There are not many things that make me sit up and say “Wow!”, but today I was introduced to the brand-spanking-new Healing Center on St. Claude Avenue, and I have to say I was mighty impressed.

The center is at the site of the funky (and not in a good way) Universal Furniture Store at 2372 St. Claude Avenue at the corner of St. Roch, across the street from the iconic, now-closed St. Roch Market—sure do miss those shrimp po-boys!.

What used to be a tacky 1960s-style metal-panel-over brick façade is now painted bright orange and turquoise and lights up St. Claude (we used it as a background for our upcoming August issue). The development was spearheaded by Sallie Ann Glassman and her longtime companion, developer Pres Kabacoff.

When we went into the space, it was set up for a community meeting, with plush oriental rugs, tables and chairs. “This space is really set up as a multi-use space,” explained Mark Huber, the HC’s General Manager. “We also have 14 stall spaces marked out on the floor for a ‘Crossroads Arts Bazaar’ so that local artisans and artists can participate in an ongoing artists’ market inside this space.”

The first floor also contains a branch of the Downtown Fitness Center that will offer discounted rates at this facility and The Island of Salvation Botanica, Ms. Glassman’s shop, which attracted my attention immediately because of the herbs and potions lining the walls, Haitian flags and artwork on the walls, and the calm vibe of the place. Nice.

There’s a broad staircase leading up to a second floor branch of Maple Street Bookstore, and if you walk further back, you pass a community credit union, the Fatoush Restaurant, Coffee Shop and Juice Bar, the New Orleans Food Co-Op Grocery Store (at last, plentiful and cheap fresh fruit and veggies in the neighborhood), a small lounge with wi-fi access, and the Café Istanbul Performance Center.

Upstairs there are multiple gallery spaces, a Wild Lotus yoga studio, a travel agency, a women’s collective, a center for affordable healing arts (the healing arts pods can be used for Reiki treatments, massage, acupuncture, etc.), the Movement Room Dance studio, four classrooms for The Street University (currently conducting classes on conspiracy theory!) and on the third floor, an expansive roof deck and an “Interfaith Center” for everyone no matter what faith or belief.

It’s pretty astounding, considering what was there before, and what wise investment, architectural design and thoughtful planning can do. There’s certainly nothing else like it in New Orleans and I expect it will easily become a citywide destination.

The commonality of all the different spaces (and there are many) is the word “healing”: healing arts, artwork, healthy food, alternative healing practitioners, music, books, music. It’s all there.

The Café Istanbul space was particularly interesting to me because it’s co-owned by spoken word performer and musician Chuck Perkins, and restaurateur and bar owner Suleyman Aydin. Aydin created the Mona Lisa restaurant on Royal Street, and also for a time took the old Dream Palace on Frenchmen Street and converted it to the very first Café Istanbul (it’s now, of course, the Blue Nile).

The Café Istanbul space isn’t very large, but it has a great wide stage that can accommodate everything from spoken word performances, live music, theater, lectures and small group presentations. There is a small bar, access from the parking lot outside, and a second floor mezzanine that overlooks the stage.

Surprisingly, for what it intends to be, Perkins and Aydin, as well as the Healing Center itself, have encountered some opposition from the Faubourg Marigny Improvement Association, as well as from a few neighbors. One of these is “Lord David,” a local artist who doesn’t like the building colors’ reflected light into his house, and apparently the fact that alcoholic beverages can be purchased at Istanbul, even though this guy has run a speakeasy (Skull Club) from his own house for quite a while. He also seems to have a problem in that some of the businesses in the complex will be in business to make a profit. Huh? Read his blog for his side of the issue (he’ll love it if you do!).

The FMIA is seemingly upset by the alcohol and the potential for live music in the venue.

Music always seems to be something that upsets the controlling faction of the FMIA, unfortunately. I cannot imagine how this place is going to do anything but good things for the neighborhood and for the city as a whole. They all need to back off and to let this thing happen in peace. How about you pay some attention to the graffiti that’s defacing the walls of all the historic buildings you’re so interested in preserving? That’s a great project to tackle. Leave the music alone, especially in place like the Healing Center. In fact, why don’t you go listen to some music and get some healing yourselves…!