Lay down your horns and perk up your ears, jazz aficionados and preservationists: we've got some good news and some bad news. The good news is that the former home of iconic cornetist Buddy Bolden hasn't been torn down. In fact, there seem to be no plans to tear down 2309 First Street, a modest Central City home that is currently owned by the Greater St. Stephen Full Gospel Baptist Church. The bad news is that, much like the vacant CBD building that once housed the famed Eagle Saloon where Bolden got his start, not much has been done to the space at all.
The Greater St. Stephen Church has publicly stated that they plan to honor Bolden and respectfully preserve the dull yellow clapboard he once called home. They bought the house without knowing its history mere months before a fire ravaged the church and uprooted its congregation to New Orleans East. Unfortunately, it's been four months since they made that statement. Recent visits to the site show that the building's only activity may be from a squatter trying to get in.
· Jazz icon Bolden former home in decay [Advocate]
· Blight Fight [Curbed NOLA]