Maumus Center

The Maumus Center is conceived as a hands-on Science Learning Center for the St. Bernard Parish School system to be located in the former Maumus High School complex in Old Arabi, Louisiana. The purpose of the Maumus Center will be to teach the St. Bernard School District science curriculum, focusing on the region’s ecology and the environmental issues raised by Hurricane Katrina, which devastated this largest parish in Louisiana. The Center will house a number of exhibits, science labs, and will feature a planetarium in a newly constructed 4,000 square foot addition to replace the planetarium facility that was destroyed in the hurricane.

The original two story wood-framed and load-bearing brick building was constructed as the Arabi Elementary School, and was renamed Maumus High in 1931, the only high school in St. Bernard until 1955. A two story addition was built north of the original building circa 1947 and joined to it with an arched breezeway bringing the total square footage of the complex to 30,000 square feet on the two acre site.

Construction is scheduled for completion in spring 2014.