In 1971 Mayor Moon Landrieu appointed a committee to recommend a memorial for Louis Armstrong who had died that year on July 6. Judge Ernest N. Morial was the chairman and Winston Lill, Director of the Office of Public Relations, was the staff.
The committee recommended a park be built as a living memorial where New Orleans traditions could grow and flourish in the neighborhood where Jazz was born. The site was to be on a portion of the Treme neighborhood which had been demolished earlier by a previous administration to make way for a “Cultural Center”. Mayor Landrieu accepted the committee’s concept with the proviso that the park pay for itself—in much the same way that Tivoli Gardensin Copenhagen, Denmark supports itself financially.
With that directive a Client Committee was established to oversee the design and construction of a city facility which would ultimately be operated by a private entity and pay rent to the city from income from generated by the year-round production of music and food unique to New Orleans.
From 1971 until the opening of the first stage of the facility in 1980, Robin Riley worked as architect, designer and construction manager for the park. Cashio Cochran, Landscape Architects provided additional technical support. Anthony J. Mumphrey, Jr. and Stephen D. Villavaso of Mayor Ernest N. Morial's staff facilitated the project.
Unfortunately, the public bid process which was intended to produce a private operator was flawed and the political will to complete the project was lost as a new city administration came into office in 1986.
