Central City, New Orleans
Albert + Tina Small Center for Collaborative Design
Exhibit, Fall 2021
part of the ATMOSP(HERE) OF SPACE by Jose Cotto + Sharita A. Sims
The Churches of Central City is an ongoing research project and exhibit exploring methods for architectural and collective documentation of a neighborhood. The project originated from a map depicting 1941 WPA data of churches in New Orleans, combined with a redlining map of the city. After overlaying the data with present day churches in Central City, a neighborhood that was redlined, we found that many of the same establishments still exist today, and that there is a disproportionate amount of churches within the redlined areas, compared to the rest of the city. These churches are sacred places that merit architectural, photographic, and collective documentation. Their presence is important to the neighborhood's social infrastructure and their forms have impacted the built environment for decades. This exhibit is meant to question, understand, and learn from these spiritual spaces.
