While New Orleans has taken levee tips from Dutch dam-building experts, maybe Baton Rouge could get some housing pointers from Amsterdam squatters.
More than 50 years ago, groups of resourceful youths in the overcrowded city began moving into abandoned buildings and apartment complexes. As squatting became popular, it was legally incorporated into Amsterdam ordinances.
Today, as rent prices continue to inch upwards and central apartments are harder to find, many students see it as the only way to find affordable housing. "We study, so we squat," the banners from their windows read.
If a building or room remains empty for one year, the space is legally open for squatters to move in and legally claim their residence. If Louisiana allowed it, I could have had a mansion years ago by cleaning up the empty K-mart near my home.
Feverishly sought-after squat housing can be hard to come across. Even students not lucky enough to live in one can share the perks. Many of my favorite bars are located inside squats.
Often placed in empty rooms of random apartment buildings, they serve as a casual gathering places for the young people living in the area. Because the property must run for no profit, drinks are cheap. A beer is one euro, and shots are two. Movie nights frequently run as an alternative to a nine-euro cinema ticket, and for some new bands, a local squat is a great place for a first live show.
More established bands are likely to play the most famous Amsterdam squat, the venue Paradiso. In 1879, what is now a music hall was built as an elaborate three-story Protestant church from the designs of architect Gerlof Bartholomeus Salm. When the congregation moved on, the hippies squatted in 1967 with 25 feet of stained glass still intact.
For music lovers, there is always something spiritual about a great performance, but a night at the Paradiso adds a special ambience.
Keith Richards has said the Rolling Stones played their greatest show at the Paradiso. For those of you stateside, and for me when I am home, at least that performance became the live album "Stripped," so we can enjoy a rock show with acoustics created for choirs anywhere in the world.
---- Contact Kelley Crawford at kcrawford@lsureveille.com
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