January 30, 2007

Tuesday Memories - Gentilly and Elysian Fields, 1938

Finding neat photos of New Orleans' past is an easy thing to do, but it's not often that a photo totally blows me away. This one did, because this is a corner that's I've spent a lot of time either standing on or driving through. This is a shot of Elysian Fields, at Gentilly Road, looking north towards the lake. That's the Hebrew Rest cemetery on the left, and a few houses that are long gone now, having been replaced with commercial buildings and Brother Martin High School.

Elysian Fields Avenue doesn't even exist yet as a paved street yet. Keep in mind that the main route out to the lake via Gentilly was Franklin Avenue. That's where the "Smokey Mary" excursion train ran, from downtown to Milneburg.

Posted by YatPundit at 11:54 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

February 01, 2006

City Council Meeting, tomorrow (2-Feb)

Courtesy of the Broadmoor Improvement Association, the agenda for tomorrow's City Council meeting follows. Usually I wouldn't consider this "streetcar" news, but everything is important while re-building is happening. The agenda is below the fold.

City Council Meeting
Thursday, February 2, 2006
10:00 AM
City Council Chamber
City Hall
1300 Perdido St.

CONSENT AGENDA

_____________________________

APPROVAL OF MINUTES

January 5, 2006, January 6, 2006, January 9, 2006, January 17, 2006, &
January 19, 2006

_____________________________

ORDINANCES ON FINAL PASSAGE

CAL. NO. 25,922 – BY: COUNCILMEMBERS GILL PRATT AND CLARKSON (BY REQUEST) –
An Ordinance to adopt the Downtown Development District’s 2006 Plan to
provide additional capital and special services, facilities and/or
improvements for the Downtown Development District of the City of New
Orleans for the Year 2006; and to provide otherwise with respect thereto.

CAL. NO. 25,923 – BY: COUNCILMEMBERS WILLARD-LEWIS AND THOMAS (BY REQUEST)
–
An Ordinance to adopt the New Orleans Regional Business Park’s 2006 Plan, so
as to provide special services and Capital Improvements for the New Orleans
Regional Business Park (the “Park”) of the City of New Orleans for the Year
2006; and to provide otherwise with respect thereto.

CAL. NO. 25,924 – BY: COUNCILMEMBERS THOMAS, SAPIR, BATT, GILL PRATT,
CLARKSON, HEDGE-MORRELL AND WILLARD-LEWIS (BY REQUEST) – An Ordinance to
amend Ordinance No. 22,091 M.C.S., entitled “An Ordinance Providing an
Operating Budget of Revenues for the City of New Orleans for the Year 2006”
to adjust funding in various categories.

CAL. NO. 25,925 – BY: COUNCILMEMBERS THOMAS, SAPIR, BATT, GILL PRATT,
CLARKSON, HEDGE-MORRELL AND WILLARD-LEWIS (BY REQUEST) – An Ordinance to
amend Ordinance No. 22,092 M.C.S., entitled “An Ordinance Providing an
Operating Budget of Expenditures for the City New Orleans for the Year 2006”
to adjust funding in various departments.

CAL. NO. 25,945 - BY: COUNCILMEMBER GILL PRATT (BY REQUEST) - An Ordinance
to amend Ordinance No. 22,090 M.C.S., as amended, entitled “An Ordinance
Providing a Capital Budget for the Year 2006,” to effect the following
changes to the 2006 Capital Budget.

CAL. NO. 25,946 - BY: COUNCILMEMBERS GILL PRATT, WILLARD-LEWIS, CLARKSON,
THOMAS AND SAPIR - An Ordinance to amend Ordinance Number 22,092 M.C.S., as
amended, entitled “An Ordinance Providing an Operating Budget of
Expenditures for the City of New Orleans for the Year
2006” to place Community Development Block Grant funds in the Division of
Housing in reserve.

MOTION
(LYING OVER)

NO. M-06-2 – BY: COUNCILMEMBERS THOMAS, SAPIR, BATT, GILL PRATT, CLARKSON,
HEDGE-MORRELL AND WILLARD-LEWIS (BY REQUEST) – Approving the Operating
Budget of the Orleans Parish Communication District for the year 2006.

MOTION TO ADOPT CONSENT CALENDAR AND REFER OTHER MATTERS TO THE PROPER
AGENCY.
YEAS:
NAYS:
ABSENT:
AND THE CONSENT CALENDAR WAS ADOPTED.

_____________________________

FIRST ORDER OF BUSINESS

TO ADDRESS THE COUNCIL

REPRESENTATVES FROM FEMA, U.S. ARMY COPRS OF ENGINEERS, ENTERGY, SEWERAGE &
WATER BOARD, HANO AND BELLSOUTH – Updating the Council on the status,
services, and progress on restorations city wide.
_____________________________

Posted by YatPundit at 07:43 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

January 20, 2006

CALLING ALL VOLUNTEERS! NOMA Grand

Who: New Orleans Museum of Art

What: Grand Re-Opening Volunteer Meeting. NOMA needs help from the community when it re-opens its doors to the public for the first time since Katrina with a tribute to the Arts: The HEART of New Orleanswill spotlight all aspects of art including the visual, performing, literary and culinary arts. The Mid-City Art Marketwill be participating in the festivities with over 60 local and regional artists.

When: Meeting: Tuesday, January 24, 2006 at 10:00 a.m.

Where: New Orleans Museum of Art Auditorium

Why: Nations are destroyed, or flourish, in proportion as their poetry, painting,
and music are destroyed or flourish! William Blake
The re-opening of the Museum, which will be free to the public, will be a success with your assistance. Help us bring back the HEART of New Orleans.

Posted by YatPundit at 10:33 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

January 17, 2006

Mid City Art Market Announcement

This group set up shop at Celebration in the Oaks, and some of their stuff was quite good. Definitely worth a look!

Mid-City Art Market, Art in the Heart of New Orleans
Saturday, January 28 10:00am to 4:00pm
In City Park's Botanical Gardens
Free admission

Local and regional artists selling painting, pottery, glass, photography,
sculpture, textiles, jewelry, accessories

Music by De Soto Street Band

Bringing back the "Heart of New Orleans":

Mid-City Art Market and City Park!
Support the community and buy LOCAL!!!

Future market dates:

March 25, April 29, May 29, June 27, July 29, August 26

www.midcityartmarket.org

Posted by YatPundit at 12:28 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

December 05, 2005

Feature Photo - Southport Shuttle, 1929.

With Skoda Electric proposing to help the city's transit system and economy if RTA will consider using trolley buses, let's go back to the beginning of electric bus operations in New Orleans. One of the first "trackless trolleys" to run in New Orleans passes Mater Delorosa church on S. Carrollton Avenue in December of 1929. The line was the "Southport Shuttle," which ran from Oak Street, then turned onto S. Carrollton Avenue. Electric bus service was expanded in the 1940s, as New Orleans Public Service, Incorporated (NOPSI) phased out streetcar lines. The electric buses were a bit of a compromise, using the trolley wires from the streetcars, but with brand-new buses instead of the older streetcars.

The original electric buses were housed at Carrollton Station. When the bus system expanded, they were also stationed at Arabella Station on Magazine Street (this station is now the site of Uptown's Whole Foods Grocery store).

Posted by YatPundit at 12:08 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

November 21, 2005

Neighborhood Meeting this Wednesday (30-Nov)

The Faubourg St John Neighborhood Assn has invited members of MCNO and Mid-City residents to attend a meeting with Jackie Clarkson and possibly Jay Batt, along with representatives of Entergy, Bellsouth and others involved in the recovery
effort. The meeting is Wednesday, November 30, 7 pm at Holy Rosary school on Esplanade. Please forward this message to anyone who may be interested in attending.

Posted by YatPundit at 04:58 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Business Spotlight - Hartwig Moss Insurance Agency

(from this week's newsletter)

Getting New Orleans back up and running has been a major challenge for everyone in the metro area. While the CBD, Quarter and Uptown have been the areas with the strongest life signs, Canal Street businesses are returning! One of these is the oldest independent insurance agency in town, Hartwig Moss Insurance Agency. A German, Hartwig Moss (the great-grandfather of the current president of the agency), started the business in 1871, on Carondelet and Union Streets downtown. They moved to Baronne Street in the 1960s, and then to their current building in Mid-City, at 2626 Canal Street.

The company evacuated in the face of Katrina, then set up temporary shop in Mandeville. They've repaired the Canal Street building, and are now back home.

Hartwig Moss Insurance represents companies such as Travelers, Zurich, Chubb, Farmers, as well as a number of others, selling both business and personal lines. Robby Moss is the current President.

Posted by YatPundit at 11:37 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

November 13, 2005

City Park Botanical Garden Wishlist

The Botanical Garden at City Park took a pretty bad hit in the storm. They've compiled a Wish List of plants they lost and need to replace. If you're in a position to help out, please consider doing so. At the very least, you can give cash, or a gift certificate to Jackson & Perkins, Nor'East Miniature Roses, etc., and that would go a long way in terms of helping them replace the plants.

Posted by YatPundit at 07:34 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack