Posted on June 23, 2007

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Carnegie Awards $2 Million for New Orleans Library

The Carnegie Corporation of New York has announced a $2 million grant to the Broadmoor Improvement Association in New Orleans for the reconstruction, restocking, and refurnishing of the Rosa F. Keller Library and Community Center.

The center, which served as the historic Broadmoor neighborhood's social and cultural hub, was destroyed both as a physical structure and as a library repository during Hurricane Katrina. The reconstruction project is the main focus of the Broadmoor Redevelopment Plan, a comprehensive rebuilding strategy inspired and shaped by neighborhood residents. The plan is one of the first recovery projects to be implemented in any of the seventeen redevelopment zones targeted by the New Orleans Office of Recovery Management. Considered beyond repair after two weeks under ten feet of water, the Broadmoor neighborhood originally was designated by the Bring New Orleans Back Commission to be transformed into parks and open space.

The reconstruction plan was developed jointly by the association and the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University — a collaboration supported by philanthropist Walter Shorenstein, the Shell Oil Company, and a network of public and private partnerships under the auspices of the Clinton Global Initiative. The plan also has attracted a range of other partners, including Mercy Corps, the National Cathedral School, St. Albans School, and the Laura Bush, Keller Family, RosaMary, and New Orleans Public Library foundations.

Because the effort is likely to serve as a symbol of Broadmoor's resilience and rebirth, the community identified rebuilding the library as a critical component of the overall plan. "Broadmoor's vision for a rebuilt Rosa F. Keller Library and Community Center is an extraordinary and uplifting example of a community seizing the initiative to literally rescue itself and rebuild what the hurricane took away," said Carnegie Corporation president Vartan Gregorian. "This was — and will be once again — a community resource that reflects Andrew Carnegie's deep belief that a library can be a place of self-improvement, learning, and entrepreneurship. As the very fabric of neighborhood life, the Rosa Keller Library will stand as a sign that this community has returned."

“$2 Million Carnegie Corporation Grant Catalyzes Community Redevelopment Effort in Heart of New Orleans.” Carnegie Corporation of New York Press Release 6/19/07.

Primary Subject: Community Improvement/Development
Secondary Subject(s): Arts and Culture, Hurricane Relief
Location(s): Louisiana, New Orleans, New York, New York City

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