Sasaki
The arcing boardwalk meeting the historic Midway marks a central gathering space at Lincoln Beach.
Once a vibrant waterfront destination for New Orleans’ Black community during segregation, Lincoln Beach closed after desegregation in 1964 and with no entity in place to reopen the site, has remained closed since. The Lincoln Beach Redevelopment Master Plan reimagines this beloved site as a resilient, inclusive, and ecologically rich public space that welcomes New Orleanians back to the shores of Lake Pontchartrain.
Sasaki led a multidisciplinary design team, working directly with the community to shape the Lincoln Beach Redevelopment Master Plan. The plan lays out a phased, implementable vision for reopening the site, one that honors its past while addressing today’s social, ecological, and infrastructural challenges.
Lincoln Beach is situated on the south side of Lake Pontchartrain in the Little Woods Neighborhood of New Orleans East and is one of the only places to access the water in the greater New Orleans area.
Lincoln Beach holds a significant place in New Orleans’ history, emerging during segregation as the only safe access point to Lake Pontchartrain for Black residents.
Community input has been central to every step of the process. Over 1,000 residents participated in public workshops, surveys, and neighborhood meetings to share their vision for the site. The final vision for the plan reflects four community-defined guiding principles: Reach Out & Connect; Remember, Celebrate, Shape; Balance the Tranquil & The Thrilling; and Embrace Gulf Coast Ecology. The resulting framework centers on nature, recreation, and reconnection.
Existing site conditions
The design proposes a range of public amenities to support everyday use and larger gatherings that honor the site’s past diversity of programming. A large playground, shaded lawns, nature trails, a boardwalk, a reimagined swimming pier, and a beachfront lawn and terrace invite planned and impromptu uses. A welcome center and history museum will help share the story of Lincoln Beach, while the lakeside restaurant will provide concessions and respite from the Louisiana heat. Improvements to connectivity such as a pedestrian bridge across Lincoln Beach Boulevard, a raised boardwalk, and an elevated oak canopy walk help ensure safe access for people walking, biking, driving, or taking transit from nearby neighborhoods, even in the event of a flood.
Site Plan
Site Axon
Lincoln Beach’s expansive playground offers fun for children of all ages with slides, elevated tree forts, and felled-wood play structures, creating a one-of-a-kind play destination for New Orleans East.
The thoughtfully designed welcome center and history museum welcome visitors and highlight the site’s rich past with a park-entry experience offering court sports, picnicking, and shaded relaxation beneath towering bald cypress trees.
Lincoln Beach faces significant climate-related challenges, including sea level rise and hurricane risk. The plan includes practical measures to strengthen resilience: elevation of key structures and areas, integration of stormwater management, and the protection of existing trees and marshland to enhance habitat and shoreline stability. Strategic elements such as breakaway walls and a site-wide planting palette of native, salt-tolerant vegetation, position Lincoln Beach as a model for climate-adaptive waterfront design on the Gulf Coast. The Lincoln Beach Redevelopment Master Plan is designed for the 50-year time horizon in terms of sea level rise and climate impacts.
With the threat of flooding and sea level rise, strategic elements of the site are raised above projected flood levels.
The landscape typologies at Lincoln Beach are inspired by its existing natural ecosystems, primarily live oak forest and intermediate marsh.
The Lincoln Beach Redevelopment Master Plan proposes a thoughtful reinterpretation of the site’s remaining historic structures such as the pool and pool deck remnants, the shelter pavilions, and the midway concrete. Drawing inspiration from the site’s cultural legacy, the plan reflects its lakefront ecology and the communities that have long called for its revival, the playful curves of nearby bayous and the bold, expressive forms of mid-century “Googie” architecture still present on the site.
The plan integrates new structures and landscapes with care, respecting existing topography and trees and revealing historic traces through interpretive elements. These rich elements on the site are woven together through a ‘historic loop’ that takes visitors on an educational and accessible journey. Views of Lake Pontchartrain are framed through openings in the existing tree canopy and along elevated paths, creating a sense of unfolding discovery.
Rather than simply recreating Lincoln Beach as it once was, the design integrates historic relics, interpretive public art, and educational opportunities to highlight the site’s rich history.
Key historic elements, including 1939 pedestrian tunnel, Works Progress Administration (WPA)-era beach, 1954 shade pavilions, and historic signage reflect mid-century modern and WPA Moderne styles.
Through phased implementation, creative partnerships, and a commitment to community governance, the Lincoln Beach Redevelopment Master Plan charts a path for reopening the site with care and long-term stewardship. As the beach returns to public life, it offers not just a place to swim or gather, but a living memorial, a restored ecosystem, and a renewed connection between New Orleanians and their lakefront.
For more information contact Joshua Brooks or Marta Guerra-Pastrián.