On Aug. 15, the New Orleans Historic District Landmarks Commission approved the retention of demolition work at 509 Exposition Blvd. that was more than what was approved in the Certificate of Appropriateness and issued a $12,100 fine.
The house, where all exterior walls were reframed without receiving an updated permit from the HDLC, is in the Uptown Historic District, where the HDLC only can regulate demolitions, but has no say over the design of new construction.
Described as a “messy project” by a representative for the applicant, the renovation has accumulated an extensive and complicated permitting history since HDLC first considered plans in October 2024.
At the time, the applicant requested to demolish the roof and facade of the circa 1890 double shotgun to construct two more stories. The proposal was considered a de-facto demolition because no architectural remnant of the shotgun would remain. The HDLC denied the request, but the New Orleans City Council overturned the decision in December 2024. At that time, the PRC voiced opposition to the appeal and concerns about setting a precedent where this level of demolition is allowed on a historic house in a regulated historic district.
Since then, the project has faced numerous setbacks, including HDLC identifying a deviation of the project’s demolition scope in June 2025. A lengthy discussion resulted at the most recent HDLC meeting, with a representative of the applicant accusing HDLC and Safety and Permits staff of contributing to the delinquency of the project, though HDLC staff pointed to issues resulting from the applicant working from more than one set of plans.
The immediate neighbors also spoke, concerned about the work that has been done to date. The application highlights the challenge of the commission’s role in making decisions about projects in the partially controlled Uptown Historic District, where they are asked to limit their consideration to only the aspects of the project related to demolition and ignore any aspects related to the new design.
DEMOLITION REQUESTS APPROVED
The commission also considered requests to demolish several buildings that were in poor structural condition or did not contribute to a historic district.
The commission approved demolition requests at 2430-2432 Delachaise St., 801 Napoleon Ave., and 4518 Annunciation St., all Uptown, as well as 2318 St. Ann St. in Treme, and 3325 Orleans Ave. in the Esplanade Ridge Historic District. At 2339-2341 Laharpe St. and 2931 St. Ann St., both in Esplanade Ridge, the commission approved partial demolitions, limited to the rear portions of the buildings.
ST. CHARLES AVENUE CHICKEN COOP SENT BACK FOR ADDITIONAL REVIEW
In other business, the HDLC deferred an application to approve a chicken coop that has already been constructed at 4717 St. Charles Ave. in the St. Charles Avenue Historic District, sending it back to the Architectural Review Committee.
The applicant’s representative said there was nowhere else to put the accessory structure, but the commission requested more information and a site plan to justify the location.
LOCAL LANDMARK STATUS GRANTED
In the Uptown Historic District, the commission voted to designate the St. Henry Complex, which includes a group of four buildings in the 800 block of General Pershing Street and the 4000 block of Constance Street as a local landmark for their significance as part of a small parish in New Orleans that served German Catholic immigrants. Three of the buildings on the site are used by Ecole Bilingue de la Nouvelle-Orleans school.
