b.rox

It would have been nice if this big old house could have been preserved. It would have been nice if someone had taken responsibility for this property and not allowed it to further deteriorate and become a haven for vagrants and a (perceived) threat to the residents across the street. Instead, we get another empty [...]

How can this occur a full five months after this? (Thanks, BSJD)

As Ashley noted, Victory got their permit to demolish the Lindy Boggs hospital (formerly known as Mercy). This was decided by the Housing Conservation District Review Committee at a meeting that took place on the last day of the year, December 31st. Alan was there and provides a comprehensive account of just how dysfunctional the [...]

Thanks to the City Council’s amendment last week, the City of New Orleans’ list of “Imminent Health Threat Demolition Properties” has been posted online. Neighborhood groups should look at this closely — it appears to be slightly out of date, with some removed houses still on the list. Some mistakes are also still on the [...]

Finally the Times-Picayune runs a story on erroneous demolitions. I can’t help but get the feeling they only did this because the Wall Street Journal scooped them yesterday. It should have been on the Times-Pic’s front page two weeks ago. Furthermore, they still got it wrong. The headline in the paper (but not online) states [...]

The media has finally picked up the erroneous demolitions story. But strangely enough, it’s the Wall Street Journal. I wonder why the local media hasn’t covered it? Or maybe they have and I’ve missed it. The article is worth checking out just for their picture of Karen “Gadfly” Gadbois in the classic WSJ style: The [...]

A few days ago I posted something from a private email correspondence, regarding the subject of erroneous demolitions by the city of New Orleans. Maybe I shouldn’t have posted it, because the author asked me to remove it, but has graciously offered a revised version — see below. And I’ve got to say this is [...]

My next door neighbor (now living in Texas) was a little skeptical when I told him that his house was slated for demolition. Where was the proof? An Excel spreadsheet e-mailed to me by a woman I’ve never even met. Sounds a little sketchy. And this list can’t be found on any official websites. Fortunately [...]

Following up on yesterday’s post: Big thanks to Ashley Morris for putting together this swell interactive map of the City’s “imminent threat” demolition list. I’m not sure if it works on every browser, and it may take a while to load, but if you can view it you’ll be able to zoom in and move [...]

Remember what I said about Bienville being just the tip of the iceberg? There are 1700+ properties on the “imminent threat” list. I just discovered my next door neighbor’s house is one of them! I called him (he’s in Texas) and he was shocked and alarmed. He has not been notified that his house is [...]

I’m all in a tizzy because of the recent news reported by Squandered Heritage. It seems there’s a ton of houses on Bienville that are on the city’s “imminent threat” list for demolition. These are supposed to be houses that pose an immediate threat to health and safety. And some of them are. Some are [...]

3319-21 Iberville Street [map] This building was been proposed for demolition by FEMA. Since it’s in a historic district (Mid-City, my neighborhood) FEMA “requested the aid of the public in identifying alternatives to demolition.” So I wrote to FEMA back in November and helped them identify some “alternatives.” And, wonder of wonders, FEMA removed it [...]

Hmmm… looks like a certain university is aiming to demolish a whole neighborhood. Well, not quite, but 21 houses. Housing Conservation District Review Committee Agenda 10 a.m. June 25, 2007 Room 7E07, 7th Floor, City Hall NEW BUSINESS: Gert Town 947 S. Cortez St. – Owner Xavier University has applied to demolish this workman’s cottage [...]

On Sunday, April 22nd, I noticed a number of orange notices posted on houses on Bienville, some on the 3000 block, some on the 3200 block. Upon closer inspection I saw they were notices of adjudication hearings. I don’t know when they went up, but the hearing was scheduled for the next day, Monday, April [...]

According to a story in the Times-Picayune: New Orleans officials Monday said they have started handing out notices to owners of any property deemed to be an “imminent health threat,” giving them 30 business days to clean up the sites before the city sends in crews to demolish or gut delinquent buildings. Someone sent me [...]

A pair of photos by yours truly are featured on the op-ed page of the Times-Picayune today. The pictures depict a before and after scene on Bienville — a house, and then an empty lot where the house used to be. This is part of a series of “visual commentaries” that the T-P has been [...]

Locals may want to note that tomorrow (Thursday, December 14) is the final day for public comment on the latest round of proposed FEMA demolitions. Nothing less is at stake here than the unique urban fabric of some of New Orleans’ historic neighborhoods. You can read more on the MCNO website, where you’ll find links [...]

3319-21 Iberville Street [map] This building has been proposed for demolition by FEMA. Since it’s in a historic district (Mid-City, my neighborhood) FEMA is “requesting the aid of the public in identifying alternatives to demolition.” But how can we provide any such suggestions if we don’t know why the owner has requested demolition? The house [...]

I saw a house at 3215 Bienville just the other day. I noticed it because the doors were wide open and the moldering contents were lying in plain sight from the street. It was one of those houses that has sat untouched since the flood. Now it’s gone. I noticed its absence this morning as [...]

As they continue demolishing it, Physicians Hospital is now wide open. I walked in and took some pictures. Man, it’s spooky in there. Added twenty-odd pix to the continuing photoset.