Armstrong Park

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"Louis Armstrong Park occupies 31 acres just outside of the Vieux Carré and contains the historic Congo Square and the Mahalia Jackson Theater for the Performing Arts. Proposed in the 1970s by the City of New Orleans, the municipal park and cultural center were intended to support urban renewal, the design being inspired by Copenhagen’s historic amusement park, Tivoli Gardens. After plans by the San Francisco landscape architect Lawrence Halprin (to include a large Ferris wheel) were not approved, architect and urban designer Robin Riley was chosen to design the park, which opened in 1980. In 1994, the site was chosen by the National Park Service to become home to the New Orleans Jazz National Historic Park. Following Hurricane Katrina, the site was neglected for six years until reopening in 2011." - THE CULTURAL LANDSCAPE FOUNDATION.