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Postcard circa 1970s: Kummerlowe
 
 
Photograph December 2003: Phil Edwards
 
 
Postcard circa 1970s: Kummerlowe
 
 
Photograph December 2003: Phil Edwards
 
New owners began a remodeling effort in the early 2000s which resulted in demolition of the signature A-frame Gate Lodge and elimination of guest room patios and balconies. At one point the property was set to be repatriated as a Howard Johnson, but a series of reverses prevented revitalization of the location. Finally, Hurricane Katrina's visit on August 29, 2005 devastated New Orleans and put the former Howard Johnson's out of business for an extended period of time.
 
Photographs March 12, 2006: Kummerlowe
 
 

In March of 2006 driving into New Orleans from Slidell on rigged together remnants of the Twin Spans (I-10), it was disturbing to witness the destruction and utter devastation wrought by Katrina. The area known as New Orleans East was nearly completely abandoned. It was a ghost town. Vast apartment complexes, housing developments, and shopping districts had been reduced to unusable rubble--it all had become a wasteland that looked like a war zone. Moreover, even more than six months after Katrina very few traffic signals were operating, but it didn't matter because there was no traffic anyway.

When I got out of my car at the former HoJo's, the stench hit me. The odor of rot and mold was overpowering and it was good to get back in the car after only taking a few pictures and quick look around.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
© Microsoft Corp (pre-Katrina view)
 
By the 2010s much of New Orleans had been repopulated and many places were rebuilt and repaired. The old once Fabulous HoJo's was cleaned up somewhat and made into a low end Motel 6, but based on online reviews it is doubtful that the mostly poorly rated motel will remain branded.
 
Postcard circa 1960s: Donahue collection
 
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