Friday, January 28, 2011

Big News: Houses to Move off LSU Footprint

Per today's Times-Picayune article on house moving and the LSU/VA Hospital.

"Diresto said Builders of Hope already has identified about two dozen houses that could be moved on the state site, though the final number will be lower once the structures are inspected for termite damage and structural integrity"

We've been pushing for house moving as an alternative to continued demolitions in the LSU Footprint for months, as readers of this blog already know.  Sandra Stokes of the Foundation for Historical Louisiana and Gate Pratt from the National Trust were instrumental in keep the pressure up.  While VA Footprint homes have moved off site, not a single LSU Footprint structure has moved off site to date.

Now, the homes that are moved should be moved with roofs intact.  And the homes should be rehabilitated in their new destination lots with an eye for historic preservation.  That's important if the effort is to mean much of anything.

I'm glad the story also covered one important truth - well-established on this blog - that movable historic homes were demolished in the LSU Footprint by the state since October:

Leaders at the Foundation for a Historical Louisiana and the National Trust for Historic Preservation have applauded the project. But they said this week that the state’s insistence on proceeding with demolitions before the initial program finished has caused at least 10 and as many as 13 movable homes to be razed on the UMC site.

Diresto said no movable structures have been razed. As of Thursday evening, he had not responded to the specific list of demolished properties compiled by the National Trust.

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