The old John McDonogh High School building on Esplanade Avenue was gleaming Friday morning as children zipped up its historic staircase, through its sleek hallways and into classrooms newly outfitted with state-of-the-art technology.

After a $35 million transformation, the school is worlds apart from the building that neighbors remember from years ago, when floors noticeably sagged, teachers complained of mildew, and pigeons made it inside from windows that came unlocked when the wind blew too hard.

“There is no comparison,” said John Keller, 49, a longtime resident of the area who once taught at John McDonogh and now sends his son to Bricolage Academy, the school that now will occupy the building.

“They put good work into this,” he said. “It was done beautifully.”

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* Photos provided courtesy of The New Orleans Advocate.