Work to begin soon on Ellis Marsalis Center
6/4/2007
Leslie Williams - New Orleans Times Picayune
A year ago, the nonprofit group celebrated completion of the first three homes in the post-Katrina village, including residences for singer Fredy Omar and harmonica player and washboard master Jerome Deleno "JD" Hill. Since then, 38 single-family homes and one duplex for the elderly have been constructed in the village, which consists of "core" and "programmatic" areas that are not exclusively for musicians. Construction of 81 single-family homes and four duplexes for the elderly is under way.
Now, Pate said, the stage is set for building the Ellis Marsalis Center for Music, named after the city's celebrated jazz pianist and educator.
Designed to nurture and preserve New Orleans' musical heritage, the multipurpose center will provide a performance area, classrooms, practice space and access to computers. Neighborhood groups will be able to conduct meetings there.
Leaders of New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity hope the center will become a hangout where student-mentor relationships develop between young and old musicians.
"I can imagine (jazz drummer) Bob French and (bassist) Peter Badie rocking gently in a couple of chairs and (drummer) Smokey Johnson in his wheelchair sitting on the long porch of the center and watching parents and toddlers across the street in the pocket park," Pate said. "As they tell stories of their work and travels with the greats of jazz and blues -- Ellington, Basie, Monk, King and Jackson -- and of their lives in the clubs of New Orleans and across the world, younger musicians and students sit nearby and listen, dreaming of their own travels."
Making it happen
Engineers last month began grading the 217-by-168-foot site so it will drain properly. It will be built at the intersection of North Bartholomew and North Prieur streets. The two streets do not intersect now, but workers hired by Habitat are extending both of the streets at a cost of at least $800,000. Dirt also has been added to the site to elevate it by 12 to 18 inches, depending on the levels of subsidence.
In two weeks, workers are scheduled to begin installing pilings for the foundation of the two-story, 15,000-square-foot center, which has two sections connected by a courtyard with a retractable roof. The foundation work should be completed in August, and the entire structure may be finished by the end of January.
"It's an extremely aggressive construction schedule," Pate said. "Normally, such a project would take 12 to 16 months."
To do this in roughly half the time, general contractor Ryan Gootee will not pursue the task in normal linear fashion, completing one project before beginning another. Instead, several tasks will be pursued at the same time, with portions of the interior being built before the shell of the building is finished, Pate said. Also, Habitat does not anticipate the delays that often occur with subcontractors. Andersen Windows, which is donating the windows, for example, also will provide "an extremely skilled team" to install the windows in roughly half the time it might take others, said Pate, noting that other donor-suppliers intend to do the same.
"We shouldn't be held back by delays in getting the work done, so that's another reason this schedule seems doable," he said. "Of course, weather and the availability of materials could slow us down."
Park included
On the first floor will be a musicians' hangout cafe/meeting room; a community Internet room; a courtyard; a performance hall with 160 seats and a 24-by-30-foot stage; three classrooms that also can be used for rehearsals; practice rooms; dressing rooms; and a wraparound porch.
Plans for the second floor call for a balcony overlooking the performance hall; a control room for sound and lighting; a coffee lounge; administrative offices and a conference room; and porches.
Money raised by singer and pianist Harry Connick Jr. and saxophonist Branford Marsalis and contributions to the Musicians' Village are financing the construction. Once completed, the center will be managed by the New Orleans Habitat Musicians Village Inc., a nonprofit foundation.
The center originally was to be built near the intersection of Bartholomew and North Roman streets. However, it was moved so it could be within view of a 70-by-110-foot toddler park, which may be built in November.
"There was this notion that older children could be in the center rehearsing and learning while mom was outside with the itty bitties enjoying the park," Pate said.
The park and center are in the village's core area, which roughly covers an area bounded by North Johnson, Alvar, North Roman and Mazant streets as well as a block bordered by North Roman, Alvar, Derbigny and Mazant streets. The village's programmatic boundaries extend to an area within Montegut Street and North Claiborne, Poland and Florida avenues.
Fostering roots, culture
Once the center is up and running, Ellis Marsalis hopes "to be able to facilitate youth programs" there.
"I'd like to see youth musicals, a youth orchestra and youth chorus," he said.
Mardi Gras Indians theater and dance could become a part of the center's mission as well, Pate said.
"Imagine Cherice Harrison, quietly explaining Mardi Gras Indian traditions and demonstrating beadwork, while the faint sounds of the center's youth orchestra and youth choir waft from the performance hall as Ellis Marsalis leads them through a song," Pate said.
The music and musicians of New Orleans have always been the city’s heart and soul. Your support of New Orleans Habitat Musicians’ Village is the best way to ensure that my home town lifts itself from the devastation of Hurricane Katrina with heart and soul intact.- Harry Connick, Jr.
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