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!)

"This is Solidarity, NOT Charity"

The project that Bob is working on is gutting a building to become the new home of the Common Ground Health Clinic. Common Ground began offering free health services on a street corner in the Algiers section of New Orleans within two weeks of Hurricane Katrina. They moved into the corner storefront pictured above about a year later.

When we arrived Monday morning at the corner of Socrates and Teche, there was already a line out the door. It is a compact, efficient, welcoming environment that provides much-needed health services to an under-served community. The sign on the plywood outside the clinic says it all: "This is solidarity, not charity." (Coincidentally, this was the theme of the Monday night discussion that Terry describes below.)

Volunteer Work Begins

Monday Projects
Five of us (Bob, teenagers,Keeley, John, and Adam) and minister, Rev. Deane began gutting a building for the Common Ground Health Clinic. The other five of us (Terry, Nancy, Marv, Tina, and teenager, Emerald) began cleaning up the building which had just housed the "Pray the Word, Save the Word" Summer Camp and on Wednesday will serve as a Food Bank. Bob's group work was outside in 90+ humid weather; Terry's was inside. The work continues on Tuesday. (Pictures to be posted on Tuesday.)

From 5:00 - 7:00 p.m., the whole group engaged in a dialogue on "Race" facilitated by Quo Vadis Breaux, the Executive Director of "The Ethical Living Center," of which the Katrina Relief Effort is the anchor program, as well as Kate Scott, representing the Greater New Orleans Fair Housing Center. What a UUish thing to do!