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Regular Session, 2014
HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 89
BY REPRESENTATIVE BROSSETT
A RESOLUTION
To celebrate the official ribbon cutting for the grand re-opening of the Carver Theater in
New Orleans on Wednesday, April 30, 2014, and to recognize the life and legacy of
George Washington Carver.
WHEREAS, the Carver Theater, named after George Washington Carver, opened in
New Orleans on September 29, 1950, to great fanfare where it was hailed as "America's first
theater for colored patrons" and boasted a "spacious powder room and lounge with a maid
in attendance at all times for the comfort of ladies"; and
WHEREAS, the Carver Theater, a movie theater located on Orleans Avenue in the
Treme neighborhood, was designed by Dallas-based architect Jack Corgan with all seating
on a single floor and designed specifically to cater to a Negro audience; and
WHEREAS, as a state-of-the-art movie theater, the Carver Theater was a centerpiece
for activities in the Treme neighborhood and later, from 1992 through August 2005, the
Carver Theater served as the Carver Medical Clinic, primarily serving the medical needs of
residents of the Lafitte Housing Development; and
WHEREAS, the flood waters visited upon the city in the aftermath of Hurricane
Katrina in late August and early September 2005, caused irreparable damage to the Carver
Medical Clinic closing the building completely; and
WHEREAS, the owner of the building, Dr. Eugene Oppman, decided to return the
Carver Theater to its proper place as a community entertainment venue by restoring the
facade to its original condition and completing the necessary cosmetic repairs to enable the
historic structure to serve primarily as a music venue; and ENROLLEDHR NO. 89
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WHEREAS, the Carver Theater will provide performance space and opportunities
for many people in the New Orleans performing arts community and the hope is that it will
draw performers from outside the immediate geographical area which, in turn, will spur
economic development as well as pride to this once vibrant corridor in the Treme
neighborhood; and
WHEREAS, the Carver Theater is most appropriately named in honor of George
Washington Carver, a black man who rose from slavery to become one of the world's most
respected and honored scientists who through his devotion to understanding the nature and
uses of plant life developed the practice of crop rotation to preserve the nutrients in soil and
discovered numerous different products derived from peanuts, sweet potatoes, and pecans.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the House of Representatives of the
Legislature of Louisiana does hereby celebrate the official ribbon cutting for the grand re-
opening of the Carver Theater in New Orleans on Wednesday, April 30, 2014, and
recognizes the life and legacy of George Washington Carver.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a suitable copy of this Resolution be transmitted
to Dr. Eugene Oppman.
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATI VES