Katrina-damaged New Orleans theater goes for 1927 glory

Associated Press

NEW ORLEANS — New Orleans officials are celebrating the renovation of a downtown theater as another milestone in the city’s recovery from Hurricane Katrina.

A public-private partnership is restoring the Saenger Theatre on Canal Street with a larger stage and state-of-the-art theatrical equipment.

Even so, David Anderson, a principal in a corporation that is working with the city on the restoration, says the $51 million job won’t just restore the building to its pre-Katrina status. It’s designed to evoke the atmosphere of the Saenger’s early days after it was built in 1927.

Flooding from Katrina heavily damaged the Saenger in 2005.

Mayor Mitch Landrieu says the building is being restored not just as it was, but the way it should be — a theme he says symbolizes the city’s recovery.