Squandered Heritage

I went to a District 3 planning meeting today and saw Richard Campanella. I have been reading his latest book Geographies of New Orleans and have been very impressed with the variety of information. The way in which it is presented and the ability it has to make you see New Orleans in yet another way.

The following is from A Times Picayune article

bq. “Geographies of New Orleans” represents five years of research, map-making and writing, with more than 400 pages of text, including 170 original maps, charts and graphs and approximately 400 vintage and contemporary photographs and satellite images of the city. It takes the reader through past geographies, physical geographies, urban geographies, ethnic geographies (with chapters on Creole, Irish, German, Jewish, Greek, African-American, Italian, Chinese and Vietnamese patterns of settlement in the city), as well as a chapter titled “Hurricane Katrina and the Geographies of Catastrophe.”

I have been looking at a lot of damaged buildings which has made me curious about what I did not know. Richard showed me a small photo of a corner store on Melpomene and Constance. He mentioned that the walls had a brick and beam construction. I did some research on this type of construction, I am fairly certain it was called nogging

Nogging is rough brick masonry used to fill in the interstices of a wooden frame, in building.

I arrived at the store just in time to get a photo of this wall. While there does not seem to be a full brick wall between the beams there is evidence of a partial brick support.

The Bulldozers were taking this store down and I was only able to get a few shots before it came down.

I managed to find a few interesting architectural shards.

and take a last photo

because by Monday it will be all gone.

I remember when this story was first covered by the Times Picayune and in looking found the blog of the folks who live next door to it.

I had done some research on this house and the story of the move to this location. What is difficult to fathom is the size of this house. It is HUGE.

I spoke with Sean a musician who lives next door, with his fiancee. Sean has been working on his house for 10 years. He told me that he was out of town for a month and while he was gone someone stole the joists and floorboards.

As you can see from these photos this place is ready to fall down, and it is 8 inches from the property line.

Sean said that he fears on a daily basis that it is going to fall on top of his house. Seems that a shame that this house was moved from the original site to this site which is too small and because of the neglect of Lisa Mazique while she is settling in to her new job in Miami and Sean and Jackie are living next door to this Historic Landmark of failure.

Here is an older photo of this home in which it appears to be leaning left, in recent photos it is leaning right.
Scary.

The Irish Channel is located below the Garden District near the river. It did not flood.

Irish peasants fleeing the potato famine in the 1840s and 1850s debarked at Adele Street and were channeled from there to the rest of the country.

For more information on this Neighborhood

Just recieved the latest agenda for the HDLC, the meeting is set for 9:30 a.m., Friday, Oct. 13, 2006 City Council Chambers

I noticed that there were a number of Citations to be issued for Demolition by Neglect.

They are as follows:

1027 9th Street

This house is one house away from Magazine Street.

608 Sixth Street

This very small house looks adandoned.

2131 Chippewa Street

This is located acroos from a School and a Church.

The types of deficiencies identified as “Demolition by Neglect” include any structural deficiency or a deficiency in a building part which left unrepaired could lead to deterioration of the building’s structural frame. A building is also identified as “Demolition by Neglect” if it is open to entry by vandals or vagrants.

For more on the HDLC