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From Ashes to a Risen Phoenix: American Can Company
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New Orleans' most notable brownfields success, the American Can Company site, is the recipient of this year's Phoenix Award for EPA Region 6. The national Phoenix Awards, presented annually at the national brownfields conference, recognize excellence in brownfields redevelopment. At the American Can Company site, the developer, Historic Restoration, Inc., transformed a contaminated can manufacturing facility into 268 apartments, 20,000 square feet of commercial and retail space, 430 parking spaces, and a top-notch workout facility complete with pool, cabana, and courtyard.
The American Can Company played a pivotal role in New Orleans' industrial development. As one of the nation's leading can manufacturers and New Orleans' largest employer for 80 years, American Can Company once employed more than 1,500 workers. In its last phase of existence, the manufacturing facility produced cans for coffee packaging, ceasing operations in 1986 after coffee packagers switched to paper products.
Lying vacant and abandoned for 13 years, the six building, seven-acre site was contaminated with lead-based paint, asbestos, and soil contaminants. Funding for the $43.5 million project was secured through state-allocated tax-exempt bonds, historic tax credits, a HUD Brownfields Economic Development Initiative (BEDI) grant, and an Economic Development Initiative (EDI) grant.
The six buildings comprising the seven-acre site were constructed from 1907 to 1929 and are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In designing the collection of one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments, Historic Restoration architect, Kelly Nicholas, retained as much of the original architecture as possible. Apartments feature large open spaces, high ceilings, massive beams, and huge windows offering views of Bayou St. John and the New Orleans skyline. Exposed pipes, old brick walls, and scarred wooden floors retain the character of the factory.
The American Can Company site is still playing an important role in New Orleans' economy. Through the Welfare to Work program, low- to middle-income workers had the opportunity to work in construction jobs at the site. In addition, approximately 18 of the 75 permanent jobs were made available to current welfare recipients, and 20 percent of the apartments are set aside as affordable units. The American Can Company site renovation is a vital link to the resurgence of the mid-city area.
To see more success stories in the New Orleans area, go to the New Orleans WebBRIMS site.
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