Hope Haven: the eerie abandoned orphanage with a dark past

Are you brave enough to explore this abandoned orphanage?

A lost relic from another era, this looming estate has a sense of foreboding woven into its ornate architecture. The largest collection of Spanish Colonial Revival-style buildings in Louisiana, the campus was once used as an orphanage, comprising classrooms, residences, religious halls and admin offices, but it harbours more than a few skeletons in its closet. Click or scroll on and let's take a tour of this eerie orphanage...

Tools of the trade

Known as Hope Haven, the orphanage was founded around 1925 by a Dutch priest from the Roman Catholic Church. It was captured here in all its eerie glory by photographer Leland Kent of Abandoned Southeast. This two-storey classroom block with round-arched arcades, a red-tiled roof and elaborate ironwork is typical of Spanish Colonial Revival architecture. On the sculptural stonework surrounding the entrance are relief carvings of hammers, axes, pliers and other trade tools. That’s because it was a vocational school, where skilled manual trades were taught to residents.

Abandoned classrooms

This abandoned school classroom or administration room is grander than you might expect after decades of neglect. The pale blue plastered walls and simple fireplace retain a certain elegance, despite the ravages of time, and even the encroaching graffiti fails to detract. Notice the stone medallion above the fireplace – the carved bird may be a pelican, a Christian symbol conveying a dedication to caring for the young.

Detritus of decades past

The building's neglect becomes apparent in this close-up shot, where you can see the thick layers of grime covering the door, shelves and flooring. Children in the orphanage were either taken from the family home by authorities or admitted to the home by parents due to poverty or complex developmental needs. By 1940, the Society of Architectural Historians estimates that the campus was home to at least 100 boys and 40 girls.

Eerie artwork

Depictions of capering clowns in green, purple and yellow line the corridors, however, they've taken on a seemingly sinister air since the orphanage's abandonment. Especially when you notice the heartwrenching graffiti on the wall opposite, which appears to be a drawing of smiling parents alongside the word 'happiness'.

Vocational schooling

Here you can see the remains of numerical teaching tools on the walls of this hallway between classrooms. The orphanage was originally founded with the intention of teaching a vocation to orphaned teenage boys, so they could become productive members of society. Farming, carpentry, printing and book-binding were some of the skills taught, while the campus had its own self-sustaining co-op farm to feed the residents. The orphanage later expanded to accommodate younger children and girls too.

Staffed by spiritual society

This curving staircase with handsome double twist spindles leads up to the gloomy second floor where dormitories may have been located. The orphanage was staffed by members of a historic Roman Catholic order established to educate impoverished children during the 19th century, before the running of the institution was taken over by Catholic charities in the 1960s.

Room without a view

This abandoned space upstairs echoes the downstairs décor in shape and style, but notice the jousting knights carved on each corner of the otherwise simple Art Deco fireplace. Also from that era, the two arched alcoves either side of the hearth are typical hallmarks of 1920s architecture. Metal latticework covers the windows and glass door panel, obscuring the outside world from those inside.

Stripped to the bone

This large decaying space was probably a classroom – you can just make out a chalkboard. The cladding across the walls and ceiling is splintering and peeling into strips, revealing the wooden framework of the building. In its heyday, the campus had lots of facilities for students, including a gym, swimming pool, an infirmary and recreation halls.

Devastating flood damage

Giving a good idea of just how extensive the damage is in these endangered historic buildings, filthy water has flooded the bathroom block and the ceiling is collapsing over utilitarian white-tiled bathroom fixtures. Although the campus ceased being residential by the end of the 1980s, it continued to operate as a day centre for community care schemes. The old gym was used as a food bank until relatively recently when the structure was deemed unsafe.

Million-dollar restoration

Ripped up wooden floor planks splay out in this eye-catching shot, as if the fabric of the building is fraying. Yet some of the structures have undergone repairs over the years – on the east side of the campus, an abandoned chapel received funding for a revamp in 2014. Around $1.6 million (£1.2m) was given to restore the structure so that a day care facility for elderly people could be operated from the premises.

Taste of hope

Arched cloisters are typical of Spanish Colonial Revival architecture and evoke the religious designs of monasteries, which often have covered outdoor walkways. Until recently, the orphanage building designated for younger children was used as a café, where at-risk young adults would be taught all aspects of the restaurant business, giving them the practical skills to get a job elsewhere. The scheme has now moved premises but continues to serve the community.

Sculptural stonework

This remarkably preserved mosaic exterior wall feature was likely a water fountain. The ornate stonework surrounding the mosaic is echoed on the entrance doorways of many of the campus buildings. It's known as Spanish Baroque, an elaborate decorative style of architecture supposed to overwhelm your senses with its cornucopia of shells, garlands, drapes of fabric, leaves, flowers, faces, fruit and more.

Shades of grey

The administration building features long arched cloisters with Solomonic columns – distinctive twisting corkscrew pillars, also called barley-sugar columns. Small human-like figures are recessed into parts of the façade, probably representing tradesmen. Far from its former glory, the white stucco walls have darkened with the grime of decades, turning once bright white walls a dull grey.

Shocking past

The campus is set on 10 acres of land, featuring sprawling lawns, oak trees and fountains. Despite its formally pastoral setting, the orphanage was allegedly the scene of unforgivably evil acts. In 2009, the archdiocese paid almost $5.2 million (£3.8m) in settlements in response to more than 20 lawsuits from victims who said they were sexually molested and beaten by staff on campus. In 2018, more former residents of the orphanage came forward with allegations of abuse.

Day in court

Pictured here is the Chinchuba Institute for deaf-mute people, also on the site. It’s unclear what’s happened with the 2018 lawsuit. However, the archdiocese filed for Chapter 11 reorganisation bankruptcy in May 2020, meaning many sex abuse victims may never have their day in open court. Although the pain of survivors of this horrific abuse must never be forgotten, the community is hoping to move forward from this dark chapter by repurposing the site to benefit the local community. 

A new chapter

Pictured here is another residential and teaching building. In 2017, the site was leased by the parish for a nominal fee. In 2020, work began to stabilise buildings, with possible plans for future use ranging from a concert venue and swimming pool to an exercise area, playground, walking trail and visitor facilities. Crews finished $1.2 million (£982k) of work on the building by gutting it down to the studs, removing asbestos and securing the windows. The next projects are the $2.4 million (£2m) Dibert Administration Building and the parish-funded $1.3 million (£1m) walking trail. We can't wait to see this place transformed.

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