National Slave Ship Museum

Preliminary Feasibility Study Urban Design Research Center

Submitted by Cliff James 504 620 9655

Written by Mimi Loftus

SECTION 2

Introduction

The Preliminary Feasibility Study for National Slave Ship Museum project was funded

by the Southeast Regional Office, National Park Service, Atlanta, GA, under the Lower

Mississippi Delta Initiative (Public Law 103-433, Title XI) which provides grants to public and

non-profit organizations whose activities further the Delta’s economic development through

heritage tourism. The Secretary of the Interior has delegated the responsibility to manage the

Lower Mississippi Delta Initiative to the National Park Service.

This project was managed through Cooperative Agreement No. H7530050002 among

Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve and the Urban Design Research Center and

the Urban League of Greater New Orleans.

Table of Contents

Mission Statement………………………………….………………………………1

Program Statements………………………………..……………………………….1

Historical Background……………………………..……………………………….2

Slave Ships……………………………………….………………………………...7

Proposed Development Concept………………….………………………………..9

Education………………………………………...………………………………..11

Site and Area Evaluation……..….……………..………………………………....13

Market Analysis……………………………………..…………………………….15

Annual Usage Projections………………………………….……………………..17

Concept Development…………………………………………….………………19

Financial Analysis……………………………………………….………………..21

Conclusion………………………………………......…………………………….27

Acknowledgements…………………………………………….…………………29

References…………………………………………….…………………………..30

Appendix A (Master of Arts in Museum Studies)………………..………………32

Appendix B (Riverfront Vision 2005)………..…………………………………..33

1

NATIONAL SLAVE SHIP MUSEUM

The National Slave Ship Museum is an enduring legacy of the American dream, and will be a

necessary part of American history immemorial.

This is a preliminary feasibility study. The National Slave Ship Museum will need an

additional $350,000 to complete the final feasibility study. The final feasibility study will

include consulting international and national market researchers and specialists, travel to

make contacts, consolidation of the site agreement, participating entities, and operating and

construction budgets, and finalized program requirements.

MISSION STATEMENT

The National Slave Ship Museum will recreate the saga of the African Diaspora and

preserve the story of the slave trade in the United States along the Mississippi River, via the Port

of New Orleans, Natchez, Mississippi, and the forks in the road, while examining historical

events within the South, and more specifically Louisiana. This museum will fulfill the

educational and scientific vacuum on the slave trade in both the national and international

community. Through research, ongoing programs in cultural exchange with African countries,

creating interactive exhibits, tours, and activities the National Slave Ship Museum will provide

the public with endless possibilities to enrich and increase their understanding of slavery and the

slave trade.

PROGRAM STATEMENTS

In the past, the peculiar institution of slavery drove the entire economy of Louisiana, and

the southern United States for at least two centuries. Major contributions to the social,

economic, and cultural aspects of Louisiana life have been made by people of African descent.

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The National Slave Ship Museum will offer an interactive vessel that will serve the

international public’s need to know the personal experience of the Middle Passage and personal

stories of the enslaved that took part in this journey.

Further, the National Slave Ship Museum will be the main educational conduit for

locals and tourists, and may serve as a healing mechanism for many Americans whose ancestors

took part in the trade and/or the transition of Africans into American society.

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

There were many great African civilizations within the rich Gold Coast of West Africa,

including Ghana, Benin, Mali, Ashanti, and the Songhai Empire, which became the primary

area for the capture and sale of Africans into slavery.

Those early societies featured highly organized democratic forms of government with

military division and profitable trade relations with Europe, Asia, other world powers, and

smaller communities. Many factors contributed to the decline of these kingdoms, but the

growth of the slave trade made a huge impact on African life.

Zulu Warrior European Imperialism

3

Slavery in the United States began in the 1600s and continued until 1865. Africans were

transported from Africa aboard ships, many of which were designed and built especially for the

slave trade. Approximately 20 percent of all slaves died during the passage, and it was not

unusual for a slave ship to lose half its cargo before reaching port. The State of Louisiana and

the Port of New Orleans were valuable assets to traders who took part in the slave trade a century

before the United States of America purchased Louisiana in 1803.

The first African slaves in Louisiana were captured by the French army in the Spanish

War of Succession in 1710.

Inspection and Sale of a Negro

The years 1719 – 1721 saw the first importation of African slaves to Louisiana with eight

boatloads of some 2,000 Africans.

4

Stowage of the British slave ship Brookes

These first Africans in Louisiana were predominantly Malinke-speaking Bambaras

from the western interior of the continent who provided a cohesive group, particularly in New

Orleans. They were joined by smaller groups of slaves from coastal Africa, like the Wolofs and

Sereers.

Tipo Tib’s fresh captives being sent into bondage

5

The first two French slave ships from Africa arrived between the years 1719 – 1743. By

1763, 17,000 Africans were enslaved in Louisiana, and thousands more were enslaved in

following years.

The Golden Age

Even though the United States Congress ended the legal importation of African into the

United States in 1808, more than 135,000 slaves were sold at the New Orleans market through

1862.

A Slave Auction at the South

6

In 1838, the St. Louis hotel opened on the corner of St. Louis and Chartres street in the

French Quarter of New Orleans. The main entrance to the hotel led into the exchange, a

beautiful domed rotunda, where every afternoon between noon and 3 p.m. slave auctions were

held. Perhaps the most infamous of the slave auction blocks was located in this elegant hotel, the

center of Creole society before the Civil War.

The Omni Royal Hotel, former site of Slave Auction

According to an article in The

Gambit’s Best of New Orleans, in

1842, George Buckingham reported

walking through the rotunda. The

auctioneers, he said, were

“endeavouring to drown every voice

but his own....One was selling pictures and dwelling on their merits; another was disposing of

some slaves. These consisted of an unhappy family who were all exposed to the hammer at the

same time. Their good qualities were enumerated in English and in French, and their persons

were carefully examined by intending purchasers, among whom they were ultimately disposed

of, chiefly to Creole buyers; the husband at 750 dollars, the wife at 550, and the children at 220

each.”

The enslaved were shipped into Louisiana from South Carolina, Texas, and Florida to be

sold through the Port of New Orleans. The arrival of the slaves was recorded by the United

States Customs Service, headquartered at the historic Custom House on Canal Street, from 1807

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– 1860. Before the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, slavery was a part of the lives of many of the

inhabitants of the Louisiana Territory, approximately 70 years before the United States existed.

Wilson Chinn, a branded slave from Louisiana

THE SLAVE SHIPS

A) Pre-1808

There exist lists of the names of all ships that arrived in New Orleans with slaves.

Typically, these ships were 200 – 300 tons, carrying 450 – 600 slaves. They had three masts,

and were considered French Merchant ships. After 1731, the French Company of the Indies no

longer traded slaves.

8

Stowage of the British slave ship Brookes

B) Post-1808

After the British began to ban the slave trade, most ships trading in slaves were

not necessarily merchant ships, but faster ships, such as schooners. Most of these ships were

built for speed in the United States or the Caribbean, and typically were 150 – 200 tons and

carried 150 – 200 slaves.

There are many more records available from the National Archives in Washington, D. C.

With the exception of the earliest records known, most are in very good condition and those

manifests will be explored in detail in the full feasibility study. The coastwise manifests are well

organized by ports and dates, and can be easily searched. In fact, the only manifests to have

been microfilmed are those for the Port of New Orleans.

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PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT CONCEPT

The tentative development strategy for Entergy New Orleans is to donate the Market

Street Sub-Station at 2600 South Peters Street to the Southern University Foundation.

If, due to post-Katrina scenarios, the site is no longer available, we will find another

suitable site, collaborating with the Riverfront Master Plan as citizen participants.

The buildings will be developed with the National Slave Ship Museum and Southern

University at New Orleans River Front Campus as part of a development, including the New

Orleans Jazz Orchestra (NOJO), the Trust for Public Land (TPL), and other private entities

surrounding the site. The inclusion of private development partners will create a synergy for

success and inclusion.

This mixed use residential and entertainment venue will be the nexus of the riverfront

activity south of the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center and the gateway to the TPL Riverfront

Park, including adequate parking decks, at Jackson Avenue. This site will be a destination for

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river taxis, riverboat tours, and the riverfront street car line connecting Audubon Park,

Downtown, and French Quarter tourism.

A) Current Land Status

The Dry Dock sections for the Class Study Exhibits of the slave trade will be located at

1600 South Peters Street, at the old Market Street sub-stations. Entergy New Orleans has the

National Slave Ship Museum as part of their future development for the site. The use of

hydraulic and visual technology will create a realistic and educational experience. The theatrical

interpretive presentations will reflect historical truths, and add to the interactivity of the museum.

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Entergy Market Street Sub-Station

B) Replica Slave Ship Interactive Exhibit: Mississippi River

The location of the replica slave ship interactive exhibit will be on the Mississippi

River/Market Street Wharf as part of the Trust for Public Land Riverfront Park. The City of

New Orleans Planning Commission has placed the National Slave Ship Museum on the agenda

for future development of the wharves.

EDUCATION

It is important to understand the historical and social relevance of slavery in the United

States, and the people who were affected as a result of this institution. It is also important to

look at the impact on the environment and science while considering the positive and negative

effects of the slave trade to the Louisiana area.

The National Slave Ship Museum will be an important resource for public and private

schools, from elementary through post-secondary levels. As the United States Holocaust

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Memorial Museum in Washington, DC, and the National World War II Museum in New

Orleans, LA, offer a standard curriculum for teachers, the National Slave Ship Museum will

offer the same, coordinating levels and making content area connections.

Southern University at New Orleans (SUNO) Vision for Biology Dr. David S. Adegboye Associate Professor and Chair Department of Biology

Contributions of the Department of Biology, Southern University at New Orleans to the

museum project are in three dimensions:

1. Establish a DNA Laboratory in which descendents of African slaves can trace their ancestry

2. Establish a Museum of Organisms relevant to the Lower Mississippi Delta Region and the

relative areas of the slaves’ origins

3. Molecular Biology Laboratory at SUNO, which demonstrates basic relevant DNA

technology

Master  of  Arts  in  Museum  Studies  

Dr.  Sara  Hollis  Interim Director Museum Studies Department

The Museum Studies program at SUNO is the only Museum Studies program in the State

of Louisiana, and will be housed in the facility, and use the National Slave Ship Museum as its

source for practicum work for graduate level students.

Please refer to the attached curriculum in Appendix A for further evaluation of

SUNO’s program of study.

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SITE AND AREA EVALUATION

Market Proximity

The site is approximately one mile from the French Quarter, adjacent to the Warehouse

Arts District, and downtown hotel and shopping districts. As a local, regional, national, and

international tourist destination, New Orleans and the National Slave Ship Museum will attract

tourists, most of whom will stay in hotels in the downtown area and Warehouse Arts District.

 

Tourism  Map  –  

Numbers  not    

applicable  to    

study    

 

 

Access  Routes  

There exist gateways in the floodwall, and across the railroad tracks. The extension of

the existing Riverfront Streetcar line would increase public access opportunities. Tchoupitoulas

Street provides vehicular access from uptown and downtown, as well as connections via the

West Bank, Mississippi River Bridge, and the I-10 expressway. The property is easily accessible

via South Peters Street, although access from the site to the riverfront is currently blocked by the

floodwall. This access can be accommodated by air-rights over the railroad line at an upper

level, as exhibited by the Riverwalk and the Hilton Hotel.

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Traffic Patterns

The Tchoupitoulas Corridor is an active traffic route for cars and trucks, some of which

are going to or from the Port of New Orleans. The Crescent City Connection and the Greater

New Orleans Bridge both offer direct exits to the Tchoupitoulas Corridor. Once visitors reach

the museum, we have provided ample parking within the facility.

Surrounding Developments

The Trust for Public Land (TPL) is planning a Riverfront Park that will run from the

Jackson Avenue Wharf to the Orange Street Wharf and will ultimately tie into the Spanish Plaza.

This plan includes docking for the sailing replica ship, and entry above the tracks and floodwall,

which will provide access to the National Slave Ship Museum. There are plans for bicycle and

pedestrian trails, recreational opportunities and some light commercial uses. Public support for

the park is strong, as is referenced in the Riverfront Vision in Appendix B.

Medium density residential and hospitality developments are planned for sites adjacent to

the Market Street Power Plant parcel, due to the scale of development at the Convention Center

and the Power Plant structure itself, with densities becoming progressively lower upriver.

Medium density uses could include: retail, arts and cultural facilities, and a berthing facility.

Potential complementary facilities

As previously mentioned, the Riverfront

Park will complement the National Slave Ship

Museum, as well as the existing Riverwalk

Shopping District.

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Also located at the Riverwalk are the Steamboat Natchez and Cajun Queen, tourist

paddleboats for dinner and other cruises.

Within walking distance of the proposed site is the Aquarium of the Americas, the

Contemporary Arts Center, the National World War II Museum, the Ogden Museum of Southern

Art, and the Warehouse Arts District where privately owned galleries line the streets.

MARKET ANALYSIS

Population Information

Post-Katrina, the population of Orleans Parish is approximately 200,000, with a

metropolitan population of 929,554. These numbers compare to pre-Katrina statistics of 484,000

people and 1.4 million, respectively. Tourism is the major industry in New Orleans, attracting

close to $5 billion in visitor spending to the region annually, with a record number of visitors in

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2004 at 10.1 million. New Orleans was on pace to meet and potentially exceed those numbers in

2006 when Hurricane Katrina hit in August 2005.

In 2006, 13 conventions returned to New Orleans, which is only 35 percent of booked

conventions, bringing in 113,500 people. The convention retention rate for 2007 is 70 percent

and 100 percent for 2008, which will bring in close to 350,000 conventioneers annually.

An average convention delegate generates $1,500 for the local economy during his or her

stay. Convention visitors stay longer in hotels, entertain more in restaurants, and spend more

money in retail shops. It is common for convention organizers to include local attractions as part

of the activities for attendees. To that end, the National Slave Ship Museum will have natural

appeal for conventioneers.

The National Slave Ship Museum is a five-year project, and we anticipate that the

permanent and tourist populations will have returned to pre-Katrina numbers by that time. In

fact, New Orleans was recently named a Top Destination for 2007 by Orbitz.com, and Travel &

Leisure included the city in its “Where to Go Next” feature article. In a New York Times article

dated January 22, 2006, staff writer Pableaux Johnson awarded New Orleans the title

“Comeback of the Year,” his article, stating that visitors to New Orleans are “investors in

its…recovery.”

0

100,000

200,000

300,000

400,000

2006 2007 2008

2006

2007

2008

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The Riverfront has been under consideration for development for some time. On May

15, 2003, The New Orleans City Council passed resolution R-03-2817-0 that the “City Planning

Commission pursue a vision and [implement a] strategy for New Orleans riverfront and continue

to serve as the coordinating and managing entity for riverfront development, and to conduct this

public process to produce a Riverfront Vision.” On June 27, 2006, the City Planning

Commission adopted the Final Draft of Riverfront Vision in City Council Chambers.

ANNUAL USAGE PROJECTIONS

Planned components

In the National Slave Ship Museum, there will be six floors, each housing several

components of planned space.

On the first floor, there will be a multi-purpose exhibit and concert area, similar to the

lobby of the Ogden Museum or the Rose Center for Earth and Space Cullman Hall of the

Universe at the American Museum of Natural History. The first floor will also house the dry-

dock Slave Ship Museum, The Slave Ship and Maritime Pilots Exhibit, the workroom and

receiving area, the curatorial, and the SUNO educational facility.

Ground Level Parking(250 Cars)

Separate Access

Entergy Facility

Atrium

Substation

Convention CenterEntergy Parking Structure

(2100 Cars)

S. Peters Street

First Floor/Site Plan

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On the second floor, there will be a Multi-Purpose Theatre and Conference Hall, the

continuation of the Slave Ship Museum, a Culture and Music Hall, a research lab, the

administrative offices for the Slave Ship Museum, and storage.

The third floor will house the Theatre & Conference Hall Mezzanine, a Film Production

Studio & Editing facility, the Genealogy and DNA Research Center, a computer lab, SUNO

administration and SUNO classrooms.

The fourth and fifth floors will house offices and commercial space, and the sixth floor

will house the restaurant.

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Market penetration rates achieved by comparable facilities

The National World War II Museum, formerly known as the D-Day Museum, is located

in New Orleans, within walking distance of the proposed site for the National Slave Ship

Museum. Over 1,000,000 people have attended the museum with an average of 187,000 visitors

per year, attracting 300,000 in 2004 alone. Additionally, the United States Holocaust Memorial

Museum in Washington, DC, attracts 1.5 million visitors per year, and boasts a membership base

of 145,000 people.

Location and possible competition

Due to the nature of the museum, competition is not a consideration. As a result of its

location and proximity to the downtown area as well as the aforementioned aquarium, museums

and galleries, the National Slave Ship Museum will become a natural destination for visitors to

the city, as well as a pilgrimage site for Africans, African-Americans, and other Americans

whose ancestry can be traced to this time in history.

CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT

Recommended types of activities

The Concert Area, Theatre, and Culture and Music Hall will be the ideal locations for

performances of traditional African cultural festivals, as well as the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra,

Mardi Gras Indian Tribes, and other cultural activities unique to New Orleans.

New Orleans Jazz Orchestra

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African Dance

Mardi Gras Indian on Super Sunday

21

Recommended food service and merchandise space

There is a proposed restaurant of over 6,000 square feet, where traditional African food

will be served, along with traditional Creole dishes created by the African slaves and free people

of color in the city of New Orleans.

The Genealogy and DNA Laboratory will provide DNA testing for a fee that will offer

the possibility to trace ones ancestry to the slaves who came on the Middle Passage to New

Orleans.

The Museum Store will offer art, replicas, books, and other typical articles apropos to the

museum experience. Imported African arts and crafts will be a part of this offering, as well as art

from contemporary African artists.

Parking

Open lots on the parcel of land abutting the site for the museum will be developed into

parking decks that will meet the needs of visitors with cars, tour buses, and RVs. It should be

noted, however, that there is the proposed continuation of the Riverfront Streetcar line, which

would be a convenient, affordable and safe form of public transportation that would carry

visitors directly to the site.

FINANCIAL ANALYSIS

Phases

The project will be developed over four phases.

PHASE I Construction Renovation of the Entergy Facility

PHASE II Construction of Wharf Side Pavilion

PHASE III Construction of Second Level Pedestrian Bridge

PHASE IV Construction of Replica Sailing Slave Ship

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Construction and Renovation

The post-Katrina construction industry is experiencing unprecedented escalation in labor

and material costs. Over the next 10 years of recovery and rebuild, this trend is expected to

continue. Our current experience with museum projects of new construction shows an average

construction cost of approximately $130 per square foot for moderately designed structures. The

Entergy Facility is not an ordinary structure in its scale and construction methodology and

requires careful and sensitive deconstruction and very heavy equipment. Due to these simplified

factors, we are projecting the construction cost at $210 per square foot, or an increase of 50

percent over 2006 costs. This cost figure should be valid for the next two years. Obviously, we

cannot foretell the cost escalations within the Gulf Region, and these numbers must be updated

yearly.

Estimated  Construction  Costs   Construction cost of Entergy Facility 275,924 Sq. Ft. Gross @ $210/Sq. Ft. $57,944,040 Construction cost of Wharf side Pavilion 10,000 Sq. Ft. @ $130/Sq. Ft. $ 1,300,000 Construction of Second Level Pedestrian Bridge 4,800 Sq. Ft. @ $110/Sq. Ft. $ 528,000 Construction of the Replica Sailing Slave Ship $ 6,000,000 Total Project Hard Cost $65,772,040

Total Project Soft Cost $ 9,865,800 Total Project Budget $75,637,840 A more accurate analysis of construction and renovation costs will be determined in the final

feasibility study. Please refer to the Cost Analysis and Phasing for detailed area calculation

23

and cost projection, and the Conceptual Design Approach for an architectural layout of the

building.

Salaries

Director $ 100,000 Security (guards/elec. monitoring) $ 250,000 Support Staff $ 300,000 Assistant Director $ 75,000

Public Relations, National $ 60,000 Public Relations, International $ 60,000 Administrator, Exhibits $ 60,000 Administrator, Restaurant & Shop $ 60,000 Administrator, Maintenance $ 60,000 Administrator, Tours $ 60,000 Administrator, Security $ 60,000 Administrator, Commercial Space $ 60,000

Curator $ 50,000 Curator $ 50,000 Maintenance $ 50,000

Maintenance $ 50,000 Maintenance $ 50,000 Maintenance $ 50,000 Tour Guide $ 30,000 Tour Guide $ 30,000 Tour Guide $ 30,000 Tour Guide $ 30,000 Tour Guide $ 30,000

Estimated Gross Salaries $1,655,000

Revenue Sources

Membership (Annual) Individual $ 50.00 Dual $ 75.00 Family $ 100.00 Associate $ 150.00 Supporter $ 300.00 Sponsor $ 500.00 Friend $1,000.00 Patron $5,000.00

Admission (Daily) Regular Admission $14.00 Student with ID $ 8.00 Seniors over 65 $ 8.00

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Military $ 8.00 Children 5 – 13 $ 8.00 Children under 5 Free

The Gross total of anticipated revenue from membership and admission will be

determined through the final feasibility study.

Retail

It is expected that 80 percent of museum visitors will purchase an item from the museum

shop, ranging from books, music, to small African sculpture, arts and crafts, and textiles.

Café It is expected that 50% of museum visitors will eat a meal at the café, featuring authentic

African foods, preparation, ceremony and custom.

The Gross total of anticipated revenue from the retail and café sales will be determined

through the final feasibility study.

Funding

Funding for the project will come from federal, local, corporate, and private

contributions, as well as a corporate endeavor agreement with the State of Louisiana.

Grants

Public Law 103-433, Lower Mississippi Delta Initiatives, section 1104 states that

“…appropriate African American…organizations in the Delta Region are further directed to

prepare and transmit to the Congress a plan for necessary funding, for the establishment of a

Delta Region Native American Heritage Corridor and Heritage and Cultural Center and an

African American Heritage Corridor and Heritage and Cultural Center with a network of satellite

of cooperative units.” The National Slave Ship Museum should be designated as the African

American Delta Region Cultural Center.

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In addition, there are numerous federal and private grants that are appropriate for ongoing

support of the museum.

For example:

1. National Endowment for the Humanities: Museums, Libraries, or Special Projects:

Consultation Grants. http://www.neh.gov/grants/guidelines/public-consult.html

2. Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS)

Museum Grants for African American History and Culture

http://www.imls.gov/news/2006/112206.shtm

3. National Endowment of the Arts: Funding Opportunities in Museums:

http://www.arts.gov/grants/apply/Museums.html

4. National Park Service: Department of the Interior: Park Ethnography Program:

http://www.cr.nps.gov/ethnography/aah/aaheritage/HPNd.htm

SUNO

The Southern University at New Orleans will operate its Master of Arts Museum Studies

program, as well as the Molecular Biology Laboratory, from the facility. SUNO’s funding will

come from the State of Louisiana, which will lease the classrooms, offices, and labs.

Anticipated revenue from SUNO’s participation will be determined through the final

feasibility study.

DNA Lab

The proposed DNA Laboratory will offer a genealogy service for a fee to museum guests

who wish to trace their ancestry to the slaves who were bought and sold in Louisiana,

Mississippi, and the region, and the relationship with the Caribbean, Jamaica in particular, and

West Africa.

Anticipated revenue from the DNA Lab will be determined through the final feasibility

study.

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Traveling Slave Ship

The Slave Ship will be a functioning ship, which will travel up the Mississippi to Baton

Rouge, “Scotts Bluff” at Southern University, Natchez, Mississippi, to the forks in the road, and

other places of historical significance.

Anticipated revenue from the Traveling Slave Ship will be determined through the

final feasibility study.

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CONCLUSION

In this preliminary feasibility study, The Urban Design research Center (UDRC) has

focused its research on information available from primary and secondary sources, with a special

focus on the market potential of the Riverfront Development proposed by the New Orleans City

Council and the New Orleans City Planning Commission.

In summary, the UDRC has determined the National Slave Ship Museum will administer

to cultural and economic needs, and New Orleans will provide an ideal setting for such a

museum to flourish. The city already supports a national museum – the National World War II

Museum, as well as a strong and growing arts district, which is within walking distance to the

proposed site. The Riverfront Development is an ongoing project for which there is a great deal

of public support. The Public Law 103-433 mandates that Congress disseminates funding to

African American cultural centers, and the National Slave Ship Museum is an obvious candidate

for that funding.

New Orleans is a major tourist destination, and while post-Katrina numbers are not

comparable to pre-Katrina figures, there are clear indicators that tourism will soon reign as New

Orleans top industry. With the number of conventions expected for the 2008 fiscal year, we see

the movement toward normalcy. National Museums do not only draw tourists who visit a city,

but act as destinations in their own right. Such will be the case with the National Slave Ship

Museum, as it will attract worldwide visitors for a variety of reasons, including Africans and

African Americans who make a pilgrimage to the cradle of the slave trade in the Americas.

While the findings in this study warrant a deeper and more comprehensive feasibility

study to determine the details and requirements of an undertaking involved in a project of this

magnitude, it is the determination of the UDRC that the National Slave Ship Museum is a viable

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and meaningful project that will flourish in New Orleans. It will be a five-year time frame from

feasibility to complete construction, which allows for tourism to rejuvenate and evacuees to

return in significant numbers including school children. The unveiling of the National Slave

Ship Museum project will be timely in the long-term development plans of the Riverfront

properties.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The National Slave Ship Museum and this preliminary feasibility study were completed

through the efforts and services provided by the following people: Lloyd E. Lazard, Founder, National Slave Ship Museum Clifton C. James, Sr. Director Urban Design Research Center 2322 Canal Street New Orleans, LA 70119 504 620 9655 Urban Design Research Center Staff: Clifton C. James, Jr. Mimi Loftus

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Public Law 103-433, Section 1104. (1988).Retrieved on December 17, 2006 from http://www.cr.nps.gov/delta/volume1/abdxa.htm

Rider, David P. Slavery in Early Louisiana. Retrieved January 16, 2007 from http://www.dickshovel.com/slavery.html Schultz, Kelly and Mary Beth Romig. Tourism, Hospitality and Convention Industry Facts One

Year After Katrina. Retrieved December 22, 2006 from http://www.neworleanscvb.com/articles/index.cfm/action/view/articleID/610/typeID/1

Smith, Carter (Ed.). (1990). African Historical Images on Life: The Black Experience. Facts on File. New York. 1990 Stowage of the British slave ship Brookes under the regulated slave trade act of 1788. Retrieved January 16, 2007 from http://lcweb2.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/i?pp/ils:@field(NUMBER+@band(cph+3a44236)):displayType=1:m856sd=cph:m856sf=3a44236 Tipo Tib's fresh captives being sent into bondage. Retrieved January 16, 2007 from http://lcweb2.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/i?pp/ils:@field(NUMBER+@band(cph+3a29129)):displayType=1:m856sd=cph:m856sf=3a29129 Wilson Chinn, a branded slave from Louisiana. Retrieved January 16, 2007 from http://lcweb2.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/i?pp/ils:@field(NUMBER+@band(cph+3b36701)):displayType=1:m856sd=cph:m856sf=3b36701 Zulu Warrior. Retrieved January 18, 2007 from http://regentsprep.org/Regents/global/themes/imperialism/africa.cfm

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APPENDIX A The Master of Arts in Museum Studies Southern University at New Orleans

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APPENDIX B Riverfront Vision 2005 New Orleans City Planning Commission