Housing Conservation District Review Committee Meeting
Agenda November 6, 2006
10 a.m., Room 7E07
City Hall
Result: Approved
Mr. Jones, the owner of this modest shotgun, was not present at the hearing regarding his demolition. He was in Georgia, but I ran into him when I visited the property later in the week to take this photo. I told him how sorry I was that he lost his home, there is no question that demolition is in order for many properties here in this part of the Lower Ninth Ward. I asked him if he has any reservation about rebuilding in this area. He said, “No, it’s all I’ve got.” He does plan to build higher and he would like to have a front porch and a place to his laundry in the back of the house, inside. Uniquely, many many homes in New Orleans, from uptown to the ninth ward, have a small “lean-to” built onto the back of the house that shelters a washer and dryer but it’s not inside the house, like up north.
Mr. Jones told me the story of the day water rushed down his street and how he clung to his gutters to get to something floatable and then over to his neighbor’s house. They were taken by surprise and the water was moving so fast . . . Mr. Jones is probably in his late 50’s. He hopes to get his new home done within six months. He still doesn’t have a trailer, but in case he’s not there, he’s left instructions for the subcontractors.
