Saintsmania at PRC!
By · CommentsThe Good Morning America show came to town this week to showcase all the progress in the city and show off the city’s pride in our Saints team. Rebuilding Together participated in the interviews and giving the crew a tour of ongoing projects that the PRC is involved in.
GMA hasn’t put that interview online yet, however you can see another one of their showcase pieces, you can find it here , on their website.
The show went out live on Friday morning, and the producers put out a call for all brave and intrepid members of the Who Dat nation to come out to Jackson Square at 5:30 in the morning to show their pride. Once again Rebuilding Together rose to the challenge, showing their spirit in the early morning cold:

The demolition of 2300 Piety was approved by City Council.
The owners of the properties listed below were denied a demolition permit by the Neighborhood Conservation District Committee and took their case to the City Council today. Results:
2311-13 Iberville – Denied (petition died due to past deadline status)
2300-02 Piety – Approved
3034-36 Banks – Denied (defacto denial due to on deadline status)
3030 Banks -Denied (defacto denial due to on deadline status)
2500-02 N. Miro – Approved
1921-23 4th – Deferred
Demolition approved: The Halfway House, A Jazz Landmark
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Today the New Orleans City Council approved the demolition of the Halfway House with a proviso requiring that elements of the building be saved for reuse.
Back when Mid-City was still being built, Jazz was still a new form of musical expression, and streetcars were everywhere in New Orleans, the Halfway House was the place to be.
The Halfway House’s name is a reference to the Mid-City neighborhood, which is halfway between downtown and the Lakefront. For 30 years people riding the streetcar to the waterfront would hop off to dance to the “hot” jazz played inside before continuing on to the boardwalks and amusement parks on Lake Ponchartrain.
Unfortunately, over the years the streetcars pulled back and the entertainments on the lake were closed down. The dance hall’s popularity began to wane during the Great Depression, and it closed in the 1930s, alternatively vacant and rented for several years before pest-control company Orkin moved in, staying on the premises for 50 years.
The property had been abandoned by the time a fire seriously damaged the building in 2000, though the building’s bones and terrazzo
dance floor were still intact.
It looked like a savior had been found earlier this year when the New Orleans Jazz Restoration Society stepped up to purchase and restore the property for an estimated $1.25million. It seemed a perfect place for a jazz history museum, dance hall and even a restaurant. Jazz historian Jack Stewart said, “You can just close your eyes and just imagine yourself back in time. It was a place where music was played for a long time, and it’s associated with some pretty top-flight people. It would be terrible to lose it.”
Unfortunately, New Orleneans and visitors will not have that opportunity at 102 City Park Avenue, but we are hopeful that elements of the Halfway House will be reused.
Proposed Demolitions: HDLC Agenda for Feb. 11, 2010
By · CommentsNew Orleans Historic District Landmarks Commission ![]()
Thursday, February 11, 2010
9:30 AM
City Council Chamber, City Hall
1300 Perdido St.
Click here to view the HDLC agenda and photographs of the properties proposed for demolition.
To share your opinion about the demolition of any of these properties, email ceperkins@cityofno.com .
Proposed Demolitions: City Council Appeals for Feb. 4
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This double shotgun at 1921 4th St. in Central City is proposed for demolition
The owners of the properties listed below were denied a demolition permit by the Neighborhood Conservation District Committee and have now taken their case to the City Council. The hearing for these demolitions will take place at the City Council meeting on February 4. If you have a position on any of these proposed demolitions, please email the Councilmember in which the property is located.
2311-13 Iberville – Cm. Head (past deadline)
2300-02 Piety – Cm. Hedge Morrell
NCDC Meeting Results for Feb. 1, 2010
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The request to demolish the old New Orleans Bicycle Club was deferred for 30 days
Please click here to view the results from the Feb. 1, 2010 meeting.
The New Orleans Corner Store
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The corner store at 1738 St. Roch Ave was converted into a church.
Corner stores have been anchors in New Orleans neighborhoods for well over a century. The ultimate in convenience, embedded deep in residential neighborhoods where people could simply walk to the nearest corner store to pick up bread, milk, and other necessities. They may also house laudrymats, pharmacies, or neighborhood bars. In addition to providing a service, corner stores also served as a gathering place for the neighborhood where residents could socialize. Truly, they were a place where everyone “knew your name.”
Corner stores come in many different styles and can be one-story or multiple storied buildings, but their distinguishing feature is the beveled corner doorway that faces an intersection visible and accessible to traffic on multiple streets. Historically, a corner store also housed the owner’s residence either upstairs or deeper in the back of the property with a separate entrance. Some corner stores– such as the one at 3801 Baronne Street– have been converted to private residences, while others have been converted to churches or retail stores.

The 3801 Baronne Street corner store was converted to a private residence. It is being considered for demolition.
While there are some thriving corner stores still in operation, the rise of big-box chain supermarkets has unfortunately hastened the demise of many of these traditional commercial stores. Even when a chain store attempts to blend in with a neighborhood by adding in traditional commercial design, it still seems to lack authenticity. The authenticity they seek is inherent in the corner store, and their organically-created 19th century design cannot be easily replicated by a stand-alone store.
With the proper investment, corner stores could once again serve New Orleans neighborhoods. Louisiana’s Cultural Product District program was created to revitalize communities by creating a hub of cultural activity. A community can apply for this designation, and the benefits for individual property owners within these districts include increases in the cap for historic preservation tax credits for owner-occupied properties, as well as tax-free sales of original artwork. Corner stores located in New Orleans Cultural Product Districts are a perfect fit for this program. Currently, there are 18 designated CPD’s in New Orleans .
New Orleans is a bike-friendly and pedestrian-friendly city. Who wouldn’t rather walk a block or two to the nearest corner store to pick up your groceries rather than getting in the car, fighting traffic, parking, and waiting in long lines at a big box grocery store? The market for corner store convenience exists, and it is vastly underserved.
New Orleans is losing many of its corner stores due to neglect and demolition. In fact, three of them appear on the NCDC agenda for February 1st . While it is true that many of the buildings are blighted
and abandoned, is demolition really the answer when the need for them still clearly exists?
Click here to view our Flickr photo pool of corner store buildings.
Proposed Demolitions: NCDC Agenda for Feb. 1, 2010
By · CommentsNEIGHBORHOOD CONSERVATION DISTRICTS COMMITTEE ![]()
Monday, February 1, 2010
AGENDA & PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE
2:00 p.m. City Council Chamber
City Hall – Civic Center
1300 Perdido St.
New Orleans, Louisiana, 70112

Former Corner Store at 3801 Baronne Street
Click here for more information about the demolition proposal for 3801 Baronne (pictured above) and several adjacent properties on this block.
Click here to view the NCDC agenda and photographs of the properties proposed for demolition.
To share your opinion about the demolition of any of these properties, email ejhoran@cityofno.com and jemunster@cityofno.com .
The Circle Food Store Is Being Redeveloped?
By · CommentsIt appears that plans are in the works for the Circle Food Store. The following appeared on the City Planning Commission
agenda for January 26, 2010:
ZONING
DOCKET 131/09 – Request by CIRCLE FOOD STORE INC. AND VIP HOLDINGS, LLC for a Zoning
Change from a B-1A Neighborhood Business District to a C-1 General Commercial District, on Square 632, Pt. Lots A, 2 and 3 or R, 2, 3, 4, 4B and 5B and Lots B-B1 or Pt. 10, B, A-1, A-1, B-2, C-4, M, N, and an undesignated lot in the Third Municipal District, bounded by Saint Bernard Avenue, North Robertson Street, Laharpe Street, and North Claiborne Avenue. The municipal addresses are 1502-1522 SAINT BERNARD AVENUE, 1517 LAHARPE STREET, AND 1546-1550 NORTH CLAIBORNE AVENUE. (ZBM D-13/PD 4)
We’ll find out why the zoning
change is needed and we’ll keep you posted.












