Squandered Heritage

FEMA Section 106
Public Notice Regarding Historic Review of Privately-Owned Residential Buildings Proposed for Demolition in Orleans Parish, Louisiana

Click to enter FEMA list posting No 43

Click to see photo set

Damage Assessment “Wizard”:

Address: 315 S Clark St
Owner: Tanya Miller
Tax Bill: 105301110
Property Description: Sq 706 Lot 10 Clark 32 4X138 6 Ineligible For Freeze
Planning District: Mid-City
Flood Zone: A4
Damage Assessment
Estimated Flood Depth: 6.5
Flood Duration (days): 14
Damage Report: 51.74% Report Detail:

Whaaaa?! The FEMA threshold is 50% for a tax payer paid demolition. This is NOT anywhere near 50% and the whole neighborhood is remediating. To lose this would be stupid. It’s lazy. It must be re-assessed and I will file a request for public information on the file to see the inspection at the city level where something obviously went awry.

This is the information on the assessor’s database, it may have changed hands:

Owner Name MILLER TANYA F
Address 315 S CLARK STREET
City / State / Zip NEW ORLEANS LA 70119

Parcel
Property Address 315 CLARK S ST
Unit
District 1
Assesment Area 05
Subdivision
Square 706
Lot 10
Book 23
Folio 031
Line 004
Tax Bill Number 105301110
Instrument Number 000159858
Notorial Archive Number 98-25078
Sale Date 01-JUN-98
Sale Price $54,900

2007 Certified Assessment
Appraised Land $17,910
Appraised Building $55,100
Appraised Total

$73,010
Assessed Land $1,790
Assessed Building $5,510
Assessed Total $7,300
Homestead Exemption Amount $0
Exempt Code Y
Special Tax District

Values History
Tax Year 2006
Assessed Land $1,791
Assessed Building $830
Assessed Total $2,621
Homestead Exemption Amount

Housing Conservation District Review Committee Meeting Agenda
November 20, 2006
10 a.m. Room 7E07
City Hall

Result: Denied. This owner can appeal to the City Council to have the decision overturned.

After speaking to a historical renovation contractor, he said it is clear that the repairs to this house would be more in the 100K range rather than the 300K Ms. Ireland claims. Owners commonly make claims of excessive repair costs often in the HCDRC hearings. We have also seen owners exaggerate water levels in their home, which is why taking photos is important. This house is so historically significant, the value of the home would be triple the value of a modular once repaired.

Owner Linda Ireland has applied to demolish this double side gallery shotgun single, to be replaced by a vacant lot.

Ms. Ireland purchased this house, for $22,000 according to the assessment records. It would make much more sense to sell this than to demolish a very unique house, particularly where it is located, in the Broodmoore neighborhood which is dominated by more modern bungalow style homes. The home is an important part of the fabric of our world reknowned architectural culture.

Many local preservationist have been concerned for months, that when demolitions began in earnest after the flood, that some people would be applying for unnecessary demolitions and due to the city’s stretched personnel resources, would be granted permission to demolish in error. Perhaps we can help prevent some of these demolitions by the work we are doing here at Squandererd Heritage. Many people are looking for housing to return home to New Orleans. This and the house Karen reported at 8525 Apricot could be refurbished and put back into commerce for much, much less investment than new construction.

Usually, we Squandered Heritage photographers grab our gear and a portion of the-list-du-jour and head out to our respective parts of the city to try to cover as much territory as possible. Today, however, Karen and I had a few things we needed to do together. Karen showed me what will soon be the new Squandered Heritage World Headquarters, deep in the heart of Hollygrove. We also met with our friends at the Preservation Resource Center. We got a rare opportunity to do the site visit to this property together. I am very glad we did because I wouldn’t have believed my own eyes on this one, and we enjoyed exploring its wonderful character together. This is the second home this week we found that would be an unnecessary loss if demolished, we shared our concern. And remember, your comments can help us make a difference. Perhaps with the help of our readers, we can find a buyer for this stunning piece of history.