NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — Local and federal officials met under the Claiborne overpass Wednesday, April 17 for a ribbon-cutting ceremony to welcome the Backatown Plaza Market.
When the Claiborne overpass was constructed in the early 1950s, it aimed to connect different areas of New Orleans. However, it also displaced many people and businesses.
Executive Director of the Claiborne Corridor Cultural Innovation District Nyree Ramsey said more than 300 oak trees were removed when the interstate was built, “and it decimated intergenerational wealth building because over 300 Black businesses were lost.”
Ramsey is one of the people responsible for reviving the space below the overpass. “You saw the results with the decline and that disinvestment that happened in this area, so what we’re doing is kind of getting people excited about opportunities for reinvestment,” she said.
The multi-phase project is set to span 22 blocks, and costs $2.4 million, funded through a grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce, the Department of Economic Development and City Bond Funds.
As the marketplace ramps up in the first phase, about 25 vendors will be on site monthly.
One of those vendors, Frederick Johnston, operates a kiosk under his business Bywater Bonsai. He said he looks forward to seeing people “come out and collaborate as a community, enjoy each other’s company, support local artists, and develop the area. Really just see everybody with a smile for a change.”
This weekend, the market will open on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. It will open monthly, with the next event on May 5.
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