FEMA Section 106
Public Notice Regarding Historic Review of Privately-Owned Residential Buildings Proposed for Demolition in Orleans Parish, Louisiana – Non-Collapsed Buildings Seeking Comment
Result: Unknown
Click image to see more pictures.
3019 Delachaise Street, Broadmoor
Just north of Claiborne. This house has not been cleaned or gutted, it’s still full of flood damaged furniture and appliances, and the sheet rock shows that flooding was four feet deep in the living room. The two houses to the south of this one are completely collapsed and burned, and in fact one of them is leaning on this one. While I was taking pictures a woman drove by in a truck to look at the collapsed ones, saying she is going to bid on the demo/removal job.
I talked to a neighbor from across the street. The owner/resident was a widower, and his grown grandchildren have taken him to live in another city (not sure where). The neighbor was aware that it’s due to be demolished, but she still comes over periodically to sweep the sidewalk in front.
While I was the director of the Preservation Resource Center’s Christmas In October (now Rebuilding Together) we painted and repaired this home. The PRC may want to be made aware. At the time the house was structurally sound. However, the homeowner was elderly and on his own. My fear is that we will begin to see this repeated at a large scale- elderly homeowners w/ no recourse but to demolish.
Are you sure it’s the same home? This one looked relatively untouched since the storm. Take a look at the photos in this flickr set:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rayinaustin/tags/3019delachaisestreet/
It’s still full of moldy furniture, is ungutted and unremediated, and the exterior paint is peeling and roof tiles are still damaged.
BTW, I totally agree with your take on elderly homeowners homes being more vulnerable.
If 3019 is demolished, then if you count the two fire-destroyed homes next to it, that makes three contiguous vacant lots just off S. Claiborne, which would be ripe for some kind of out-of-scale development pushing into the neighborhood.
Kristin,
Thanks for your comment. I too have worked on the Christmas in October program and I share your concern as I see this is the case already in a few of the demolitions I have recorded here on the site.
I think the PRC was afraid of this from the beginning of the demolition discussion, many months ago, that people would use this as a way to deal with a property they just can’t maintain as a family for various reasons. Particularly with so many family members now staying in other cities.
Laureen