Happened to pass by this building while I was at lunch today. Like just about everything in this area, it sustained some damage from Hurricane Katrina. I suppose the trailers out front are for the offices and workers that were in the basement. This has to be one of the very few buildings in the Greater New Orleans area that even has a basement. The acreage the building sits on is a source of contention between the City of New Orleans and the Federal Government. Mom could probably tell us more about that. This is PRIME New Orleans real estate and the city wants it. By the way, Mom used to work here.
Thanks for this picture. I'll study it some more after I finish writing. And then look at it again tomorrow.
Here's what I've heard. There were eleven feet of water in the building. When it drained out, it left three feet of muck and dead fish. The reason it was so devastating is that all of the building's "works" were in the basement. Which, incidentally, is not underground. You walk right into it and then what is called the first floor is above it; you walk up a flight of stairs to get to the first floor. All of the workers have been displaced to other USDA facilities across the U.S., and their research continues. The hope is that they will be back in September of this year.