An impressive pile of rubble is all that remains at the corner of St. Charles and Louisiana Avenues, after the long-vacant Rite Aid building was demolished last week. The building, which was built as a K&B drug store in the mid-20th century, is still owned by the Besthoff family. Several years ago, they announced plans to develop an apartment and retail complex on the site.
The proposed 200,000-square-foot, mixed-use development includes a 3-story apartment building on Delachaise Street and a 4-story apartment building with retail space on St. Charles and Louisiana avenues. Almost the entire block is encompassed by the proposed development, with the exception of the 3 existing buildings on the corner of St. Charles and Delachaise. A new street through the block will provide additional access. The new construction apartments will be permanent housing with market-rate leases.
The block falls within the local Garden District and St. Charles Avenue historic districts, so all demolitions and proposed plans must be reviewed and approved by the Historic District Landmarks Commission (HDLC). Plans for this development were reviewed at numerous HDLC Architectural Review Committee (ARC) meetings between 2020 and 2022.
Nola.com reported that as of now there is no set date for construction to begin.
Read more about the history of this site from our Preservation in Print archives
MaryNell Nolan-Wheatley is PRC’s Advocacy Coordinator & Public Policy Research Director.
Photo 1 by Dee Allen. Rendering courtsey of Metrostudio, via OneStop App.
