Tragically damaged Louis Armstrong statue as endangered Lenin monument


Many jazz-fans in New Orleans were distraught to learn, back in July, that an incompetent contractor had botched the refurbishment of Louis Armstrong Park, including damaging the iconic statue of Satchmo. Construction on the park has stalled since then, and the site is fenced off. Nevertheless, I found myself wandering around the site yesterday as I followed a bum steer from my phone's GPS while looking for a laundromat. In the park's center, I found the damaged Armstrong statue, now held up by a haphazard set of ropes, looking for all the world like a statue of Lenin about to be pulled down during a moment of Glasnost exuberance. I snapped some pictures before moving on (and by the way, I heartily recommend the wash-and-fluff service at Clothes Spin on North Rampart!)

Mayor Mitch Landrieu says Armstrong Park contractor AME has been taken off the job