NOTICE: Lincoln Beach is not currently open to residents for recreation due to unsafe conditions.
The City of New Orleans is in the process of redeveloping Lincoln Beach and has successfully secured $24.6 million in funding to revitalize 
this historically, culturally, and environmentally significant site.
Lincoln Beach was an important recreational site for African American residents during segregation. A 15-acre peninsula abutting Lake Pontchartrain and situated in New Orleans East, the site is bound by Hayne Boulevard. Closed since 1964, structures and facilities have deteriorated over time due to lack of maintenance and a barrage of hurricane impacts.
The Historical Significance of Lincoln Beach
Developed as a Black beach in 1954, it was an active community destination for over a decade before it was shut down in the post-Jim Crow Era when the passage of the Civil Rights Act in the 1960s spurred racial integration.
Lincoln Beach holds a significant place in New Orleans’ history, emerging during segregation as the only safe access point to Lake Pontchartrain for Black residents. Established in 1938, it provided a haven for the Black community, offering an alternative to racially exclusive beaches. With its vibrant atmosphere, Lincoln Beach became a beloved family destination, fostering community and pride. The lake shore became synonymous with leisure and entertainment. Lincoln Beach hosted beauty pageants, dance nights, and diving competitions in addition to big musical acts like Fats Domino, The Drifters, and Nat King Cole.
Lincoln Beach is listed on the National Register of Historic Places for its significance to Black heritage, social history, and recreation in New Orleans. Once a thriving gathering place, it closed in the 1960s and its facilities fell into disrepair, making the site unsafe for visitors.
Why It’s Being Restored
The goal of this project is to create a community-led and community-supported master plan to reopen Lincoln Beach as a safe, accessible, and year-round waterfront space that reconnects New Orleanians to Lake Pontchartrain. The plan outlines phased, achievable steps supported by design and governance recommendations to ensure Lincoln Beach becomes a sustainable public space for all.
This master plan builds on years of groundwork by the community and the City of New Orleans, including the 2021 Site Assessment Report, and the 2022 Community Vision Report.
Although closed for decades, Lincoln Beach has remained a meaningful gathering place and one of the few accessible beaches along the south shore of Lake Pontchartrain. In 2020, community members launched a grassroots effort led by Michael “Sage” Pellet, Tricia “Blyss” Wallace, and Reggie Ford through New Orleans for Lincoln Beach. Their leadership renewed momentum to restore the site as a safe and welcoming public space.
The Cantrell Administration started funding redevelopment efforts in 2020 and published a site assessment in Spring 2021. The Lincoln Beach Site Assessment Report confirmed that the site can safely be redeveloped with appropriate resourses.
Our Guiding Values: Heritage, Equity, and Environment