While there is no doubt there are many problems facing New Orleans residents on how to rebuild their city, I believe Mr. Vetter’s wish to “bury it under 100 feet of trash from all the Gulf Coast states destroyed by Katrina” is the most offensive remark that could be made.
How senseless and inappropriate even to suggest that the rebuilding of New Orleans include destroying historic districts such as The French Quarter and Garden District. These areas have been around since the 1700s, and the very idea they are not worth preserving is ludicrous.
In the months following Katrina, we should be even more enamored by the architecture that abounds in New Orleans, considering the destruction of the style throughout a large portion of the Gulf Coast region.
Are there problems that face New Orleans residents? Yes. Perhaps rebuilding the Lower Ninth Ward as it was in the past is a bad idea, but we need to appreciate the buildings that were built by the early settlers of the city, those who understood city planning and the workings of the river.
To suggest that those buildings could be destroyed and rebuilt in what can only be called “False French Colonial” would be a mockery of what past and present residents of New Orleans have gone through in order to make their city what it is today — a piece of American history and architecture that should be preserved and treasured.
Finally, I would ask Mr. Vetter: If it were your home that was destroyed, wouldn’t you want to see it rebuilt?
Jennifer Brennan
Southern Pines
