Armstrong Park’s $1.2million proposed sculpture garden

Congo Square/Armstrong Park is one of the city’s first greenspaces, going back over 250 years.  It was a place of rare freedom for the slaves of the time, who were allowed one day off to worship and fellowship with one another. It rejuvenated battered spirits and gave the slaves their only real outlet for self-expression, as well as providing visitors to the city a deeper feel for the different aspects of life in New Orleans.

The surrounding Treme neighborhood was twice disrupted by additions to Congo Square as it grew to be Armstrong Park- once in the 1920s when the auditorium was added and then in the 1960s, when an urban renewal project annexed the land to form the rest of what became the balance of the park. Both projects ate blocks of the surrounding neighborhood, causing a huge outcry as dozens of homes were demolished.

The creation of an advocacy organization, “Friends of Armstrong Park,” helps to alleviate these sorts of tensions, coordinating locally interested parties to create the best possible park as well as harmony with the surrounding community.

Now, however, come plans being put forth by the Mayor’s office to make major changes to the Park without consulting any of these local groups. The repair work- to the fountain, the old Fire House and to the promenade- is necessary and welcomed. It’s the addition of an sculpture garden that have some people concerned and shaking their heads.

The seven proposed statues would honor the musical and cultural roots of the city, but many are worried about the lasting impression of a long-term installation where neither residents nor the City Planning Commission on Design Advisory Committee have been consulted. Typically in such situations, these experts are called to form a panel to review installations, determine the longterm viability of the art and its ability to stand the test of time, insuring that their works are right for the proposed site and will be properly maintained.

The neighborhood’s concerns go beyond the artwork itself- how can the massive price tag be justified when there’s so much work to be done in the surrounding blocks?

At a September 14th meeting in the Treme Community Center, former state Rep. Louis Charbonnet III said:

They took people’s land, people’s houses, people’s culture. Let’s give something back to the people.

I say scrap the statues.

Mr. Charbonnet and others at the meeting stated that spending so much money on something that will provide a small improvement to the park will have much less of an impact than creating recreation for children and other residents or cleaning up the residential blocks behind the park.

Even Leo Watermeier, head of the Friends of Armstrong Park, calls the proposal “an extravagance.”

Mayor Nagin’s office is using a donation, and not taxpayer dollars, so neither City Council nor citizen’s approval is required to move forward on these plans, although the City Planning Commission Design Advisory Committee does have jurisdiction over all installations in public spaces, no matter the funding source.

This week’s meeting was the first (and may be the last) opportunity the community had to make their views known because the Mayor’s administration is saying that this is an issue that has been decided, and no further input is required. However, if you’d like to let him or your City Council representative know how you feel, please click here for Council contact information, and here for Mayor Nagin’s.