildings fumigated.

The Metz Gang was a notorious drug ring founded by Glenn Metz and his brother Cordell "Jethro" Metz; Glenn Metz is currently serving life in prison. From 1985 to mid–1992, The Metz Gang distributed approximately 1,000 kilograms of cocaine in the New Orleans metropolitan area and, in furtherance of the conspiracy, committed murders, attempted murders, and other violent crimes. In 1993, Metz, his wife, and several of his henchmen were convicted and charged in a 22 count indictment with various charges arising from a narcotics conspiracy. In 2016, President Barack Obama commuted the life sentence of Danielle Metz, wife of Glenn Metz.

Joseph "Joe Joe" Rideau and Christopher "Chris" Rideau, were well known criminals from New Orleans, Louisiana. Authorities said the brothers terrorized the streets of New Orleans and built a reputation as brazen gangsters. For years the duo was implicated in a host of crimes, but they were rarely convicted because of reluctant witnesses and missing evidence that doomed cases. In 2001 the brother's crime sprees would come to an end after a violent standoff in which the elder brother Joseph was killed. The wild incident made national headlines in the media. Christopher was sentenced to 10 years in prison for his role in the incident and was released from prison in 2010 with time off for good behavior. In 2011, he was viciously gunned down in New Orleans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Water Street Redevelopment Area</span> Multi-decade redevelopment project

Water Street is a brownfield in Ypsilanti, Michigan which used to be a site of various industries and businesses. In 1999, under the leadership of Cheryl Farmer, the City of Ypsilanti officially embarked on a project to redevelop the area to improve the general image of Ypsilanti and increase its tax revenue. Unsuccessful negotiations with developers and contamination have prevented the project from progressing. The city's goal to develop higher density tax generating property stemmed from the passing of the Headlee Amendment and Proposition A which resulted in limitations on property tax increases. Businesses and residents displaced by the proposed development attribute the blight and low taxable value of the area to the city's failure to provide and maintain municipal services and infrastructure. Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) includes parcels at Water street in the list of over 24,000 contaminated sites in Michigan, of which only 3,000 have been remediated in the last three decades. The contamination of the site is similar to other brownfield sites linked to the Automotive industry. Ypsilanti is among other municipalities in the state of Michigan with brownfield sites that remain undeveloped.

References

  1. ↑ https://www.nola.com/news/politics/new-orleans-demolishes-degaulle-manor-in-algiers/article_f38b1e78-17be-11ef-ac2e-a32b8989b60c.html
  2. ↑ https://www.loc.gov/item/2021755759/
  3. ↑ HASSELLE, DELLA (19 November 2014). "One-day exhibit turns blight into art". theadvocate.com. Archived from the original on 12 August 2017. Retrieved 17 December 2017.
  4. ↑ Hanson, Blake (6 May 2014). "Several burned cars litter blighted Algiers complex". wdsu.com. Archived from the original on 12 August 2017. Retrieved 17 December 2017.
  5. ↑ Picayune, Allen Powell II, The Times (2 April 2011). "Mother of two found shot to death in Algiers apartment complex". NOLA.com.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  6. ↑ https://nola.newsbank.com/search?text=bridge+plaza+luxury+apartment+algiers&date_from=January+26%2C+1964&date_to=January+26%2C+1964&content_added=&pub%5B%5D=1223BCE5B718A166
  7. ↑ "Woodlands residents struggle with the affordable housing quagmire in New Orleans". Archived from the original on 2014-05-04.
  8. ↑ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2013-08-01. Retrieved 2017-08-30.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  9. ↑ "From de Gaulle Manor to the Woodlands – the History of the Site — Exhibit be". Archived from the original on 2015-09-26. Retrieved 2015-08-31.
  10. ↑ "Search the Times-Picayune Archive". nl.newsbank.com.
  11. ↑ "Drugs, shootings, Robberies Worry Tenants in Troubled Apartments by Leo Williams - Issuu". 11 December 1993.
  12. ↑ https://nola.newsbank.com/search?date_from=November%2029%2C%201993&date_to=November%2029%2C1993&text=2300%20Murl%20street%20shooting&content_added=&pub%5B0%5D=1223BCE5B718A166 [ bare URL ]
  13. ↑ https://nola.newsbank.com/search?text=Degaulle+manor+apartment+shooting+&pub%5B%5D=1223BCE5B718A166&date_from=May+3+1993&date_to=May+3+1993&content_added= [ bare URL ]
  14. ↑ Times-Picayune, Ramon Antonio Vargas, NOLA com | The (7 April 2010). "Cabbie picked up fare in Harvey before being murdered in Algiers". NOLA.com. Retrieved 2020-05-08.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  15. ↑ "D Block | Lykins Films".
  16. ↑ "Hundreds Face Eviction in New Orleans". democracynow.org. Archived from the original on 30 September 2017. Retrieved 17 December 2017.
  17. ↑ "Woodlands Apartments". Archived from the original on 2014-05-05.
  18. ↑ https://neworleanscitybusiness.com/blog/2006/11/28/woodlands-tenants-win-short-rentfree-grace-period/
  19. ↑ "Curtain Closes on Exhibit BE - NOLA DEFENDER". www.noladefender.com. Archived from the original on 12 August 2017. Retrieved 17 December 2017.
  20. ↑ "Officials witness demolition of Algiers public housing complex". Archived from the original on 2014-05-05.
  21. ↑ https://www.yahoo.com/news/city-orleans-demolishes-former-degaulle-204719683.html
  22. ↑ "Casetext". casetext.com. Archived from the original on 3 October 2017. Retrieved 17 December 2017.
  23. ↑ "New Orleans, LA Local News, Breaking News, Sports & Weather - NOLA.com". nl.newsbank.com.
  24. ↑ https://nola.newsbank.com/search?text=12%20year%20old%20boy%20shot%20%20%20boy%20Troy%20Harvey%20&date_from=2000&date_to=2000&pub%5B0%5D=TPIC [ bare URL ]
  25. ↑ "New Orleans, LA Local News, Breaking News, Sports & Weather - NOLA.com". nl.newsbank.com.
  26. ↑ https://caselaw.findlaw.com/court/la-court-of-appeal/1344648.html [ bare URL ]
  27. ↑ "2001 shootout". 6 May 2019.
  28. ↑ "New Orleans, LA Local News, Breaking News, Sports & Weather - NOLA.com". nl.newsbank.com.
  29. ↑ "New Orleans, LA Local News, Breaking News, Sports & Weather - NOLA.com". nl.newsbank.com.
  30. ↑ https://nola.newsbank.com/search?date_from=may%2011%202005&date_to=may%2011%202005&text=2900%20block%20of%20Vespasian%20St.&content_added=&pub%5B0%5D=1223BCE5B718A166 [ bare URL ]
  31. ↑ "How This Building Covered In Eye-Popping Street Art Explains New Orleans". fastcompany.com. 15 January 2015. Archived from the original on 29 June 2017. Retrieved 17 December 2017.
  32. ↑ "'ExhibitBE,' a spectacular outdoor graffiti environment, on view Saturday only". nola.com. 12 November 2014. Archived from the original on 30 August 2017. Retrieved 17 December 2017.
  33. ↑ "Exhibit BE closing celebration and more things to do in New Orleans Monday". nola.com. 16 January 2015. Archived from the original on 30 August 2017. Retrieved 17 December 2017.
  34. ↑ writer, JOHN WIRT | Contributing (25 October 2019). "'Can't fake it': Director Deon Taylor filled each frame of 'Black and Blue' with electric New Orleans". The Advocate. Retrieved 2020-05-08.
  35. ↑ "Contraband (2012) - IMDb". IMDb .
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.