12 FEBRUARY 2004 PRESERVATION IN PRINT
How did New Orleans change?
Wins and losses in 2003
AMERICAN SECTOR
▪ Restoration nears completion of the
ir handsome Bradford Building and
St. Joseph warehouse, future home of the
Arts Council, and new construction is
underway on the site to connect the two
buildings.
The old Hibernia Homestead building
al at Carondelet and Union Streets col-
lapses as piles are driven on the adjacent
lot for construction of a parking garage.
The CBD Historic District
"r
▪ .1 Landmarks Commission
approves a compromise with developers
allowing a row of masonry warehouses
along Julia and Fulton streets and
Convention Center Blvd. to be demol-
ished, leaving only the outside walls. A
new hotel will be built on the site incor-
porating the facades, with no additional
height constructed over the facades.
op Harrah's application to demolish
5 historic buildings in the
Warehouse Historic District in order to
construct a hotel on Poydras gives rise to
months of meetings, negotiations, and
press conferences. Ultimately, a compro-
mise is reached, with some buildings
being demolished and others gutted for
use as a drive-in entrance to the hotel.
▪ The old Hurwitz-Mintz warehouse
"Ir on Tchoupitoulas Street becomes the
stunning new Renaissance Arts Hotel,
over-flowing with intriguing work by
local artists and a welcome addition to
the Warehouse District.
Renovation of the corner of
IT Diamond and Tchoupitoulas streets,
across from the PRC, begins a transfor-
mation of the Warehouse District block,
slated to house condos and businesses.
The property was originally sold at an
auction held at the PRC by Gilmore
Auction & Realty, and the renovation has
been eagerly awaited.
▪ Chez Clay moves in 800 block of
Tchoupitoulas, yet another renova-
tion in the area immediately surrounding
the PRC, which relocated to the Ware-
house District in 2000.
▪ McIlhenny Co., producers of Tabasco
IT products, buys 2 townhouses on Julia
Row and the former Hummingbird Grill
on St. Charles and begins restoring the
complex as its New Orleans headquarters.
The company is working with the State
Historic Preservation Office and the CBD-
Historic District Landmarks Commission
to ensure the highest quality renovation.
The property is located in the Lafayette
Square Historic District.
▪ Lee Circle gets new condos; St.
"r Joseph condos at 861 Carondelet
add more living space downtown; the
Bakery goes condo in the Warehouse
District; and good sales at 416 Common
Street in Picayune Place Historic District
and 625 St. Charles in the Lafayette
Square Historic District prove that down-
town is now down home.
Bruno & Bruno law firm renovates
T vacant building at corner of Howard
Avenue and Baronne into stunning office
and residential space.
Ogden Museum opens on Camp
ir Street to much fanfare and good
reviews, and the Confederate Museum
settles legal issues allowing it to remain
between the "O's" two spaces. The
American Sector is earning its reputation
as the arts district.
BROADMOOR
This wedge-shaped neighborhood
just north of S. Claiborne Avenue
Uptown gains National Register Historic
District status on June 20, 2003. By
year's end, the neighborhood becomes
home to two City Planning staff members
and a Preservation Reservation Resource
Center department director.
BYWATER
Steve Lesser purchases a long-neg-
T lected industrial building at 3327
Chartres St., planning to revitalize it for
residential and commercial use using
funds generated by the sale of his
Tchoupitoulas warehouse to the
Convention Center. (see Lower Garden
District)
The old St. Claude Medical Center,
lir slated for closure, was bought by a
group of local doctors and is now operat-
ing as the Bywater Hospital.
The city's first brownfield remedia-
tion and adaptive reuse project is
being undertaken in the 3300 block of
Chartres.
_a_ Planning stage for Desire
wr I. Streetcar project is completed,
generating much optimism for downtown
neighborhoods and businesses, however,
the proposed project is in jeopardy
because Norfolk Southern Railroad is
unwilling to consider an at-grade cross-
ing for Press Street. (Furthermore, the
trains continue to cause neighborhood
gridlock, blocking all intersections for up
to 45 minutes.)
The proactive cooperative planning
1r effort—by Naval Support Activity,
the Maritime Administration, the Port
Authority, City Hall, Regional Planning
Commission, Chamber, the neighbor-
hood, and others—is developing a strate-
gy for the adaptive reuse of the Port of
Embarkation as a cruise ship terminal,
with retail and residential components, in
an effort to offset the consolidation of
east and west bank operations of NSA.
CARROLLTON
Stuart Hall, a private school, is
"I" determined to stay and expand in
its present location on Carrollton Avenue,
however, the decision involves demolition
of 3 houses and possibly 2 more, result-
ing in strong neighborhood opposition.
The school offers to donate some of the
homes if the recipient pays to relocate
them, but the cost is prohibitive. Stuart
Hall donates salvage material to non-
profits.
The Whitney Bank begins construc-
T tion of its newest branch at the cor-
ner of S. Carrollton Ave. and Plum Street.
The Eskew + Filson design promises to
contribute to the character of the avenue.
The Board of Zoning Adjustments
T denies Riverlake Properties' occu-
pancy permit for an office, storage and
parking at Burthe and Adams streets, thus
reaffirming the Comprehensive Zoning
Ordinance's intention to disallow noncon-
forming uses that are inconsistent with
the purpose of the ordinance. Neighbors
declared a victory for maintaining the
area's residential quality.
CENTRAL CITY
Felicity Street Redevelopment
ir Project continues to purchase/stabi-
lize/resell abandoned properties along the
Lower St. Charles Corridor (including
Baronne, Carondelet and O.C. Haley)
through its revolving fund. To date, the
non-profit has saved over 20 buildings,
bringing "neighbors back to the neigh-
borhood."
The PRC completes renovation of
IT the landmark Kid Ory house at 2135
Jackson Ave., winning an award for
excellence from the HDLC. The first
"jazz house" rescued and renovated
through the efforts of the PRC's African
American Heritage Preservation program,
Compromise in American Sector on
Convention Center Blvd. between saving
facades and keeping height in scale with
Warehouse District
Renovation of old Hurwitz-Mintz ware-
house into grand Renaissance Arts Hotel,
700 Tchoupitoulas St., Warehouse District
Corner of Tchoupitoulas and Diamond streets in the Warehouse District
www.prcno.org