Photos in this post courtesy of Sandra Stokes.
...the grass has grown in across multiple still-vacant lots in what used to be the B.W. Cooper Projects (a portion of the buildings are still standing and in use off to the left in this photograph).
The destruction of dozens of brick B.W. Cooper (or "Calliope") buildings a few years ago to make way for...nothing...should give us all pause about the VA and LSU hospital projects, especially the latter one which continues to face major financial uncertainties. Even projects with the best of intentions, once initiated, can have serious unintended consequences or unpredictable outcomes. The lesson should be clear: Historic neighborhoods should not be demolished wantonly when the prospect of the lands lying fallow in the heart of the city remains real. We've seen it happen before.
As you can see from the photo below, the great green vacancy is not all that far from the barren brown vacancy that continues to grow in Lower Mid-City.
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