RCR Claiborne Venture III LLC, owned by the Robért family of Robért Fresh Market, has filed to appeal the New Orleans Historic District Landmark’s decision to deny demolition of Ted’s Frostop, one of fewer than 10 Frostop locations that remain nationwide.
The application will go before the New Orleans City Council in the coming weeks. We encourage residents to write to District A Councilmember Aimee McCarron at [email protected] and respectfully ask her to uphold the HDLC’s decision.
At the HDLC meeting on April 8, 2026, the Preservation Resource Center spoke against the demolition, noting an unfortunate pattern of dismissing midcentury modern architecture as unworthy of saving. But the more midcentury buildings we lose, the more valuable these remaining buildings become.
Ted’s Frostop, built in 1955, falls outside of the Carrollton Historic District’s period of significance between 1840-1937. A non-contributing rating, however, does not automatically allow an owner to demolish a building. Because demolitions are a drastic action, the HDLC must consider each demolition application on an individual basis.
Midcentury modern buildings frequently fall outside of the period of significance for historic districts, many of which were designated decades ago before enough time had passed to appreciate the architecture of the 1950s and 1960s. As a result, it is critical that even non-contributing buildings are re-evaluated as part of the permitting process.
The building is architecturally distinctive for its roadside, midcentury modern style and its playful and bold Googie-influenced signage. Googie-style buildings proliferated as part of the automobile culture of the 1950s, in an effort to turn ordinary roadside commercial businesses into eye-catching, space-age joy machines. In a 2024 article, New York Times writer Anna Kodé described the style as an “endangered species, facing redevelopment, demolition and restrictive design codes.”
Locally, Ted’s Frostop carries added cultural significance as a place where individual and collective memories have been made for generations. Its giant root beer mug, manufactured on Magazine Street, took on added meaning as a symbol of recovery when it was reinstalled in 2012 after toppling during Hurricane Katrina.
There has been an overwhelming amount of public support for saving the iconic diner. That kind of communal reaction is extraordinary, and it should not be ignored.
New Orleans is fortunate to still have this piece of 1950s architecture, and the city should work to keep it for future generations.
The PRC encourages the developer to think creatively about how their plans could proceed without throwing away this iconic piece of New Orleans. The same development team has also appealed the HDLC’s decision to defer the demolition applications for the two neighboring properties at 6307-6309 S Miro St. and 6309-6311 S Claiborne Ave. The HDLC staff had no objection to demolishing either building, but the commission decided to defer the applications to allow the developer time to consider updates to their plan in light of the Frostop denial.
