Endangered projects
Hundreds of families once lived in the B.W. Cooper Apartments, but many of the buildings have not been reopened since hurricane Katrina hit. The Housing Authority of New Orleans (HANO) plans to demolish four major housing projects--St. Bernard, C.J. Peete, Lafitte and B.W. Cooper--to make way for an estimated $681 million worth of mixed-income neighborhood construction. (Carolyn Cole / LAT)
There is little life in the B.W. Cooper Apartments, as few of the buildings have been reopened. Tenants criticized HANO for erasing homes in a time of crisis. (Carolyn Cole / LAT)
Linda Lockhart is one of the few residents who have been able to return to the B.W. Cooper housing project. Many of the units are scheduled to be demolished. High vacancy rates make the grounds dark and deserted at night. (Carolyn Cole / LAT)
Donald Babers, the federal housing official appointed after Katrina as Housing Authority New Orleans’s one-man board of commissioners, approved the measure to demolish the housing projects. Here, he visits one of the half-century old projects with journalists. (Carolyn Cole / LAT)
Finally back in their homes, Linda Lockhart, right and her neighbor Patricia Watson, left, share a moment in the kitchen. (Carolyn Cole / LAT)
Jeffrey Hills Sr. and his family have not been able to move back into their pre-Katrina apartment in project housing where they paid only $300 per month. Hills must now pay $1,000 for an apartment for his wife and three children, including Jeffreyell Hills, 7, left, and Jeffery Hills Jr., 4, right. (Carolyn Cole / LAT)
Once filled with tenants, less than 100 families have returned to the B.W. Cooper housing project. Many of the units have been designated for demolition. (Carolyn Cole / LAT)
B.W. Cooper Apartments is one of the projects slated for partial demolition. (Carolyn Cole / LAT)
