URBAN FABRIC: Ode to Old Entergy

by C. VanWingen

Photo by Anonymous

The impression from a distance is one of foregone majesty; her smoke stacks are visible on the horizon from any point in the city west of the downtown high rises, her perch over the river is regal and timeless.  Upon approach, her textures deepen and the scars of neglect, vandalism, and over a century of brutal sun, wind and water become her most prominent features.  The plant is imposing and foreboding from the street, packed with excitement and danger.  Once inside, however, the experience is downright religious; hundreds of clerestories caked in dust filter the harsh Louisiana sun; a tangle of rusted beams, trusses and catwalks extend to the primary space’s ceiling 100 feet overhead; decades of art contributed by some of the world’s most notable urban artists give the brick walls an extraordinary, vivid veneer worthy of any museum; pools of water in the plant’s lower reaches, remaining from tragedies past, bounce the light in a way that creates a sense tranquility and nobility, even in this scene of utter dilapidation. The Old Entergy Building, located deep within the Tchoupitoulas industrial corridor on the banks of the Mississippi River, is slated to become a Bass Pro Shop this summer.

Photo by Anonymous

Photo by Anonymous

Photo by Anonymous

Photo by Anonymous

Photo by Anonymous