The Housing Authority of New Orleans received a Federal grant last year to redevelop the Iberville Housing Development, the city’s last traditional public housing complex, on the edge of the French Quarter. The plan was to keep about a third of the buildings, demolish the rest, and build new, mixed-income housing.
But, before demolition begins, HANO is required by law to conduct a survey to look for anything with historic significance, including gravesites and underground burials. Along with Lens reporter Katy Reckdahl, Eve Abrams learned what the archeologists uncovered is no big surprise.