A 19th century power station designed by famed architect Thomas Sully, a strategic fort that saw action in the Civil War, and the New Orleans riverfront, from Holy Cross to the Lower Garden District, have made it on the Louisiana Landmarks Society's annual list of the most endangered historic sites in New Orleans.
The society unveiled its 10th New Orleans Nine list on Thursday morning at the Pitot House on Bayou St. John. Also on the list were three mid-19th century houses as well as the Touro Shakspeare Home, a municipal almshouse built in 1933 in Algiers, and the S. W. Green Mansion, a Craftsman-style residence built in 1928.
That house was owned by Smith Wendall Green, the son of a former slave who became president of Liberty Independent Insurance. During construction of the home, it was partially burned by the KKK and "became a symbol of African-American achievement," the society said.
In more recent years, the Green Mansion has fallen into obscurity. It was "discovered in the footprint of the proposed VA hospital by preservationists," the society said. "The privately owned mansion was moved with help from VA and the city across Rocheblave from the new medical complex, where it sits in disrepair."
The Louisiana Landmarks Society is a nonprofit preservation advocacy group that operates the Pitot House. It models its New Orleans Nine list off the National Trust for Historic Preservation's ranking of "America's 11 Most Endangered Historic Places." The local list calls attention to threatened places as well as to issues the group believes hinder historic preservation efforts.
Read the complete list here.
Among those issues is the potential development of "mid-rise towers" in historic neighborhoods along the east and west banks of the New Orleans riverfront.
"The recently approved Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance, the final step in the city's years-long Master Planning process, calls for additional height allowances either by changing the zoning map or applying an overlay district along the Mississippi River, allowing structures to qualify for a height bonus of 25 feet," the society said. "Neighborhoods fear a loss of historic sense of place and scale if mid-rise towers are introduced in century-old neighborhoods."
In comparison to last year's list, the 2015 New Orleans Nine is less focused on issues and more on specific properties threatened by deterioration and "demolition by neglect." Among them is the former New Orleans and Carrollton Railroad Powerhouse, at 403 Napoleon Ave., which the society calls "a masterpiece of late 19th century American industrial architecture."
The grand structure was built "to house turbines that converted water drawn from the nearby Mississippi River and artesian wells for the production of steam used by the railroad." Today, the building has structural and masonry problems, though it is still used by the Regional Transit Authority, the society said.
Also threatened by lack of repair is Fort Pike, at 27100 Chef Menteur Highway. Built in 1826, it was an active military fortification until 1890. "The fort's waterside location made it ideal to protect New Orleans, but is now contributing to its endangerment," the society said. "In addition to acute damage from recent hurricanes, less obvious problems such as wave action, rising damp and uneven soil settling are threatening the stability of the fort."
The 2015 New Orleans Nine also includes an 1860s Greek Revival home at 924 Euterpe; an 1860 Creole cottage at 518 Eleonore St.; and an 1846 center-hall cottage at 1519 Esplanade Ave.
The Eleonore Street house is a "rare survivor of the antebellum period" in that neighborhood, the society said. The residence is in disrepair, and its owner is seeking to tear it down.
The Audubon Riverside Neighborhood Association opposes the demolition. "It's a concern for three reasons:" the home's history, its scale and character in the neighborhood and "the precedent" demolition would set, said Marilyn Feldmeier, co-chairwoman of the neighborhood association's zoning committee.
Feldmeier acknowledged that the home is in bad shape, but said "a building doesn't need to look good or be in good shape to be historic."
"The loss of this building puts every historic building at risk, we believe," she said.
Also threatened by "deterioration, potential demolition and inappropriate development" is the Carrollton Courthouse, at 701 S. Carrollton Ave, the society said. The structure, which was designed by noted 19th century architect Henry Howard and served as a Jefferson Parish governmental building as well as a school, been vacant since 2013.
The society seeks nominations for the New Orleans Nine each year from the public, and the list is whittled down by a selection committee.
Members of the 2015 committee include Jeff Bernard of State-Investors Bank; Danielle Del Sol with the Preservation Resource Center and Tulane Preservation Studies Program; attorney Michael Duplantier; Beth Jacob of Clio Associates; Sally Reeves, archivist of the Office of the Clerk of Civil District Court; architect Peter Trapolin; Lindsey Walsworth of the Hermann-Grima+Gallier House; attorney Charles Whited; society trustees Hilary Somerville Irvin, Tommy Milliner, Sandra Stokes, and Betsy Stout; society board president T. Casey Stuart and executive Director Walter Gallas; and committee chairman Stephen Chauvin.