a casa de nova orleans

A Casa de Nova Orleans, originally uploaded by cabeca dura.

This house, from the outside, could be on Esplanade Avenue in New Orleans, and it has some of the same energy I imagine. It was built by a really wealthy Catholic family and has been, in turns, inhabited by slaves, squatters, and ghosts.

For now, it is empty, but is being renovated by a non-profit that works with homeless youth. A telling story of Brasilian politics...the director of the organization asked the government for the house and was denied, but when another, even less politically desirable group sought ownership, they were told that the house was already being given to the non-profit. (Sorry, my memory's a bit fuzzy on the story, but these are the basics.)