Lisa Simpson
Nov 30,2009
In: Real Estate

Thanks to Brad Pitt New Orleans Real Estate Takes on a New Colour

Thanks to Brad Pitt, New Orleans real estate has taken on a new colour. Al Andrew, a resident of Tennessee Street of New Orleans does not object to the touring buses cruising through his locality. His only wish is that the tourists “would give some of what they pay to the community.” Andrews resides in a bright coloured modern house, one of the many nestling in small patches that had come up 4 years after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina.
Hollywood actor Brad Pitt had been frustrated upon seeing the tardy pace of rebuilding in the Lower Ninth region. This caused him to created a foundation – Make it Right. The body then gave assignments to 13 firms to design houses that would be affordable as well as environment friendly. Make it Right plans to construct 150 houses that would be given to the residents of Lower Ninth. Till now 15 of these have been occupied but these are enough to create a stunning impression.

Driving from the main road into the Lower Ninth from the Claiborne Avenue Bridge it is not possible to miss the homes – Brad Pitt Houses. These are sprawling and angular constructions flashing bold unusual colours. These houses symbolize the resilience of the citizens as well as to the bigness of Hollywood. These have become the newest tourist attraction of New Orleans.
Touring buses drive by the homes but do not allow the tourists to alight and loiter around. One can take a cab to the Lower Ninth that is about five miles distant from the city centre. Make it Right is also thinking about introducing bus tours but right now the focus on building houses.
The residents like Andrews and others like Gertrude LeBlanc are happy to talk. Septuagenarian LeBlanc quipped, “If we don’t talk how will people know what happened to us?”

Four years previously one could only see devastation with wrecked houses dotting the landscape. Today much of the rubble has been cleared with Nature reclaiming acres and acres. The grass has shot up to be as high as the repaired levees. The eerie quietness was the most telling factor.

But the “Bard Pitt neighbourhood” is bustling with activity with construction workers being more than the residents. The most notable is Float House that rises with the floods on pylons thus preventing the waters from entering the residence.

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