Comments on: Lake Forest Plaza Mall; New Orleans, Louisiana

By: Nolajo

Nolajo — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 05:33:18 +0000

@Jim,

I remember a lot of what you are taalking. I just wanted to let you know that Flame-N-Burger is back on the map in Kenner, Louisiana…

As for the mall, I will visit the site and report on it to this site.

By: Mary L

Mary L — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 04:41:52 +0000

I was on the Dixie Darlings…1987 until the rink closed in 1988.

This mall didn’t have to die. When the ice rink was open, my mom would drive me from across town (Metairie) at least 3x a week. I spent all my money at the mall…I never shopped in Metairie. When they took out the ice rink, I decided Metairie’s malls would get all my business from then on.

By: BWB

BWB — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 21:03:58 +0000

A portion of the Queen Latifah movie “Last Holiday” was filmed in the old Maison Blanche/Dillards pre-Katrina. It took me a minute to realize where they were, but the store looks just like it did until Katrina struck.

By: JohnE.

JohnE. — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 02:07:06 +0000

I have finally posted my videos of this mall during demolition at my new blog.
Check it out at http://southernretail.blogspot.com/. Feel free to send submissions to my e-mail listed on my blog page.

By: Gingerleah

Gingerleah — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 16:33:07 +0000

Cathy, Yes I was on the skating team! Do you keep up with anyone from the team? I have so few pictures from then do you? Get in touch
gingerleah@bellsouth.net

By: JohnE

JohnE — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 04:59:14 +0000

The Dillard’s is finally gone and the Lowe’s is nearly complete. This area is still a huge work in progress that has just begun. The Walgreen’s on the outer side of the mall will be open soon and hopefully the design in the drawings becomes the look of the center. New Orleans East deserves this boost to attract more middle class families to the area and improve the local economy.

By: cyndiann

cyndiann — Wed, 07 May 2008 02:57:04 +0000

Lake Forest Glory Days are indeed over; but a resurgence of a different type of mall is slated to take place. At presently only Lowe’s is on the site and the community’s population is approximately 60,000 strong. The area’s residents are trying to persuade other stores to open because there are many homeowners who would like to spend their discretionary income in this area in order to get New Orleans’ tax base at a rate that would entice people back to the Big Easy. The East has so much land and potential; it seems to need serious investors and a more cohesive group of people to make it the New Orleans East that it was in the 70’s. The tenacity of the people in that area is overwhelmingly optimistic. Let’s hope that New Orleans comes back bigger and better!

By: Jim

Jim — Tue, 01 Jan 2008 19:25:08 +0000

I am temporaily working in NOLA right now (I moved to Houston from NOLA in the early 90’s) . Last weekend on my way to Biloxi I drove by the site of the Plaza and only could shake my head in wonderment.
When the Plaza opened in the mid 70’s it was a BIG event. Although the family homestead was(and still is) only 3/4 of a mile from Lakeside,my friends and I would go the 12 miles out to Lake Forest using our newly accquired drivers license and the Family Truckster. The Plaza had a lot of stores that we had only seen on trips to malls in other states. The Gap,Farrell’s Ice Cream,Oshman’s Sporting Goods AND most importantly,a Spencer Gifts,where I started to collect an extensive collection of blacklight posters,and flicker filament light bulbs! The ice skating rink was miniscule at best and I’m sure the carbon monixide levels went through the roof when the zamboni came out to resurface the ice,but to a 15 year old,the place was IT. Sometimes we would go and eat at Sizzler instead of burgers at Mc’Donald’s or Flame-N-Burger (a now defunct local chain).
Back in the mid to late 70s . The area around the Plaza was thriving and Lake Forest was expanding rapidly. The downturn started in the early 80s and things plunged into decay rapidly. . .amazingly so. By the time I had returned from college in the early 80s one could see the difference. Before Katrina the surrounding area apartments had been section 8 or completely abandoned. Katrina merely dealt the final blow. Amazing indeed!

By: Margaret Duhon

Margaret Duhon — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 19:38:36 +0000

I was not bashing New Orleans when I said it was dead! I have always loved New Orleans but let’s be real here. Rent is almost as high as New York City now, WRNO is no longer “The Rock of New Orleans” , B-97 is broadcasting via Jammin 105.9 in Austin, TX. I am assuming there are not enough DJ’s to fill in the empty spots. The Murder rate is worse than before Katrina, and the corrupt politics are still running the place. Louisiana is broke so that ridiculous state tax out of hand, and of course there are no real decent paying jobs, and the jobs that are available are more than likely not hiring. I wanted to move to Metairie from Lafayette back in 1988 and could not find decent paying work. I head to leave Louisiana altogether. I still love my home state, but you just cannot make a decent living there. I pray that all of this mess can be fixed, and the New Orleans area can thrive once more, but until they do something to attract business, stabalize tax, and rent, only the very wealthy can afford to live there.

By: Margaret Duhon

Margaret Duhon — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 21:34:45 +0000

JOHN E
Its called Northgate Mall, not Northline. Northline is a dead mall in Houston, Texas