The Next Great American City?

Posted by on June 02, 2006

Hyperbole is nothing new when it comes to the announcement of big urban projects. And this week's unveiling of the National Jazz Museum and Jazz Park in New Orleans was no exception.

Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco said the project would put New Orleans back on the map (a strange statement, given the almost daily coverage of the city by the national press). Its primary benefactor says it could New Orleans America's first great city of the 21st century. And supporters believe it will help attract more residential and mixed-use development by better promoting New Orleans' musical heritage (at a time when most main streets still have closed businesses and many devastated homes remain standing).

Still, the plan is exciting.

It's a $715 million plan intended to revitalize the area around the Superdome and the Hyatt Regency, whose owner hatched the plan only two weeks after Katrina hit.

As described on Nola.com, the multilevel six-block park would include a 20,000-square-foot jazz performance center with seating for 1,000 people, a black-box theater with seating for 300 people, a 70,000-square-foot amphitheater with lawn seating, a 60,000-square-foot education center for children, rehearsal studios and an archive for jazz research.

A bridge would connect the Superdome to the park, which would feature statues, fountains and interactive displays. Poydras Street traffic would travel through a tunnel beneath a grassy art park that would double as a tailgating area for the Arena and Superdome.

Beneath the park would be two levels of underground parking and a 280,000-square-foot two-level retail center with a multiscreen theater, restaurants and shops selling things that people need for daily living, such as a major national grocery store, pet supplies shop and a bookstore.