Louisiana Cultural Vistas - Spring 2008 - (Page 46) 1908. Faubourg de Montluzin was going to be a huge residential development, but never materialized and in 1959 was sold to Toddie Lee Wynne and Clint Murchison of Dallas. above: Development in New Orleans East was carved out of drained marshland on a peninsula surrounded by lakes Pontchartrain and Borgne. below: Interstate 10 was laid through the area in the 1960s with exit ramps that ultimately were never put to use. 46 LOUISIANA ENDOWMENT FOR THE HUMANITIES\Spring 2008 THE HISTORIC NEW It was named New Orleans East. Development began in 1961 and was seen as meeting the future industrial, commercial and residential growth needs of the city. In 1959 Wynne said, “Frankly we have no plans yet, but be assured that the planning and development will not be haphazardly done. In fact our development may help the growth of New Orleans so that it will keep its population lead over Dallas” — music to booster’s ears, but nonetheless in 1960 Dallas overtook New Orleans. In 1967, the Times-Picayune called the east “Frontier Vital Part of City’s Economy … the area embraces a golden plot in an era of near unlimited opportunity for New Orleans.” Proclaimed a “City of the Future — NOW within New Orleans city limits,” New Orleans East was envisioned as a fully planned version of the American dream where residents lived harmoniously within an atmosphere of controlled growth. According to the developer, it would be “unlike anything in an American city.” A series of industrial and commercial sites were to be connected by thoroughfares, lakes and bridges to 33 stand-alone residential villages. Business and housing were to be dependent on each other — as one grew so would the other. The plan revolved around NASA’s Michoud assembly plant, the Intracoastal Waterway, the newly opened Mississippi River-Gulf Outlet (MR-GO), and the port of New Orleans planned Centroport project. Federalgovernment policy played no small part in encouraging this growth as Interstate-10 was being built through the tract — an important component. To take advantage of the Rise of the East important transportation link, five interchanges were built to connect future thoroughfares. In 1964 work got under way on Venetian Isles, a Florida-type waterfront development with boat canals, at Chef Menteur Pass. Instantly successful, expansion plans for Venetian Isles were underway by 1967. Improvements consumed the first years of construction, but by 1967 there were 7,500 acres in the East ready for building. Sales increased steadily. In 1966 alone half of the total land sales to that date were made. By 1967, $10 million dollars worth of new business opened, primarily along Chef Menteur Highway. The vice president of New Orleans East said “[it] is indicative of the confidence businessmen have in the growth of the area you have physical evidence of the confidence ” A more traditional residential “village” was Village de l’Est, north of Chef Menteur east of Paris Road. It was laid out around a series of canals and lagoons that were not only attractive, but served as essential drainage. This was part of early 1960s “New City” planning where space-age towns rose in an orderly manner from the bottom up. Everything was meticulously planned and zoned, incorporating schools, shopping centers and playgrounds. It was an ideal development for middle-America with employment as the anchoring engine, and in Village d l’Est the Michoud plant was only a short drive away. Houses incorporated all the latest amenities and comforts which were lacking in many of New Orleans’s older housing stock. Lafitte Place in Village de l’Est had, “large, Appeal of Modernity ORLEANS COLLECTI ON
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