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!)
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