THREAT: Commercial development

For decades, in accordance with the 1929 mission of the Audubon Park Natatorium, citizens have enjoyed the use of Avenger Ball Field and Audubon Tennis Courts, located on land purchased from the Texas and Pacific Railroad in 1949. This land is marked as green space in the new Master Plan for New Orleans. Yet the Audubon Park Commission, steward of the park, has recently entertained an offer to lease the ball field and tennis courts for private commercial development. As long as the Commission is willing to consider this option, the green space will remain threatened.

THREAT: Neglect

Constructed in 1939, the General Laundry, Cleaners and Dyer’s brightly hued terra cotta façade is attached to a nondescript warehouse. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974, the façade’s various motifs, in unfaded colors, epitomize the Art Deco approach to geometric pattern as does no other New Orleans building. Although the building is actively used for storage, its one-of-a-kind façade, visible from Orleans Avenue, is in need of preservation.

THREAT: Demolition by neglect

Henry Roeland Byrd, (1918 - 1980), aka. Professor Longhair, New Orleans Rock ‘n Roll pianist and songwriting legend, lived modestly, often reclusively, in the house at 1740 Terpsichore in Central City. During his life, “Fess” was mostly unknown beyond New Orleans, poverty stricken, even with many hits including the Mardi Gras anthem Big Chief . After his death, Professor Longhair received a Grammy in 1987 and was inducted into the Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame in 1992. His house, a late nineteenth century two-story, is owned by his descendants but appears to be uninhabitable.

THREAT: Demolition by neglect

Famed for African American entertainment from 1945 – 1970, the two buildings that comprise the Dew Drop Inn incorporated a barber shop, restaurant, barroom, and a hotel. Opened in 1939 by the Painia family, the club featured national, regional and local acts. One blues singer remembered it as “the foundation for musicians in New Orleans...If you couldn’t get a gig at the Dew Drop, you weren’t about nothing.” The Dew Drop Inn was designated a local Landmark in January, 2010, but the structure remains in dire need of repair.

THREAT: Demolition by neglect and illegal intrusion

This excellent example of the New Orleans Bracketed Shotgun was constructed in 1889 as one of a trio. The City purchased it in 1911 for use as a custodial residence of the adjacent school. It is now abandoned and in a state of extreme neglect and deterioration. The Orleans Parish School Board has asked the State BESE Board to return control of the school and its custodial cottage to the School Board to be designated as surplus for disposition and/or adaptive reuse.

THREAT: Demolition by neglect

Owned by the City of New Orleans, this beautiful 1902 Queen Anne style structure is for sale. Its location within the Bayou Road African American Heritage Cultural District entitles the owner to a 50% tax credit toward restoration if the building is used for commercial purposes for five years, or a 25% tax credit if it is used as a residence. The appraised value of over one million dollars is not realistic, and without a buyer, the lovely “jail” will continue to be a victim of demolition by neglect.

THREAT: Demolition by neglect, fire, vandalism, citywide.

Many New Orleans churches have been abandoned in favor of larger, more centralized places of worship. Creative adaptive reuse, such as the St. Alphonsus Community Center development, should be actively sought for all these lovely buildings, many of which deteriorate while awaiting buyers, such as Felicity St. Methodist Church. Others, like Chevra Thilim Synagogue in Broadmoor, are slated for demolition. St. Maurice Catholic Church (pictured), built in 1852 in Holy Cross neighborhood, has been closed since Hurricane Katrina.

THREAT: Confiscation and rezoning residential neighborhood for medical services district

This National Register neighborhood contains hundreds of Italianate, Colonial Revival, and Bungalow/Craftsman structures. Threatened by plans to create a twenty-seven block hospital district, proposals for a medical services district endanger a larger area—stretching from Loyola to South Carrollton, and Earhart to Iberville. These affected areas of Mid-City need local historic district oversight and protection such as that offered by the Historic District Landmark’s Commission.

THREAT: Neglect, vandalism, root damage.

Lafayette Cemetery was laid out by Benjamin Buisson in 1833 to serve the Protestant founders of the Garden District. Two massive oak trees now threaten over thirty historic tombs. Owned and operated by the City, the cemetery also suffers from inadequate grounds keeping, improper tomb maintenance and lack of supervision of film crews who use and abuse this historic site. What happens to the fees paid for the privilege of filming here?