St. Thomas Development
St. Thomas Housing Development | |
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![]() Buildings on St Thomas St., early 1940s | |
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General information | |
Coordinates | 29°55′34″N 90°04′21″W / 29.92611°N 90.07250°W |
Status | Demolished |
Construction | |
Constructed | 1941-42 |
Demolished | 1998-2001[1] |
Other information | |
Governing body | Housing Authority of New Orleans |
Famous residents | DJ Jubilee Thomas James Kirk II |
St. Thomas Development was a notorious housing project in
History
Initially the original site of the Irish Channel, bordered by Tchoupitoulas and St. Charles, between Felicity and Phillip streets, St. Thomas Development was one of the oldest housing projects of New Orleans. It was bordered by St. Thomas Street to the south, a service alley between Constance and Laurel Streets to the north, Felicity Street to the east, and Josephine Street to the west. St. Thomas housing development was originally designated for white occupants only. After the Civil Rights Act of 1964, all of the city’s public housing projects were desegregated. At that time, the residents were a group of racially diverse, low-income, working-class families. In the mid/late 60s, many of these families were forced out when the federal government decided that their income was too high. At the same time, there was a decrease in social services in the housing developments – a decrease many attribute to the money going into the Vietnam war.
By the end of 2001, all of the buildings except a few had been demolished to create a mixed-income neighborhood named "River Garden." A section of Chippewa Street was re-aligned in the process. Also, a new
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fd/Surviving_St_Thomas_Project_Buildings_NOLA_Nov_2018.jpg/220px-Surviving_St_Thomas_Project_Buildings_NOLA_Nov_2018.jpg)
Construction of the rental property was completed in early 2009, with a final phase of construction focusing on condominiums and ground floor retail space. The plans for condominiums did not materialize and were substituted with additional subsidized rental property. Single-family housing was built near the center of the development. HRI, the developer, initially built approximately one-third of the planned number of single-family homes. The remaining homes were built later.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 2,957 people, 834 households, and 608 families residing in the neighborhood.[5] The population density was 12,857 /mi² (4,928 /km²). As of the census of 2010, there were 2,161 people, 1,001 households, and 471 families residing in the neighborhood.[5]
Crime and violence
The St. Thomas Housing Development was often considered one of the most dangerous housing projects in the country in the 1980s.[6] Many residents boarded up their windows to prevent stray bullets from coming through.[7] Police were also hesitant driving through St. Thomas and would often avoid passing down St Thomas Street for their own safety.[8] In 1989, a stray bullet hit and killed a 5-year-old boy as well as injuring a 4-year-old girl. The bullet was not intended for the children, and hit the girl's shoulder while she played in a courtyard during a birthday party. Another 4-year-old girl was hit in the stomach as she played on her porch, and an 8-year-old girl was hit in the legs with a shotgun blast.[9] In 1991, St. Thomas led all housing projects in rates of violent crime, according to the Housing Authority. From 1987 and 1991, St. Thomas tenants reported 48 murders, 27 rapes, 370 robberies and 638 assaults.[10][11]
Shooting of Eric Boyd
On the morning of October 23, 1992 4-year old Eric Boyd was struck by a stray bullet in a courtyard in the St. Thomas Project. According to police, Boyd was stepping outside to walk to preschool when gunfire erupted in front of him in the courtyard. As the 4-year-old's family yelled for him to duck inside, a stray bullet pierced the wooden door frame and struck Eric in the chest.[12]
See also
- New Orleans neighborhoods
References
- ^ "No Room for Renters: Post-Katrina New Orleans Report".
- ^ "A Hazy Horizon for New Orleans Public Housing". Los Angeles Times. 2006-04-21. Retrieved 2021-02-15.
- ^ "St. Thomas Development Neighborhood Snapshot". Datacenterresearch.org. Retrieved 17 December 2018.
- ^ Sothern, Billy (10 August 2007). "Goodbye, St. Thomas". Thenation.com. Retrieved 17 December 2018.
- ^ a b "St. Thomas Development Neighborhood". Greater New Orleans Community Data Center. Retrieved 6 January 2012.
- ^ "The Largest Solar Neighborhood In The Southeast". Solar Power World. 2012-10-31. Retrieved 2018-03-27.
- ISSN 0882-7729. Retrieved 2018-03-27.
- ^ "For Elderly In Projects, Gunplay Is No Game". Tribunedigital-orlandosentinel. Retrieved 17 December 2018.
- ^ Applebome, Peter; Times, Special To the New York (28 January 1991). "As Urban Blight Worsens, Victims Find Their Isolation Is Deepening". The New York Times. Retrieved 17 December 2018.
- ^ Foster, Mary. "New Orleans Children Learn About Death Early". Tulsa World. Retrieved 17 December 2018.
- ^ "The Telegraph - Google News Archive Search". News.google.com. Retrieved 17 December 2018.
- ^ "New Orleans, LA Local News, Breaking News, Sports & Weather - NOLA.com". nl.newsbank.com. Retrieved 2021-02-15.