From Surf Wiki (app.surf) — the open knowledge base
Melpomene Projects
Housing development in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States
Housing development in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| building name | Melpomene Street Housing Development |
| image | GusteHighriseFromMLKJan2010.JPG |
| caption | Guste highrise apartment building, Melpomene Projects, seen from Martin Luther King Boulevard, New Orleans |
| location | 1301 Simon Bolivar, New Orleans, LA 70113 |
| coordinates | |
| status | Rebuilt |
| constructed | 1963-64 |
| demolished | 2004-2011 |
| governing body | Housing Authority of New Orleans |
The Melpomene Projects, officially called the Gustavo Apartments or The Guste Homes, and colloquially The Melph, are a housing complex located in the Central City neighborhood of New Orleans.
The complex occupies ten city blocks, bounded roughly by South Robertson Street, Clio Street, Simon Bolivar Avenue and Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard (formerly Melpomene Avenue). There were four three-story buildings and two four-story buildings for families and a high-rise for the elderly. At a peak height of 12 stories, the Guste high-rise is the tallest public housing complex in the city.
History
The Melpomene Project was constructed in 1964. The site was once made up of single and multi-family houses; by the late 1950s the city declared them slums which paved the way for the project. It is the youngest surviving housing project in New Orleans. In the 1980s and 1990s the project was well known for drug area as it was once over-ran by dope dealers. Many of whom where as young as twelve sold drugs in the project pathways.
The high-rise underwent major renovations in 2002.
In 2004, three of the six low-rise buildings were demolished after failing to meet the Housing Authority of New Orleans' economic viability guidelines.
In 2006 it was one of few housing projects in the city that survived Hurricane Katrina with minimal wind damage and no flood damage.
In 2012 officials approved a $30 million bond for the final phase of redevelopment. The last building was demolished in 2013. Construction of phase III began in 2013 at a cost of $61 million, through the use of $26 million from HANO, $21.9 million from FEMA, and $13.1 million in Low Income Housing Tax Credits. Gibbs Construction and Colmex Construction completed the development of the new one, two, three and four bedroom units, which include Energy Star appliances, and are also pre-wired for cable and internet services. Community supportive services provided by the Guste Resident Management Corporation are available for residents living in the community. The new Guste Homes opened in 2018 with 638 homes located on the entire Guste site; 577 of which are public housing units.
References
References
- Adelson, Jeff. "Guste Homes redevelopment financing approved".
- Crockett, Jennifer. (2018-04-12). "At grand opening of affordable housing development, councilmember calls for HANO leadership change".
This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.
Ask Mako anything about Melpomene Projects — get instant answers, deeper analysis, and related topics.
Research with MakoFree with your Surf account
Create a free account to save articles, ask Mako questions, and organize your research.
Sign up freeThis content may have been generated or modified by AI. CloudSurf Software LLC is not responsible for the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of AI-generated content. Always verify important information from primary sources.
Report