After sitting vacant for 13 long years, life flows again through the halls of the former Andrew J. Bell and Ben Franklin schools in New Orleans.
The buildings, which had been closed since Hurricane Katrina, have recently reopened as the Bell Artspace Campus, with 79 live-work units for artists and others and 2,000 square feet of space for community, nonprofit, and creative enterprise partners.
Had it not been for developers Artspace Projects and Providence Community Housing, the buildings, which take up two blocks in the Treme neighborhood, would likely still be vacant and falling deeper into neglect.
The team worked to create a development that repurposes five iconic buildings while advancing the neighborhood’s history of cultural and ethnic diversity. There was deep concern that the project would lead to gentrification, says Will Law, COO of Artspace.
To address those fears and meet the need for affordable workforce housing, Bell Artspace Campus has apartments set aside for residents earning no more than 20%, 50%, and 60% of the area median income.There are 20 non-artist units for people transitioning out of homelessness.
“It’s full of residents who were under displacement pressure already in Treme,” Law says. “They now have an opportunity to have affordable housing and quality space to help advance their creative work.”
To find workers skilled in restoring the project’s historic buildings, including a century-old Gothic school building and chapel, Artspace partnered with the New Orleans Master Crafts Guild to train the next generation of craftsmen in masonry and metal work. Gibbs Construction was the project contractor.
The $37.4 million development was financed with historic and low-income housing tax credit equity from Raymond James Tax Credit Funds.
“At the end of the day the work we do is about people,” Law says. “Buildings are important. Buildings impact how people feel about their neighborhood and their community. That’s important, but at the end of the day, it’s still about people.”
