The houses at 7463-65 Benjamin Street, with the rest of the empty Cherokee Street lot to the left. (via Google Maps)
A New Jersey doctor won permission from the New Orleans City Council last week to tear down two small homes on Benjamin Street to make room to build a new home on the entire Cherokee Street lot, over the objection of the city’s historic-preservation staff. Continue reading »
Demolition requests for the homes at 4320 Laurel Street and 301 Henry Clay Avenue were both rejected by city officials. (photos via City of New Orleans)
A request to tear down a single-story home on Henry Clay Avenue and a proposed renovation of another house on Laurel Street that city officials said would essentially replace it as well have both been rejected by the Historic District Landmarks Commission, but two demolition requests in the Irish Channel and in Hollygrove were approved. Continue reading »
Dat’s Grocery on Magazine Street (via Orleans Parish Assessor’s office)
A developer has received tentative approval to tear down the Dat’s Grocery on Magazine Street, but city officials said that actual demolition work cannot begin until he has filed development plans with the Historic District Landmarks Commission. Continue reading »
The building at 3200 South Carrollton Avenue was approved for demolition this week. (Robert Morris, UptownMessenger.com)
A former South Carrollton Avenue service station with a long distinctive overhang was approved for demolition this week, and the new owners plan to replace it with either a sports bar or a drive-through coffee shop. Continue reading »
Demolition requests for the buildlings at 3950 and 3958 Tchoupitoulas Street were both denied last week. (image via Google Maps)
Two buildings in the 3900 block of Tchoupitoulas Street were denied demolition requests before city officials last week. Continue reading »
Several student organizations at Loyola University New Orleans have made efforts to aid in tornado relief and cleanup. While the school is not equipped with tools to send students out and immediately start rebuilding, they encourage students to find ways to help, according to a report by Dannielle Garcia of The Maroon. Continue reading »
OPSB Surplus Auction-Carrollton Courthouse from Windfeel Properties on Vimeo.
The former Carrollton Courthouse — built in 1855 by one of the city’s premier architects, used as a school on-and-off since 1889, and a top priority for preservation by local historians — is set for public auction in March, with an open house for potential buyers next week. Continue reading »
The house at 506 Nashville photographed in June 2015, and the vacant lot in April 2016. (via Google maps)
The New Orleans City Council enforced a $42,195 fine this month for the destruction of a Nashville Avenue home that the owner blamed on bad weather, but that city officials attributed to the condition he had left the home in. Continue reading »
A photo of the Newman building to be torn down, and a rendering of the new science building to replace it. (via City of New Orleans)
The Isidore Newman School received permission from city officials to tear down and replace one of the buildings on its campus, and an Audubon Boulevard homeowner will be able to tear down a Cohn Street home to extend his backyard. Continue reading »
The house at 1407 Broadway. (via City of New Orleans)
The request to tear down a multi-unit home on Broadway Street was withdrawn Thursday following opposition from neighbors, City Council officials said. Continue reading »
The boundaries of the proposed Uptown historic district are in blue. (via City of New Orleans)
A new oversight structure for historic homes in much of Uptown and Carrollton easily moved forward to the New Orleans City Council for a final decision on Tuesday, after the City Planning Commission swiftly voted in favor of recommendations that have been pending for most of the year. Continue reading »
Jean-Paul Villere
Tuesday morning I awoke abruptly just before 4 a.m. from a dream. Convinced I was awake for the day, I decided to send a few emails. While clacking out my correspondence in the dead silence of pre-dawn I heard in the not-too-far distance successive gunshots. I thought it was about eight rounds. Maybe it was seven. But does it even matter how many there were? I called 911. They took my location, name, etc. Then I went for a run. And this is normal in New Orleans. At least for now. Continue reading »
2321 State Street (via City of New Orleans)
A home on State Street in the university area will be spared demolition instead of being replaced by two other houses after review by the City Council last week. Continue reading »
The corner lot at the beginning of the summer. (photo by Jean-Paul Villere)
Jean-Paul Villere
As summer’s sizzle dissipates over the coming weeks, the back-to-school throngs may muse on their most recent season away from academia, and some may even have it as their premiere assignment upon recommencement. While I don’t really recall in my younger years a time when this was asked of my fertile student mind, my 42-year-old memory ain’t what she used to be. So color me pseudo-nostalgically amused when my oldest had this very task put to her and she wrote about our family train trip to Chicago. Which I totally dug too. Except, and in honest reflection, my real takeaway for summer 2016? Pecking away, hours over days and largely singlehandedly, at an overwhelmingly under-maintained vacant corner lot in my neighborhood. Continue reading »
By Sandra Stokes, president of the Louisiana Landmarks Society
It has become all too familiar in historic neighborhoods – perfectly proportioned historic homes demolished for totally out-of-scale McMansions; harmonious streetscapes marred by inappropriate new construction; or additions that look like cancerous growths on what was a perfectly fine home.
Louisiana Landmarks Society recognizes the advantages of local historic districts in maintaining scale and character in neighborhoods, while providing stability and predictability. At the same time, we also understand the concerns of residents that being subject to the jurisdiction of the Historic Landmarks District Commission (HDLC) might infringe upon their personal property rights. Continue reading »
