Clearing S Tonti Street

Two houses have been demolished.














325 and 319 S. Tonti with 323 remaining.

The site of 319 S. Tonti.  This building, the little pink shotgun.

Signs like this have sprouted all around the footprint.  And door hangings from Catholic Charities, which are at least partially in Spanish.

The two properties slated for demolition on Cleveland have not yet been touched.  And someone still appears to be living in the house on Palmyra that was also requested for demolition back in March.

A Gray Day

This morning, a bulldozer appeared inside the VA footprint and workers continued salvage on 319 S. Tonti, a small two-bay shotgun that was renovated post-storm - and lived in until about a month ago.

A New Website and Resource

The VA Footprint Booklet of historic properties is now online at a new web site.

It gives an idea of the over 100 properties that were deemed "contributing properties" to the Mid-City National Register Historic District.  It's a data set that's critical to having an informed discussion about what's at stake in the footprint.

At least one of the properties shown has now been demolished - I haven't confirmed whether 319 S. Tonti was demolished later in the day yesterday.

Meanwhile...

As the demolitions got under way in earnest this morning, a group gathered for a press conference at the home of Wally Thurman just over a block down S. Tonti Street.

The Times-Pic noted the press conference in a piece later in the day today - and also reveals that only 5 homes are actually being moved under the VA moving program - not 8 as we've been told for some time.

Demolished: 325 S. Tonti

319 S. Tonti (the little pink shotgun from yesterday with white spandrels at the right of the photo above) appears to be next in line for razing.

Press Conference this morning Inside the Footprint

Media Alert: Press conference Thursday April 29, 2010, 10:30 a.m.

Purpose: Delay demolition of more Lower Mid-City houses so they can be moved

Where: Home of Wally Thurman, Lower Mid-City Resident, 217 S. Tonti Street

Contact: Betsy Stout, Louisiana Landmarks Society, betsyjstout@gmail.com, 504-906-6088

I'll note that there is in fact a significant, concerted effort (and has been for about a month now) to move houses out of the VA footprint beyond the eight in the VA moving program.  A number of major local and national non-profits are involved.  So, for any skeptics reading, know that this isn't simply an attempt to delay for delay's sake.

Demolition Slated to Move to Cleveland Avenue Today

In a piece noting that four properties total could be demolished today, the Times-Pic lays out data on property acquisition inside the VA and LSU footprints:

There are 194 parcels in the VA site. As of early March, the date of the latest summary released by the state, 178 properties had been appraised, with the 16 remaining appraisals begun; 160 initial appraisals had been reviewed, with 144 approved and 91 offers made to owners. Of the offers made, 37 had been accepted, with 54 still in process. The state had completed nine closings.

The state site comprises 245 parcels. As of the March report, 213 had completed appraisals, with 32 not yet complete; 198 appraisals had been reviewed, with 163 approved and 120 offers made to owners. Forty-seven owners had accepted offers, with 73 outstanding. The state had completed seven closings. 

Nine out of 194...and 7 out of 245.  There's a lot of ground that remains to be covered, especially in the VA footprint where the site is to be cleared by the end of July.

Here's a look at 2410-12 Cleveland Street, one of the four properties that might be demolished today.  As of about 4:00 p.m. yesterday, the crews had not even begun salvage work on the property:

Demolition begins inside the VA Footprint - The Salvage Phase

DEMOLITIONS HAVE BEGUN

This just came to me via email as I sit here in the library:

It looks like demolitions have begun – starting with 325 Tonti.

A Quoin or Two Missing

Sea green, suddenly boarded up as of today

This one.

It's one of the 8 homes mentioned for moving from the VA footprint, so hopefully it's being prepped for a move to another lot in Mid-City.

Aquamarine with Neoclassical Trim

Greek Revival Camelback

This home, one of my favorite houses in the footprint, is included in a new booklet printed by the Foundation for Historical Louisiana showing and describing over 100 historic homes in the VA footprint.

I was very happy to work with a number of energetic volunteers in creating the publication - it was quite an undertaking, and I spent far more of my spring break than anticipated on the project. 

It has since helped to spur a concerted effort to move as many homes from the site as possible.  Whether that happens remains to be seen - a number of major non-profits and local stakeholders are now involved in the discussions.  I'm hopeful that something positive will result.  And even if not, at least we tried.

More from the City Council Website

Authorized Street Closures on VA Hospital Footprint

The Council passed Ordinance Calendar No. 27,938, introduced by Councilmember Head, to authorize the closure of streets to be utilized as part of the site used in the construction of the Veterans Administration Medical Center and establishing reporting requirements for the City to report to the Council on the use of funds on the VA hospital project.

Brenda Breaux, Chief Deputy City Attorney; Julie Catellier, VA Medical Center Director; and other representatives of the VA hospital project appeared before the Council to present information on drainage plans and analysis and traffic impact study findings.

The street closures will apply to areas of Cleveland Avenue, Palmyra Street, Banks Street, South Miro Street and South Tonti Street, all generally bounded by Canal Street on the northeast side, South Galvez Street on the southeast side, Tulane Avenue on the southwest side and South Rocheblave Street on the northwest side.

District "B" Councilmember Stacy Head said, "It is in the interest of the New Orleans community that we move forward on this new medical center, representing progressive economic development in the City which will create jobs and increase the accessibility of healthcare for our citizens. We also need to assure equitable treatment of those displaced and use environmentally sensitive actions during this time of relocations and demolitions by the City."

After more than an hour of public comment from residents and members of the business community, and in order to address the concerns expressed by many residents, the Council passed Motion M-10-193, which was introduced by Councilmember Midura.The Motion mandates that the City receive monthly reports from the State relative to the status of demolition, acquisition and relocation activities in relation to the VA hospital project, and that during the presentation of these reports, there be opportunity for public comment.

District "A" Councilmember Shelley Midura said, "We recognize the importance of this project moving forward, but we want to ensure that all citizens are treated fairly throughout the entire process, including demolition, acquisition and relocation activities. This Motion will provide for that, as well as give residents the opportunity for public comment on these issues."

It's good to see that residents will have opportunities for public comment as their homes are being demolished.

More from the Times-Pic as well.

None of the sources tell precisely when the streets will be closed (or if they are now closed) and precisely what that means.  There are still people living inside the VA footprint, so I'm concerned about how this plays out on the ground.

The Street Closure Ordinance Passed

Yesterday, after minimal input and debate.

Council Meeting Tomorrow

Thursday, April 22

10:00am

City Council Public Hearing

When: Thu, April 22, 10am – 12pm

Where: City Hall, 1300 Perdido St, New Orleans, LA

Description:  For the first time, the City Council is holding a public hearing that addresses the proposed LSU/VA medical complex. At issue, is whether or not to allow the closure of streets on the VA footprint, despite the fact that most residents still live in the neighborhood.

ht/SaveCharity

In the VA Footprint

Mix and Match

What about the World War I Monument?

We've overlooked this little slice of parkland that hangs like a pendant from the intersection of S. Galvez, Tulane, and Banks.   It contains a World War I monument, an old flagpole dedicated to the same memory, a few benches, a stone wall, a few bushes, and a giant palm tree.

It's difficult to tell from the LSU plan whether the greenspace and monument will survive construction. It seems to be greenspace of some sort on the LSU Footprint map, but it's unclear.

S. Galvez Blues

Steps

Watching Like a Hawk

Take a look.  Here's a shot of 323 S. Tonti Street today.  Note the number of colonnettes holding up the porch roof.







Now - look at this photo of the same property from just about a week ago.

Assessors?

Camelback on Tulane

One we've overlooked until lately.

After Today's Meeting

Interestingly, I think the historic preservation aspect of the opposition to the LSU/VA Hospital changes from today forward. 

I think the emphasis has shifted. 

Though it's too late, the right people are now interested.  Some olive branches may be in order.