The New Orleans Historic District Landmarks Commission on Jan. 7 approved conceptual designs to replace the illegally demolished single shotgun house at 4854 Camp St.
Commissioner Tim Lupin, who represents the Uptown Historic District, introduced the motion to approve the new design as presented with a word of caution, saying “I hope it’s a successful project. I hope everything is actually built the way that it is shown on the drawings…everybody is going to be watching.”
At the HDLC meeting in October 2025, the PRC supported the commission’s decision to deny retention of the illegal demolition at 4854 Camp St., requiring that any new construction on the site should closely replicate what was there previously in terms of massing and form.
Since that meeting, owner Michael Moore of Moore Property Ventures LLC appears to have shown more respect for the regulatory process, presenting an appropriately sized, two-bay single shotgun to the Architectural Review Committee. At that meeting, ARC made several recommendations including simplifying the overall design, replacing the paneled arch columns with brackets, adjusting the door and window on the front facade to be at porch level, and maintaining a consistent lintel line for fenestration on the front and side elevations.
It should be noted that most historic building materials are superior to the materials available today. This quality means they can usually be repaired rather than discarded. Demolishing this property sent century-old materials to a landfill, including old growth lumber that is denser and more resistant to rot and termites than new lumber. Ideally, when Mr. Moore rebuilds, he would use only salvaged historic materials.
We hope that Mr. Moore will continue to work closely with the HDLC staff to ensure compliance with the recommendations of the ARC on this project, as well as any future projects he has in historic districts.
Click here to read more about what happened at this property.
Application to demolish Storyville building deferred
Also at the meeting, the commission voted to defer an application to demolish 1534 St. Louis St., which is one of only three buildings that remains from Storyville, the former red-light district.
The PRC requested the deferral because we are currently working with the owner towards finding a resolution that avoids demolition.
As culturally significant as it was infamous, the red-light district’s saloons, dance halls, restaurants and cabarets, were the places that Black and Creole musicians contributed to the birth of jazz.
In the 1940s, Storyville was razed, and it would be a terrible loss of cultural heritage for deterioration to claim one of the last remaining buildings.
HDLC votes to study possible new local landmark
In other news, the commission voted unanimously to study Mt. Olivet Episcopal Church in Algiers Point as a potential new local landmark.
The church at 528-530 Pelican Ave., which was nominated by the congregation, was originally constructed in 1854, rebuilt in 1866, and moved to its current location in 1894.
