SYNOPSIS
In the spring of 2006 the Porch, as a fledgling organization, had no place to call its own. But a separate NOLA organization, Parkway Partners, has a mission to improve quality of life through the preservation, maintenance and beautification of neutral grounds, green spaces, playgrounds, parks, community gardens and the urban forest in New Orleans. One such community garden is located in the Seventh Ward on N. Robertson Street and Parkway Partners agreed to the idea of using that garden as the Porch’s first physical home. We planned two projects there: a shade structure and this tool shed. The toolshed is a pre-fabricated, panelized structure that holds gardening tools in the community garden. It is made of steel frames that hold painted plywood panels. The frames are attached to each other with bolts, and the roof rafters are bolted on to the ridge beam. Wood purlins carry corrugated steel roofing panels.
PROCESS
Our first visit to New Orleans with students was in early February 2006. We had a community meeting at the House of Faith where every person in the room introduced themselves and declared their interest in the project/partnership. Following so closely on the heels of Katrina, this was an emotional meeting. More than one nieghborhood resident lost friends and relatives in the storm; the subsequent diaspora throughout the US left many with fundamental uncertanties about their individual and community futures. (NOLA was still pretty empty at this time.) Several themes emerged in this meeting. One theme was a strong sense of determination to rebuild after Katrina. Another was the need to enage young people in productive activities as a way of keeping them out of trouble. A third theme, strongly related to the second, was to harness the indigenous cultural heritage of the neighborhood as a means of engaging with youth and the larger community. The Seventh Ward was traditionally a Creole neighborhood, with many of its residents participating in the building trades in the city. It is also a neighborhood that was home to early jazz practitioners like Jellyroll Morton, who grew up there, and is a center of vital contemporary cultural practices like second line parades and social aid and pleasure clubs.
We made the integration of these ideas a central goal in our work. In all of the projects, starting with the tool shed, we explored the african roots of Creole architecture which in the tool shed shows up in the roof framing and the patterning on the wall panels. As with the notice boards, the project was designed in a consensual process of proposal/critique/re-proposal leading to a single, final design solution that every team member shares. We set up a wiki site to facilitate digital communication between the partners in New Orleans and in Lawrence. The project was designed and pre-fabricated throughout the spring semester and was installed in the garden in May 2006.
IMPACT
Since installation the garden has flourished. Before the Porch secured a more permanent indoor home, the garden was (and still is) used for community gatherings. They have a group of dedicated gardeners that continue to develop the planting beds and opportunities for organic herb sales to NOLA restaurants.
FUNDING
This project was commissioned by the Porch Cultural Heritage Organization. Funding for the project came from a variety of sources: the Kemper Foundation, KU-SADP, KU student fundraising, and donations from private individuals. It was completed in May 2006.
PROFESSOR
Nils Gore
STUDENTS
Valerie Cantrell, Brian Cay, Christine Goodwin, Kelly Gregory, Mickey Htoo, Lindsay Kenkel, Patrick Knobloch, Callie Knoll, Bob Korte, Laura Lafoe, Suzanne Petersen, Jon RedCorn, Amy Scilligo, Maryna Silchenko, Kenny Simmons, Chris Wahl, April Young
