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In 1999 McDonogh 39 was renamed Avery Alexander to honor the civil rights leader. The school received about 5 feet of flood water and is (mostly) boarded up. The SFMPOP recommends “complete replacement.”
WEL COM EB AC
_T\ S G O NG T O B
AR E AT YEA
more photos on Flickr, including sections. Many thanks to Irene Wainright, archivist, New Orleans Public Library.
McDonogh 39 is a “finger school” in plan. The broad administrative wing faces St. Roch Avenue and four classrooms project from one end. They are oriented in deference to our summer weather that extends well into the academic year. The classrooms predominantly receive north light. The southern exposure of the classrooms are protected by the deep overhang of the external open corridor. The walls of the classrooms and corridors are mostly filled with louvered glass and aluminum windows, providing ample natural light and ventilation. Each classroom wing fronts an "outdoor classroom," a paved courtyard that also provides additional play space.
view inside corridor
I "discovered" this school through the wonders of Google. I was searching for information on Charles Colbert, architect of the Wheatley School and found this article from 1953 in the Time magazine archive. The article talks about Mr. Colbert's involvement in this revolutionary push to modernize the school facilities in New Orleans. The article referenced McDonogh 39 as our first modern school and I knew I had to check it out. When I went to photograph the building, I was struck by the relative silence of the neighborhood. The wide open space of the Gentilly campus and horizontality of the school building reminded me more of my roots in the Illinois prairie than of New Orleans. However, on closer inspection, I realized that this modern building had a true regional sensibility.
Photography assignments have been distributed. We will have our first photography review in class on Tuesday, March 11, 2008. Student photographers will also be uploading images to Flickr and linking them into the Regional Modernism Map. Specific photo assignments are color coded by pins or balloons on the map.
The RSD review for the majority of the mid-century modern schools is "complete replacement." While they have not yet equated "complete replacement" with "demolition," we can assume these buildings are threatened. I initially thought that Mahalia Jackson Elementary might be the only mid-century public school to survive the initial RSD review. Then I found this.
While the RSD review said "major renovation" this document suggests they are planning a "demolition." This is the main page for information about the so-called "selective demolition" of Mahalia Jackson Elementary. Can the RSD please define "selective demolition?" And how about the difference between "complete replacement" and "demolition?"
In 1999 McDonogh 39 was renamed Avery Alexander to honor the civil rights leader. The school received about 5 feet of flood water and is (mostly) boarded up. The SFMPOP recommends “complete replacement.”
McDonogh 39 is a “finger school” in plan. The broad administrative wing faces St. Roch Avenue and four classrooms project from one end. They are oriented in deference to our summer weather that extends well into the academic year. The classrooms predominantly receive north light. The southern exposure of the classrooms are protected by the deep overhang of the external open corridor. The walls of the classrooms and corridors are mostly filled with louvered glass and aluminum windows, providing ample natural light and ventilation. Each classroom wing fronts an "outdoor classroom," a paved courtyard that also provides additional play space. 
I "discovered" this school through the wonders of Google. I was searching for information on Charles Colbert, architect of the Wheatley School and found this article from 1953 in the Time magazine archive. The article talks about Mr. Colbert's involvement in this revolutionary push to modernize the school facilities in New Orleans. The article referenced McDonogh 39 as our first modern school and I knew I had to check it out. When I went to photograph the building, I was struck by the relative silence of the neighborhood. The wide open space of the Gentilly campus and horizontality of the school building reminded me more of my roots in the Illinois prairie than of New Orleans. However, on closer inspection, I realized that this modern building had a true regional sensibility.
The RSD review for the majority of the mid-century modern schools is "complete replacement." While they have not yet equated "complete replacement" with "demolition," we can assume these buildings are threatened. I initially thought that Mahalia Jackson Elementary might be the only mid-century public school to survive the initial RSD review. Then I found this.
