The former World Trade Center building, the Algiers-Canal Street ferry, the city's live oak "canopy" and historic buildings on Esplanade Avenue, Baronne Street and Polymnia Street are among New Orleans' nine most endangered historic sites or features, according to the Louisiana Landmarks Society. Also on the 2013 edition of the society's annual "New Orleans' Nine" list are St. Louis...
The former World Trade Center building, the Algiers-Canal Street ferry, the city's live oak "canopy" and historic buildings on Esplanade Avenue, Baronne Street and Polymnia Street are among New Orleans' nine most endangered historic sites or features, according to the Louisiana Landmarks Society.
Also on the 2013 edition of the society's annual "New Orleans' Nine" list are St. Louis Cemeteries Nos. 1 and 2, occupied but blighted residences citywide, and the various neighborhoods where hundreds of new housing units are to be created in connection with redevelopment of the Iberville public housing complex.
The landmarks society's list -- modeled after the National Trust for Historic Preservation's annual listing of America's 11 Most Endangered Historic Places -- is designed to call attention to properties and other physical features that are in danger of being lost forever.
"When people visit the Pitot House, on Bayou St. John, where our office is maintained, they understand why it is so important to keep old buildings as living, useful parts of our community," said Susan Kierr, president of the society's board of trustees. "What would happen if we didn't keep a protective eye on these pieces of our built environment? We would not only be in danger of losing the beauty of a particular building or a particular tree, but we would lose a sense of the long continuum which our city's history represents."
The society began issuing the annual list in 2005. Among the sites on the 2012 list were the 200-1300 blocks of Bourbon Street, the Odd Fellows Rest Cemetery, the former U.S. Public Health Hospital at 210 State St., the old Kenner High School, and the dozens of houses that were moved from the Veterans Affairs and University Medical Center hospital sites in Mid-City.
The society will hold a reception Sunday from 4-6 p.m. at the Pitot House, 1440 Moss St., to recognize this year's New Orleans' Nine. It's free and open to the public.
The 2013 list of most endangered sites includes:
Former World Trade Center building
This 1960s landmark at the foot of Canal Street was designed by Edward Durell Stone, one of America's most prominent 20th century architects. A distinctive structure in the city skyline, the city-owned building is in danger of being demolished even though the society believes it is perfectly serviceable and capable of being redeveloped. City officials are considering two proposals to redevelop the building for hotel and residential use and a third suggestion to tear it down. "Destruction of this building would mark the loss of one more piece of mid-20th century architecture from the fabric of the city, echoing the loss of the Rivergate and other mid-century edifices," the society said.
Choice Neighborhood Initiative area
In addition to redeveloping the Iberville public housing site, the Choice Neighborhood Initiative plans to create more than 2,400 market-rate and subsidized housing units in the "historic Creole heart of New Orleans," including parts of Treme, Esplanade Ridge, Mid-City and the 7th Ward. City officials "must take care to ensure that the development of the housing units, along with subsequent commercial endeavors, are sensitive to the historic community and living culture of this area," the society said.
Canal Street-Algiers ferry service
The first regularly scheduled ferry service between Canal Street and Algiers began in 1827. Today the ferries carry more than 1.1 million passengers a year. Control of the ferries was shifted in 2012 to the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development, but an attempt to privatize the system failed when no companies bid to take over the operations. A new law opens the door to possible operation of the ferries by the New Orleans Regional Transit Authority, but many issues remain unresolved.
St. Louis Cemeteries Nos. 1 & 2
St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 (c. 1796) is the city's oldest existing cemetery. It and St. Louis Cemetery No. 2 (c. 1823) are owned and operated by the Archdiocese of New Orleans. They represent the early history of New Orleans. Already in a fragile condition, the cemeteries are now threatened by the impending demolition and reconstruction of the adjacent Iberville housing development. "Extraordinary precautions must be taken to protect and preserve these extremely historic and highly visited sites before any work begins," the landmarks group said.1347 Esplanade Ave.
This late 19th century Italianate Greek Revival style cottage recalls the era when elegant homes were built all along the avenue by Creole families, many of whom left the French Quarter or moved into the city after the Civil War. Long dilapidated, this once-proud house suffered a fire on Easter Sunday that destroyed the roof. "Rain now freely pours into this irreplaceable building, causing further damage," the society said. "Anchoring a prominent corner of Esplanade, this building cannot afford to be lost."
1828-30 Baronne St.
This Central City building is one of two Italianate double-gallery duplex residences built side by side shortly after the Civil War. The Historic District Landmarks Commission has given them landmark designations. Neglect by the current owner has left the house in a state of serious decline, but action by the city could save it. Since the property has been adjudicated to the city for nonpayment of taxes, it qualifies to go to tax sale, a solution that could ultimately preserve this building, the society said.
1831 Polymnia St.
Originally built as a school in the 1880s, this vacant and uninhabitable three-story masonry structure is quickly becoming a public safety hazard due to neglect. The building has visible holes in the roof and is completely open to the elements, with a street opening accessible to vagrants. The owner has received permits for a $4.8 million historic renovation nearby at 1731 Baronne but has submitted no plans to renovate or even stabilize 1831 Polymnia St.
Citywide live oak canopy
The sight of shaded streets lined with live oak trees is emblematic of New Orleans. But from the destruction of the longest line of live oaks in the nation for the construction of the elevated Claiborne expressway in the 1960s to drastic trimming for power lines, the city's live oak trees are frequently butchered or removed for public works projects. A recent example was the branch mutilation and root damage suffered by trees on Napoleon Avenue in 2012 during a drainage project. "It will be decades before the trees recover, and we will lose much of the scenic character of the city in the process," the society said.
Blighted occupied residences, such as 1430-32 Euterpe St., 1822-24 Clio St. and 1347 Magazine St.
While we often think of blighted properties as uninhabited, many in fact are occupied but threatened by demolition by neglect and lack of code enforcement. The city is rewriting the city code to address this problem, but the solution is complex, the society said. "Only proactive solutions that first stabilize a blighted residence can address the most complex cases while still respecting constitutional property rights," it said. "The city must strive to support homeowners while preserving the historic built environment of our neighborhoods."
Decisions on this year's New Orleans' Nine list followed a citywide call for nominations from individuals, neighborhood associations, and historical and architectural organizations. The final choices were based upon criteria such as a site's or feature's architectural and cultural value, the severity of the threat to it, and the degree of community commitment to saving it.
The Selection Committee comprised: Save Our Cemeteries Director Angie Green; Houmas House owner Kevin Kelly; architect and DoCoMoMo representative Tracy Lea; Michelle Kimball of the Preservation Resource Center; Tulane School of Architecture lecturer Danielle Del Sol; attorney and National Trust adviser Jim Logan; Civil District Court archivist Sally Reeves; architect John Schackai; UNO planning and urban studies professor Bethany Stich; Louisiana Landmarks Society trustees Stephen Chauvin, Sandra Stokes and Betsy Stout; landmarks society Executive Director Walter Gallas; and New Orleans' Nine Committee Chairman T. Casey Stuart.
"This year's list focuses on some timely preservation issues we will be grappling with, from the fate of the World Trade Center building and St. Louis Cemeteries Nos. 1 and 2, to the future of ferry service, and the problem of occupied blighted residences," Gallas said.