New Orleans Recreation Department
[2] The immediate forerunner of NORD was the New Orleans Juvenile Sports Association which was established during World War II.
[1] This association did not manage recreational activities and facilities in a comprehensive way, and administration was inefficiently divided among approximately 16 different government agencies.
[2] Morrison's interest in creating NORD began with a pitch by Lester Lautenschlaeger, John Brechtel, G. Gernon Brown, and Morris Jeff.
[6] With Mayor Morrison's sponsorship, the city of New Orleans appropriated $300,000 to create NORD, which was a large sum of money for the time.
NORD made use of existing facilities to the extent possible, and so, with the new constructions, had 91 playgrounds, 17 swimming pools, and 8 sports stadiums.
Nearly from the start, its programs included classes and workshops for theater, dance, arts & crafts, and youth day camps.
[6] Public recreation facilities in New Orleans can be traced to the work of civic leader Olive A. Stallings (1866-1940).
By 1938, aided by Stallings's efforts, New Orleans had 18 playgrounds and 6 swimming pools for purposes of general recreation.
[8] In 1929, the New Orleans Times-Picayune newspaper presented Stallings with its Loving Cup Award for her efforts on civic improvement, especially children's recreation.
[9] At that time, the demographics of New Orleans were about 32% African-American, and so NORD was disproportionately supporting the white people of the city.
In 1948, NORD opened Shakespeare Park and Julius Rosenwald Center specifically for African-Americans as segregated operations.
Then mayor Moon Landrieu removed Lautenschlaeger from the post, thereby clearing the way for racial integration of NORD's programs and facilities.
Opponents of the proposal claimed that racial integration of the park would result in declining property values in the neighborhood and accelerate the departure of white people to the suburbs.
Many of NORD's facilities were seriously damaged by the hurricane, remaining in a state of significant disrepair and neglect at least until 2010 when reform movements began.
[18] NORD states its mission as being "to advance the physical, mental, and social well-being of New Orleanians by providing safe and welcoming environments for recreational, athletic, and cultural experiences.
[20] The Federal Emergency Management Agency has provided public funding for some projects that were part of NORD's recovery from Hurricane Katrina.
[21] Improvements to NORD's Joe W. Brown Park were completed as a result of a public-private partnership between the city of New Orleans, the AllState Sugar Bowl, the Nike Corporation, and the Brees Dream Foundation.
