District B Councilmember Lesli Harris’ comments at the New Orleans City Council meeting on Sept. 25 were spot-on before she moved to deny an application to demolish a neglected building at 2105 Third St. in Central City. The motion passed unanimously.
“This is a classic case of demolition by neglect. Additionally, this property is surrounded by vacant lots in the heart of Central City, an area ripe for the preservation of affordable and workforce housing,” Harris emphasized.
The building is in a National Register Demolition Review District which requires review and approval by the City Council. The New Orleans Historic District Landmarks Commission objected to the demolition of the early 20th-century structure with Craftsman-style elements.
According to Orleans Parish Assessor’s Office records, the owners have had the property since 1992. City records also indicate that the New Orleans Department of Code Enforcement cited the property in August 2024 for nine minimum property maintenance violations, adding that the property harbored rodents and squatters.
The demolition application lists the proposed use for the property as a vacant lot, which Harris described as “simply unacceptable.”
“If they can’t maintain the home, how can they maintain the lot? And I expect that they won’t,” she said.
She encouraged the owner to work with Code Enforcement and “get the property back into compliance or sell it to someone who will.”
MaryNell Nolan-Wheatley is the Preservation Resource Center’s advocacy coordinator and public policy research director.
