The History of the "Greystone Voter's League"

On Friday, while working on gutting the future home of Common Ground, local Algiers resident, Kevin Herridge, stopped by. Turns out, he is very active in the Algiers Historical Society, whose website offers an amazing compendium on the history of the Algiers section of New Orleans.

Mr.Herridge knows so much about the Greystone. He pointed out that the old piano - which had deteriorated quite a bit over the years and which had but one working key by the time we started to dismantle it! - was one that Aaron Neville had played on early in his career. If you visit the website for the AHS, scroll halfway down the page until you reach the section of the walking tour that talks about "501-503 Newton St" - that's the location of the Greystone. Mr. Herridge offers an exhaustive history of this old building. Here is how he begins the tale:

"From the 1950s to 1970s, known as the Greystone Voter’s League, was the place for Rhythm & Blues shows. Such greats as Ray CHARLES, and B. B. KING played here as well as a host of local talent, including “Professor” Longhair, Deacon John, Bobby MARCHAN, and the NEVILLE Brothers. The building’s musical history goes way back. Trombonist Harrison BARNES (1889-1960) lived here from 1919-1925. He was a pupil of Professor James HUMPHREY when he lived on Magnolia Plantation. BARNES played with the Eclipse Brass Band (1906), Henry ALLEN’s Brass Band (1907), Chris KELLY (until 1918), the NOLA Band (1923), and John ROBICHAUX (1924). He recorded with the Zenith Brass Band in 1946 and with “Kid” Thomas in 1951. John LINDSAY (1891-1950) lived at 503 Newton from his birth until 1900, when his family moved to 1019 Verret around the corner. LINDSAY was one of the true giants of Jazz, and started his career in Storyville in 1910, and played through the 1920s with John ROBICHAUX, A. J. PIRON, and “Papa” CELESTIN."

There is a lot more to read about the fascinating history of this building and the surrounding community. Visit the the AHS website to read all about it.

The Greystone has a heritage worth preserving. Bob and the rest of the "gutting team" are grateful to have had a chance to prepare this building for its next chapter, housing a valued community service provider.

Improvements at a Food Distribution Outlet

Terry's group moved to the Upper 9th ward
to help repair a food distribution outlet. Octogenarians,
Archbishop Henry and Ella O'Neal, run this distribution
point which distributes boxes of food three days a week
out of their former house. They now live in their church,
"Lift Up My Name Higher" across the bridge in Gretna.
The UU mission of promoting Social Justice extends to those
who are doing good, no matter what their religious affiliation.

6,000 Pounds of Food to Distribute

On Wednesday we were back at Rev. Josephine (Josie's) "Pray the Word, Say the Word" ministry, unloading and readying 6,000 pounds of surplus food for this afternoon's food bank. Above left: Rev. Josie is flanked by Volunteer Center construction manager Julie and volunteer Nancy, who hails from Indiana. Above right: Tina (Indiana) and Keelei (Kalamazoo) prepare to fill the food bags which were later given to needy clients. We were assisted this morning by a group of 10 teens and 2 adults from a United Church of Christ congregation from Madison, CT.


Bob poses with Mr. Lee, who has been guiding the operations at Rev. Josie's building all week.


We finished early at Rev. Josie's, so Terry, Bob, and the rest of the volunteer group returned to the church for lunch. Afterward, we cleaned the sanctuary, as Terry demonstrates above.

Fined $500 Per Day!

Today half of our group traveled to the Lower 9th Ward to clear away a vacant lot. A recent local ordinance fines homeowners up to $500 per day for letting their property become a public eyesore. The group (which didn't include Bob or Terry) used machetes, lawnmowers, pruners, rakes, and weed wackers to prepare the property for tomorrow's inspection. Our volunteer efforts kept money in the pocket of a displaced New Orleanian!

"Pray the Word, Say the Word" Ministries

On Monday and Tuesday, (July13,14) five of us went to
"Pray the Word, Say the Word" in the 7th Ward to transform
the work space into a food bank. Marv and Terry are mopping
up while Emerald looks on.

Nancy and Emerald clean up and make space on the shelves
for the Wednesday food delivery.

Gutting It Out!

In the first photo, from the left, are worker bees Bob and Keelie, flanking Antare (the Executive Director of Common Ground) and Cory (Volunteer Coordinater for the New Orleans Rebirth Volunteer Center). Worker bees John, Adam, and Reverend Deane make up the rest of the "gutting the building" team.

On the right, Keelie and Adam proudly display the disposable haz mat suits that we wear each day while John shows how "easy" it is to climb into the suit. Though light and breathable, the suits have been no match for the good ol' southern humidity!

Each day, we have started with an empty, walk-in dumpster. By the end of each day, the dumpster is magically full!


One of the most satisfying aspects of the work is seeing the visible progress. In the photo on the left, the back of the building is overrun with trash. The photo on the right shows that by the end of Tuesday's work, we have largely cleared out the back "patio".


The manual labor is draining and the heat is punishing. But the kind folks at Common Ground have provided us each day with a shaded tent and coolers of cold water and iced tea. Best of all, they have provided us with Mr. Keith (pictured above with hams John, Adam, and Keelie, in front). Mr. Keith has inspired us with his resourcefulness, ideas, and energy. In fact, Mr. Keith's energy has often surpassed the output of his 50-plus-years-younger teenage volunteers!

The Old Greystone (near the Algiers Point Historic District)

From the stories we've been told, the Old Greystone Tavern - the future home of the Common Ground Health Clinic - gained renown as the first performing venue for the Neville Brothers and over the years has hosted such artists as B.B. King. Depending on whom you talk to, it has been closed for 10-20 years - long before Katrina. However, the effects of the storm hastened its demise.

The exterior of the building is a beautiful multi-colored brick mosiac. But the interior - in the photos above - shows an advanced stage of decline. Trash and debris are everywhere. The whole back side of bar collapsed, making it appear that it once had a patio area. But the large quantity of roofing shingles on the ground made it clear that the roof, walls, and everything else had caved in long ago.

Our first reaction was that this building was a poor candidate, possibly beyond repair. But it quickly became clear that the community loves this building. Many, many neighbors stopped by on Monday to express enthusiasm that the building is going to see new life. The appeal of the building to Common Ground is rooted in its rich history - and in the fact that it is NOT in the Algiers Historical District, meaning the group has much more leeway in how to use it.

(Interestingly, we assumed that Common Ground must have received the building gratis, given its sorry state. But we discovered that the group was in a bidding war and eventually won the rights to the building for upwards of $50K!)