Next to Ted’s Frostop Diner in Uptown New Orleans, an oversized, foamy root beer mug rises above South Claiborne Avenue — first a beacon of roadside Americana, later a defiant symbol of Hurricane Katrina recovery.
Now, the 14-foot-tall sign will outlast the diner itself, which is set to be demolished to make way for student housing for Tulane University’s Uptown campus. Frostop will return as the anchor tenant in the new building.
The demolition marks the loss of another deep-rooted establishment in a city long resistant to change, from its neighborhoods and businesses to its traditions. Frostop joins a growing list of longtime establishments New Orleans has bid farewell to in the past year, including Milan Lounge, Palace Cafe and, as of Tuesday, Checkpoint Charlie…