Housing Conservation District Review Committee
Agenda
10 a.m. June 25, 2007
Room 7E07, 7th Floor, City Hall
*7231 Dixon,7200 Drexel,943 S.Telemachus,7440 Stroelitz APPROVED*
*The rest are Deferred for 30 days so Xavier may meet with the Neighborhood*
Xavier University wants to tear all these buildings down in the Gert Town neighborhood.
1003 S. Clark Street——————————4816 Drexel Drive
4836 Drexel Dr————————————-971 S. Telemachus St
965 S. Telemachus——————————–943 S. Telemachus St
4921 Dixon St————————————-4937 Dixon St
947 S. Cortez St———————————–934 S. Cortez St
922 S. Cortez St————————————910 S. Cortez St
5004 Howard Ave———————————4934 Howard Ave
4916 Howard Ave——————————–4836 Howard Ave
4824 Howard Ave——————————–7231 Dixon St
7200 Drexel Dr———————————–7440 Stroelitz St
7940 Washington Ave This Is the Nicest House on the HCDRC Demolition Agenda for Xavier University, I See it almost everyday from Carrollton Avenue, such a nice house for Gert Town.
In the coming years, we are going to see more and more demolitions in Gert Town and Hollygrove. Many homes in these areas were harder hit by the flood than most people realize, as these areas were negelected by the media, while Lakeview and the Lower Ninth Ward got the “publicity”. The housing stock in both of these neighborhoods is not the best, so don’t expect there to be a hugh cry from historic preservationists. The real question is what is going to replace these homes? New single family homes? That would be wonderful, but don’t count on it. Get ready for cheap multi-family complex sprawl (a la New Orleans East and Metarie) and metal warehouses.
Sorry about that, Xavier’s demolition application states that these houses will be replaced with vacant lots, no new houses or anything.
Thanks for the clarification. I wasn’t talking about these homes and plots of land specifically, but rather a trend that I predict will affect Hollygrove and Gert Town (but more Hollygrove, as it has more land area) in the near future. Xavier owns much of the land around it’s present campus, and I’m sure will hold onto it until it has growing pains.
Yeah, Karen had predicted that xavier wanted gert town for a while. Its sad because these houses are in nice area of gert town that is more middle class.
What is it about these houses that you do not want to loose?
I work in the area and most of Gert Town has been destroyed by Katrina. If Xavier wants to tear them down that would be better than them sitting half destroyed and vacant.
Perhaps Xavier has a plan to expand into this area, that would be a good thing I belive.
NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO , these houses were in wonderful condition compared to other areas of girt town which are decaying, this area of gert town is surprisingly middle class and the houses in the neighborhood are in decent condition. Another thing, DESTROYED is such a broad term, waist deep water in your house is very damaging but it is not destroyed and does not do as much dame to the frame of the house as other disasters do, an example of destruction is the Mississippi gulf coast and the lower 9 where the actual structure was wiped out of existence,. Usually, the thing you realize working at squanderedheritage is that it’s not the flood that caused the most damage to the houses, but the owners who neglected the homes for so long. They are using Katrina as an excuse because they have wanted to tear the homes down for a while. These homes are not all next to each other and are scattered throughout the neighborhood, Xavier is probably just banking whatever land it can get and in the future they will want many more homes and land so they can expand. It’s sad because you would think local universities would be helping the neighborhoods they are located in by restoring and rebuilding homes in order to bring people home and the neighborhood back, I guess that’s not how Xavier thinks.
I see more pale green roofs in the future for this neighborhood.
From the looks of these photos most of these houses are mid 20th. century houses. While they may have been quite nice while whole and well kept the fact remains that they were flooded. That might not render them “destroyed” but it will require funds to remediate. Some decisions must be made on a financial basis. If Xavier owns these properties then they probably would have demolished them sometimes in the future anyway to make room for expansion. Had it not been for Katrina no one would have given that a second thought.
Why does it sound like Xavier’s expansion would be an evil thing? Xavier graduates are destined to play an important role in the future of New Orleans either as educated, responsible residents or goodwill ambasadors, should they choose to live somewhere else.
Xavier and the other Universities in the City are providing direction to the young minds that may some day be making decisions about New Orleans’ future. We should facilitate thier progress rather than become an obstruction to them for the sake of a few non-descript houses.
We have all heard of ethnic clensing, should this be considered urban clensing.
there are alot of empty lots popping up in
Zion City too – probably unrelated, but demolished nonetheless
http://www.zioncitynola.org/
Sorry you all, even though the planning commission, GNOCDC, the UNOP and Lambert recovery plans; even the demolition list I got had these houses listed in the Gert Town neighborhood; and many other things refer to this neighborhood as Gert Town. The neighbors like to call themselves the Xavier Triangle. The representatives from Xavier University really tried to diverge from the subject, which is that Xavier does not have any concrete plans for redeveloping these properties after they have been demolished and did not tell the neighbors or anything. They also did not mention this at all to any of the recovery meetings for the UNOP and the Lambert plan. I will now call this area the Xavier Triangle because I have learned from my mistakes, as far as Xavier is concerned the only houses that are truly in Gert Town are 7940 Washington Ave and 7440 Stroelitz St, all other houses are in the Xavier Triangle.
How can we have any discussion of affordable housin while also hosting this issue African American based institutions destroying entire African American neighborhoood?. Likewise, how can we see “Faith Based Organizations” in Central City who have been unable to just get a ROOF on a historical structture after almost two years apply for free. FEMA, government demolitions? Are they working toward affordable rents? NO, they are not!
These people are CLEARLY not interested in providing low-income housing if they cannnot remediate the housing they have at their disposal and acquired at serious discounts as Non-Profit Faith Based Organizations from entities like NORA. They are looking for big cash money from big, high density, developers. Much of this has NEVER ever become a reality.
How do you spell, Pipe Dream?
yes Randall, Xavier is exactly banking the land at the expense and comfort 0f the predominatly african-americans who formerly lived here and those who have done wonderful rebuild jobs and the “new” styrofoam house going up in there. the expense being the gentrification of this area. although there were a number of rental doubles when these are demolished even the student-renters will have to pay a price, moving into the Xavier dorms. now if Xavier would pave a few of the demolished lots for parking, then even more students can pay the price to park in those lots.
My name is John Pope.
I write about higher education for The Times-Picayune.
I’m working on a story about this subject, and I need to talk today (Monday) to people who are opposing the demolitions.
These people must be willing to let me publish their first and last names.
In your reply, please let me know how I can contact you.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Of course Xavier has plans for the sites……they can demolish the existing buildings to make way for the Norman Francis Faculty Resource Building, and the Norman Francis Center for Urban Studies, and then the Norman Francis Department of Environmental Quality, and the Norman Francis History Museum, and the Norman Francis Center for Cultural Studies, and the Norman Francis Performing Arts Theatre, and the Norman Francis Athletic Complex, and the Norman Francis Cafeteria, and the Norman Francis Public Toilets, and the Norman Francis Catholc Church, and the Norman Francis Synogogue, and the Norman Francis Mosque, and the Norman Francis Buddist Temple, and the Norman Francis Bar & Grill and the Norman Francis etc, etc, etc……………………..
Whadda ya mean you can’t believe it……its the ‘yune baby. Its not like its real journalism.
These houses will be reviewed again at Mondays HCDRC meeting.
From someone on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, I wish we had houses like these left to work with. I hope the powers that be appreciate the fact that New Orleans’ history can be saved and is basically intact. Mine is gone.