This may be the most ADNM-rich image I will ever upload to Facebook... The inset aerial dates from about 1951, when contractors were busy surveying this stretch of Carrollton Avenue for a number of modernizations. These major capital projects included, in no particular order: Infilling the New Basin Canal (shown) – using dredged shells and sand [F] – that for many years had connected Downtown with lake-borne commerce; replacing an old drawbridge [B] with an underpass, to permit vehicular as well as Union Passenger Terminal train traffic [U] to move unobstructed; eliminating the Gravier Street spur [G] that moved freight past the Pelican Stadium [S] to rail customers in Mid-City; removal of a turntable-style train bridge [T]; and, of course, clearing right-of-way for the coming Interstate (I-10) and Toni Morrison interchange (portions visible). Other significant developments awaited this burgeoning zone, such as the closure of Peach St. (vestigial portions remain at upper left) – thus interrupting the alphabetical Apple-to-Quince street-naming pattern begun at Claiborne – along with the building of Carrollton Shopping Center [C], where Costco stands today. Even the Old Shell Road [R], long a primitive-but-expedient shortcut for locals, gave way to a freshly paved Pontchartrain Boulevard [P] and Howard Avenue, along which the campus Xavier University of Louisiana (unseen, foreground) would grow over the next six decades.
Posted on: Mon, 01 Sep 2014 05:26:50 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015