At the meeting on Feb. 4, the New Orleans Historic District Landmarks Commission denied applications to raze two buildings, both in partial-control historic districts where the commission’s regulatory power is largely limited to demolitions.
In the Tremé Historic District (which is partial control on the lake side of Claiborne Avenue), the commission denied an application to demolish 929 N. D’orgenois St. A brief history of the house is included in the Friends of the Cabildo series, New Orleans Architecture Vol. VI: Faubourg Tremé and the Bayou Road, which notes that the house was built by Jules Badue, and was briefly owned by Isidore Newman in 1885.
The house, which is not habitable, has been in the family of the current owner for decades. Code Enforcement cited the property for its condition in 2014 and 2018. More recently in 2025, HDLC cited the building for Demolition by Neglect, meaning the building’s critical state of deterioration had become a de facto demolition. HDLC staff inspected the building in January 2026 and concluded the building is in poor condition overall but is structurally intact and a viable candidate for rehabilitation.
During the meeting, the applicant expressed concerns about the high cost to restore the building, adding that he saw an opportunity to replace the building with multiple affordable housing units. He noted, “I don’t want to knock it down, but [restoration] doesn’t make sense to me…as an investor.” Commission Chair Jennie West clarified that the commission does not regulate use or economic hardship, adding that if the owner were “interested and there was a way to rehab this property and allow for multi-family [or] multi-unit [housing] again I think that would be a potential proposal for rehabilitation and restoration here but…we can’t advise on that for this commission.”
In the Garden District, the commission denied an application to demolish 1208 Second St. The current owners, who live next door, purchased the property in May 2025 and stated during the meeting they plan to enlarge their side yard. Code Enforcement cited the previous owners for maintenance issues in 2016, and the property, which was built in the 1920s, is currently engulfed in vegetation. HDLC staff inspected the building in August 2025 and found the building was “not a good candidate for demolition based on its condition.”
Several people spoke in favor of the demolition, including the current owners, a historic consultant, neighbor, and representative of the Garden District Neighborhood Association. The historic consultant’s analysis of the building, which was submitted to the commission, found that because of an inappropriate façade remodel, large rear addition, and interior fire, the building is significantly altered and no longer possesses enough of its historic design or materials to be considered a contributing part of the historic district.
The HDLC staff stated that although it is altered, the property retains its overall shape and presence as part of the block’s streetscape, and that many of the alterations could be corrected. Commissioner Ross Karsen observed that what is visible from the public right-of-way is not historic and added that due to the limitations of the HDLC in partial-control districts like the Garden District, the commission would not be able to ensure that future changes to the building, if it were saved, would bring it closer to its historic appearance.
In other news, the commission voted to again 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 is currently working with the owner towards finding a resolution that avoids demolition.
