Overview
Institute of African American Culture,Trade and
Economic Development,inc
Economic Development,inc
The Carver Theater opened in September 1950 to serve
negro movie patrons in New Orleans. Fifty years later, the visionaries who serve on the board of directors of
the Umoja Institute of African-American Culture, Trade and Economic Development, Incorporated are using
the Carver Theater as the anchor to a development project that will serve diverse needs. It will enhance the
climate, conditions and oppertunities for business growth in an inner-city neighborhood that has
experienced significant decline, expand tourism beyond the typical confines and provide a medium-sized
venue for concerts and stage productions that will fill a critical void in the marketplace.
Once completed, the Carver Cultural Center will consist of an 800 seat auditorium, food and retail
concession space and classroom space.
Today, Carver sits quietly, housing used furniture and tenant occupied offices - a far cry from the marbled
splendor that it once was. After renovations are completed, the blighted interior will be transformed into a
viable and thriving multi-functional establishment reflective of the heyday of Treme, the historic
neighnorhood that was the nation's first settled community for former slaves and free people of color.
Treme also is where jazz flourished during the infancy of this musical genre.
As one of the city's newest historical landmarks, the Carver Cultural Center will, as a living museum, attract
a vast array of localsand tourists, as a theater-be an intimate venue for live stage productions, and as part
of the city's multicultural campaign, play a significant role in sustaining a welcoming environment for visitors
from diverse cultures. The Carver Cultural Center is a quintessential investment that will take New Orleans,
its tourism industry and its effort for urban revitalization into the new millennium while still preserving
precious pieces of the past.
Since its inception, New Orleans has traditionally been a city steeped in cultural and ethnic diversity.
Founded in 1718 and built by slaves that hailed from present-day Haiti and West Africa, the city is rich in
French and African culture.
In the late 1700's and early 1800's, the Port of New Orleans became a gateway for white Europeans, free
mulattos, slaves and immigrants from St. Domingue. It was this melting pot of colors and cultures that
transformed the ragtime, marching band and popular music of the day into the ever-soulful sounds of jazz,
championed by legends Buddy Bolden, Louis Armstrong and Jelly Roll Morton.
By the start of the 1900's, nightclubs on Basin Street, musicians in Congo Square and other areas in and
around Treme began to move to jazz's unique mixture of African rhythms and European classics. The city
also heralded its own blend of R&B, known as New Orleans rhythm and blues. The saucy sounds were
influenced by high energy, hip-swaying Latin beats and the mellow tones of Caribbean rhythms.
As a result of the city's mullticultural richness, strong musical background and history, it is no surprise that
every shade of tourist travels to New Orleans to experience a piece of the city's flavor, culture and heritage.
Treme has been and remains ripe with extraordinarily gifted musicians, artists and artisans who perform and
create with the same passion and skills as the kindred spirits who preceded them generations ago.
The Carver Cultural Center will usher in a renaissance for Treme and mark a modern-day turning point for
cultural expression and economic development.
negro movie patrons in New Orleans. Fifty years later, the visionaries who serve on the board of directors of
the Umoja Institute of African-American Culture, Trade and Economic Development, Incorporated are using
the Carver Theater as the anchor to a development project that will serve diverse needs. It will enhance the
climate, conditions and oppertunities for business growth in an inner-city neighborhood that has
experienced significant decline, expand tourism beyond the typical confines and provide a medium-sized
venue for concerts and stage productions that will fill a critical void in the marketplace.
Once completed, the Carver Cultural Center will consist of an 800 seat auditorium, food and retail
concession space and classroom space.
Today, Carver sits quietly, housing used furniture and tenant occupied offices - a far cry from the marbled
splendor that it once was. After renovations are completed, the blighted interior will be transformed into a
viable and thriving multi-functional establishment reflective of the heyday of Treme, the historic
neighnorhood that was the nation's first settled community for former slaves and free people of color.
Treme also is where jazz flourished during the infancy of this musical genre.
As one of the city's newest historical landmarks, the Carver Cultural Center will, as a living museum, attract
a vast array of localsand tourists, as a theater-be an intimate venue for live stage productions, and as part
of the city's multicultural campaign, play a significant role in sustaining a welcoming environment for visitors
from diverse cultures. The Carver Cultural Center is a quintessential investment that will take New Orleans,
its tourism industry and its effort for urban revitalization into the new millennium while still preserving
precious pieces of the past.
Since its inception, New Orleans has traditionally been a city steeped in cultural and ethnic diversity.
Founded in 1718 and built by slaves that hailed from present-day Haiti and West Africa, the city is rich in
French and African culture.
In the late 1700's and early 1800's, the Port of New Orleans became a gateway for white Europeans, free
mulattos, slaves and immigrants from St. Domingue. It was this melting pot of colors and cultures that
transformed the ragtime, marching band and popular music of the day into the ever-soulful sounds of jazz,
championed by legends Buddy Bolden, Louis Armstrong and Jelly Roll Morton.
By the start of the 1900's, nightclubs on Basin Street, musicians in Congo Square and other areas in and
around Treme began to move to jazz's unique mixture of African rhythms and European classics. The city
also heralded its own blend of R&B, known as New Orleans rhythm and blues. The saucy sounds were
influenced by high energy, hip-swaying Latin beats and the mellow tones of Caribbean rhythms.
As a result of the city's mullticultural richness, strong musical background and history, it is no surprise that
every shade of tourist travels to New Orleans to experience a piece of the city's flavor, culture and heritage.
Treme has been and remains ripe with extraordinarily gifted musicians, artists and artisans who perform and
create with the same passion and skills as the kindred spirits who preceded them generations ago.
The Carver Cultural Center will usher in a renaissance for Treme and mark a modern-day turning point for
cultural expression and economic development.
