FreeTown and the Apartments North of UL

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Construction of Capstone Quarters, the newest tenant in Freetown, will begin in mid-September, according to developers. "We will start construction on Sept. 15 and the project is scheduled for completion next August," said Kent T. Campbell, executive vice president for Capstone Development Corp. Residents haven't exactly rolled out the welcome mat for the proposed new complex, which will add 575 beds to the mix of student housing options for UL students. On Monday, Capstone representatives will meet with their new neighbors to address concerns and questions they may have about nearly 600 university students moving into their neighborhood. And on Tuesday, the council will decide whether to approve the second phase of the Capstone project. Istvan Berkeley, a Freetown resident, said he hopes the meeting between residents and the corporation will open a dialogue on how to mitigate the impact of the development on the neighborhood. "I would like Capstone to actually hear the voice of the people," said Berkeley, who also is an associate professor at UL. "I would like them to just realize that they are actually hurting real people and this is a real neighborhood with flesh and blood people there." The rest of the story Marsha Sills msills@theadvertiser.com

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LAFAYETTE — The University of Louisiana’s history department will begin documenting the history of Freetown — an old neighborhood near downtown that served as a safe haven for black people after the Civil War. The study is being paid for from some of the $200,000 donated by the developer of a student apartment complex under construction in the historic neighborhood. Last year, residents fought approval of the apartment complex, saying it could degrade the area. As a result of a compromise, Capstone Development made the donation to be used to help preserve the neighborhood’s uniqueness. A committee of three — two residents and a representative of the company — was appointed by the City-Parish Council to administer the funds. The rest of the story By KEVIN BLANCHARD Advocate Acadiana bureau

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Lafayette's historic Freetown neighborhood is at a crossroads. After months of community meetings, the first phase of the controversial 142-unit student housing complex The Quarters is almost complete, with about 200 residents expected to move in Saturday and Tuesday. On Stewart Street, the gated apartments, complete with a clubhouse and swimming pool, mark the most significant new construction in the area in several years. Outside those gates, however, are dozens of residents living in woodframe houses, many of which date back to the 1800s. Nestled between Jefferson and Johnston streets and including Garfield, Taft and Stewart streets, the area was settled by freed slaves and was once the center of racial discord, with blacks fighting for their rights against the Ku Klux Klan and the Knights of the White Camellia. "We're talking about white guys who were terrorists against black people right after the Civil War," said attorney Glenn Armentor, who has done extensive research on the area's history, "but many of the African-American citizens were leaders and rose up against that. There was a lot of courage exhibited by leaders of the Freetown community." The rest of the story Amanda McElfresh amcelfresh@theadvertiser.com