Calliope Projects
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Officially called the B.W. Cooper apartments, the Calliope Projects is one of the Housing Projects of New Orleans located in Central City New Orleans. There are 1,546 units on 56 acres of land (or 24 city blocks.)
The project was built between 1939 and 1941. The original boundaries were South Dorgenois, Erato, Calliope (now Earhart Boulevard) and South Prieur Streets. In 1941, rents ran from $8.25 a month for a one bedroom apartment to $22.00 a month for a three bedroom.
There are 690 apartments in the original development. In 1949, a gymnasium was added at Broad and Calliope Streets.
In 1954, a twelve block expansion added 860 new units. The expansion pushed the western boundary of the Calliope back two blocks from Erato Street to Melpomene Avenue (now Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard).
In May 1981, the Calliope was renamed the B. W. Cooper Apartments. Mr. Cooper worked for the Housing Authority of New Orleans for 33 years and served on several civic and social organizations until his death in 1974.
The Calliope Projects (or simply Calliope to the locals) are among the most notorious in Uptown New Orleans and the United States along with the Magnolia Projects. The drug trade and subsequent violence from it were two of the primary reasons New Orleans was nicknamed the "Murder Capital of the U.S."
A popular nickname for these projects is "CP-3" meaning "Calliope Projects--third ward".
Notable residents have included Master P and brothers C-Murder and Silkk The Shocker, as well as the Neville Brothers.
Calliope is currently closed due to damage from Hurricane Katrina. As of January 2007, a small section of the Calliope has been reopened to residents.
[edit] Reopening
Regarding public housing, Congress has demanded Department of Housing and Urban Development show solid plans for the housing developments or the new Democratic-controlled Congress will order the immediate restoration and reopening of all units that were occupied antediluvian (before the flood) on August 1, 2007. On March 21, 2007 the United States House of Representatives passed a bill blocking any demolishing of any housing development until H.U.D. show solid plans for them and has informed H.U.D. that they must contact all former residents of the city's four largest developments and inform those residents that they have a chance to return to the developments on August 1, 2007 and the buildings must be livable by October 2007.
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