UPDATE

Judge Fallon, a federal judge here in New Orleans, just denied the National Trust for Historic Preservation's motion for summary judgment, which would have halted property acquisition and demolition in the VA footprint.

ADDED: Reading through the order, Fallon not only denied the National Trust summary judgment...he also granted summary judgment to the governmental entities that comprise the defendants in the case on the grounds they sought.

Ready for Demolition?

From what I've been hearing, this little shotgun at 325 S. Tonti is slated for demolition in the near future.  In addition to the aesthetic value of some of its trim, the bulk of the building seems to be in stable structural shape.

Injunction Sought

The National Trust for Historic Preservation has requested an injunction from a federal judge to stop land acquisition and destruction of historic properties in the VA footprint.

An Interesting Specimen

Lately, I've noticed the unusual nature of this camelback on Cleveland.  While most of it is classic camelback, the front porch either was - or was later modified to have - a distinct roof that runs perpendicular to the other roof lines on the house.  It's sort of a "screened camelback" that, more than other iterations of the style, "hides its hump," so to speak.

Buzzing

Following the first use of expropriation in the footprint, the effort to slow, blunt, and otherwise stop the destruction of the structures and neighborhood in the VA footprint is in high gear this week.

And So It Begins

LSU strikes inside the footprint, using expropriation to take the former City Hall Annex building at Canal and Rocheblave:

Since early 2006, the massive City Hall Annex building has been owned by 2400 Canal LLC, a partnership led by lawyers Robert Evans and Cesar Burgos. But on Thursday, Louisiana State University filed quick-take papers and deposited $3.7 million in Orleans Parish Civil District Court, immediately transferring title to the state under its expropriation law.

The land will eventually be turned over to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs for a new VA Hospital, proposed to take shape alongside a new LSU hospital complex, said Kent Parsons, the lawyer handling expropriations for the state.

Strangely, the piece of property seized is in the VA hospital footprint - that lends some credence to the argument of the former owners that LSU is acting impermissibly under state law as an agent for the city in making a transfer to effectuate the city's MOU with the VA for site preparation.