BREAKING NEWS: On November 25th, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and Louisiana State University announced the selection of the Mid-City neighborhood for the site of their new hospitals. The new hospitals would needlessly destroy the historic neighborhood around Charity Hospital where residents have been rebuilding and restoring their community since Hurricane Katrina.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation views this decision as a serious error, as better alternatives that would save the neighborhood around the hospital are available.
"In selecting these sites, the VA and LSU have made a serious error. They chose the alternatives that will not only be the most time-consuming, costly, and complex, to implement, but will needlessly destroy a historic neighborhood where residents are struggling to rebuild their community in the wake of Hurricane Katrina" said Richard Moe president of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. "The VA and LSU had other options, yet they chose the most difficult and destructive route to delivering health care to the region's veterans and a medical teaching facility to the community. We strongly urge the VA and LSU to reconsider, and take another look at other less harmful alternatives on the table."
While the decision has come down today, five important questions remain unanswered as to why this particular site has been chosen by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and Louisiana State University. "The sites selected by the VA and LSU would demolish fifteen square blocks within the Mid-City National Register Historic District, including some 165 historic structures, most of them homes, to make way for the new hospitals," said Walter Gallas, director of the National Trust for Historic Preservation's New Orleans Field Office. "This is a lose-lose situation all around."
More to come...
Read more about the threat to Charity Hospital and the surrounding issues.
National Trust for Historic Preservation
The National Trust for Historic Preservation, a privately funded non-profit organization, works to save America's historic places.
![[10 on Tuesday] Rest](http://media-cache-ec4.pinimg.com/192x/c8/b2/34/c8b2343eebdadef03b6eb19f12cfdefb.jpg "[10 on Tuesday] Rest")
![[10 on Tuesday] One](http://media-cache-ec3.pinimg.com/192x/ec/73/c3/ec73c3a63b3b7579697bf4862329e2ad.jpg "[10 on Tuesday] One")
Sean McCue
November 26, 2008
Read about this in today’s NYT. Very disheartening, sounds like more land grabbing that just = more $ wasted. Maybe, a company that wouldn’t benefit from consolidated parking for the proposed mega medical center would be on your side. Perhaps a company like Central Parking Corp. would be interested in helping you. Certainly, separate Charity Hospital & VA hospital complexes could mean more total parking spaces for a company like Central.Also, an increase in public transportation needed as a result of your proposal might interest advocates of companies that make hybrid mass transit vehicles. I know of one such company that is desperate for some good “green” public relations, GM.
Mary
November 27, 2008
It concerns me that so many historic properties will be demolished in New Orleans to build a new VA/LSU complex. I see absolutely no reason to destroy so many homes and structures when vertical construction or another location could have been considered. If this is to be forced on a city that has already lost so much history to neglect and hurricanes, why not move all of these historic properties to the perimeter of the complex and utilize them as employee residences, cafes, etc.
Jenn
December 2, 2008
When it comes to real estate, no one is innocent. Follow the money– I bet it will lead someplace very interesting. Where are our investigative reporters when we need them?