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Council approves demolition for 1822–24 Frenchman Street amid neighborhood objections
Summary
The council approved a demolition request for 1822–24 Frenchman St. after mixed testimony: the Preservation Resource Center and neighbors urged preservation and urged conditions; a contractor and owner argued the property is beyond practical rehabilitation. Council approved the motion and recorded the vote.
The New Orleans City Council on Dec. 18 approved a demolition permit for 1822–24 Frenchman Street after hearing competing testimony from neighbors, preservation advocates and the property owner.
Preservation Resource Center representative Marynelle Nolan Wheatley told the council the building sits within a National Register historic district and could be eligible for tax credits that facilitate rehabilitation; she recommended more documentation and suggested conditions if demolition were granted, such as salvaging historic materials and requiring timely redevelopment. "There is no publicly available documentation or analysis to explain why demolition is necessary," Wheatley said.
The applicant’s representative and a contractor argued the building had deteriorated, that structural elements were lost and that the property was unsafe or beyond reasonable rehabilitation. The Department of Code Enforcement told the council the site had been in decay for more than two years, had accumulated liens, and that a hearing officer had previously declared it a public nuisance.
After public comment and council discussion, the council voted to approve the demolition request. The measure included a recorded roll-call vote as noted in the council minutes.
