Buildings Wasting Away: Demolition by Neglect

The aging process can be rough on any building. Foundations shift and roofs get leaky, termites get hungry and gutters start to crumble.

While most property owners continue to invest in the maintenance and improvements, there are exceptions. Some, however, allow Mother Nature and Father Time to demolish the property for them. This isn’t a new phenomenon unique to New Orleans’ recovery process. Preservationists have an expression for it — “Demolition by Neglect” — and that is what is happening to countless buildings throughout the City.

“Demolition by Neglect” is one of the most serious threats to the built environment. The term “Demolition by Neglect”  (D by N) refers to the gradual deterioration of a building when routine or major maintenance is not preformed. Legally, the term technically only applies to properties under the jurisdiction of the Historic District Landmarks Commission (HDLC) and the Vieux Carre Commission (VCC), though properties throughout the City are suffering the same fate. In area of the city that are not in a local historic district, property owners are cited for building code violations for conditions similar to the criteria for determination of D by N.

According to the HDLC’s website, the types of deficiencies identified as D by N include any structural or deficiency in “a building part which left unrepaired could lead to the deterioration of the building’s structural frame.” Further, if a property is open to entry, a building can also be identified for D by N.

Specific criteria for the determination of Demolition by Neglect are as follows:

• The deterioration of a building to the extent that it creates or permits a hazardous or unsafe condition as determined by the Department of Safety and Permits.
• Action by the City, the State Fire Marshall, or the Department of Safety and Permits relative to the safety or physical condition of any building.
• The deterioration of a building(s) characterized by one or more of the following:

1. Those buildings which have parts thereof which are so attached that they may fall and injure members of the public or property;
2. Deteriorated or inadequate foundation;
3. Defective or deteriorated floor supports or floor supports insufficient to carry imposed loads with safety;
4. Members of walls, or other vertical supports that split, lean, list, or buckle due to defective material or deterioration;
5. Members of walls or other vertical supports that are insufficient to carry imposed loads with safety;
6. Members of ceiling, roofs, ceiling and roof supports, or other horizontal members which sag, split, or buckle due to defective material or deterioration;
7. Members of ceiling, roofs, ceiling and roof supports, or other horizontal members that are insufficient to carry imposed loads with safety;
8. Fireplaces or chimneys which list, bulge, or settle due to defective material or deterioration;
9. Any fault, defect, or condition in the building which renders the same structurally unsafe or not properly watertight.

For additional information about Demolition by Neglect, visit the HDLC’s website and email us if you know of a building that should be cited for D by N.