Since the statue of Confederate general Robert E. Lee was craned away in 2017, the traffic circle at the intersection of St. Charles and Howard avenues has seemed like a bit of unfinished business, a ghostly remnant of a bygone era.
Now plans have begun to rethink the important public space, which may come to represent the city’s future instead of the past.
In October, the Downtown Development District, a 50-year-old organization representing property owners in the 160-block area south of the French Quarter, will seek the public’s input on possible revisions to Harmony Circle, as it begins to raise money for the project.
DDD president and CEO Davon Barbour said the organization has already received pledges of $5.5 million from the state and $1 million from the city to begin envisioning the future of the circle.
Barbour said he hopes that money from private institutions and individuals will help in whatever revisions may eventually come to pass.
“We think it’s necessary to bring philanthropy along,” Barbour said.
As of now, Barbour said, there is no projected timeline or budget for the project. “I wish I had all the money in the world,” Barbour said, laughing.
The first stage in any possible revised use of the space will be to examine all aspects of its current situation: the circle’s importance as a prime Mardi Gras parade-watching spot, the volume of traffic that continuously curves past, the ability of the land to drain or absorb rainwater, the site’s historic resonance.
“We understand the sensitivity to the project,” Barbour said.
Sometime soon, Barbour said, the DDD will host a public meeting at Gallier Hall where interested parties can express their views.
“It’s going to be a respectful conversation to get the perspective of everyone at the table,” Barbour said. “We hope everyone’s engaged.”
The Manning architecture firm will lead the design work of any future reimagining of the circle, with the input of Waggonner & Ball architects, Spackman Mossop Michaels landscape architecs and a local?historian.
The Manning architecture firm composed this very preliminary conceptual design to begin the discussion of reimagining Harmony Circle.?
In order to seek preliminary state capital outlay funding for the project, Manning donated a design brief in 2022 that included some early, entirely speculative drawings in which Harmony Circle was envisioned as a small, tree-canopied park.
According to those conceptual drawings, Harmony Circle is meant to become less of “a symbol’ and more of “a place.” It is supposed to be less “imposing,” more “inviting,” less “isolated” and more “connected.”
Barbour is quick to point out that the drawings were meant simply to get the ball rolling, and do not represent a plan.