Anguished accounts in the local and national media have reported on Hurricane Ida’s destruction of the Karnovsky’s Tailor Shop on South Rampart Street, where Morris Karnovsky, a Jewish immigrant from Russia, befriended young Louis Armstrong and gave him his first job, delivering coal and also his first horn. But this was not the only cultural loss from Ida’s visit.
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Annual Meeting of Louisiana Landmarks Society took place this Sunday, May 30, 2021
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Seen through the lens of the housing crises in the Bay Area, “Golden Gates” provides lessons for any city, like New Orleans, that is struggling with housing affordability.
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Uptown neighbors want tougher permit enforcement on ‘doubles-to-dorms’
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Both when at home and while abroad, people tend to visit two types of places. The first are the old-fashioned, historic sites, which exhibit charm, individuality, and character. In the second category are the modern attractions, which instead offer convenience, ubiquity, and familiarity. New Orleans is that rarest of American cities in which people tend to seek out both in equal measure.
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For years, short-term rental properties proliferated and threatened New Orleans’ historic neighborhoods, leading to loss of the social fabric and to the eviction of longtime residents. In August 2019, the City Council passed rules to rein in short-term rentals, and residents breathed a sigh of relief.
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The old Holy Cross School, St. Alphonsus Arts and Cultural Center, jazz great Buddy Bolden's home and several original buildings in the B.W. Cooper housing development are among the historic sites that the Louisiana Landmarks Society deems to be most at risk in New Orleans.
For the past 15 years, the nonprofit preservation group has issued an annual list dubbed the “New Orleans’ Nine” to bring attention to the factors that threaten the existence and survival of the city’s built environment.
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Louisiana's Commercial Rehabilitation Tax Credit, better known as the State Historic Tax Credit, has unleashed nearly $4 billion in private investments in less than two decades. Much of that has taken place in Greater New Orleans, creating regional jobs in design and construction while strengthening our local tax base.
Many of the beautifully restored buildings that have received Louisiana Landmarks Society Preservation Awards would still be in disrepair without the State Historic Tax Credit. This 20% credit not only offsets the cost of doing restoration the right way; it helps preservation projects get financing from banks and investors. Losing the credit would mean losing jobs and investment to other states.
A 2017 study by PlaceEconomics found that each dollar in State Historic Tax Credits generates $8.76 in economic activity. This in turn produces sales and income taxes that more than offset the credits given. For every $1 in State Historic Tax Credits, Louisiana receives $0.42 in tax revenue before the credit is issued (after the building restoration is completed). That direct return on investment climbs $2.77 for each $1 according to a 2015 study by Novogradic.
Extending the State Historic Tax Credit provides much needed certainty during turbulent economic times. It will pay off in jobs for Louisianans while bringing life and beauty back to historic towns and neighborhoods.
Call or email your state senator today to let them know you support HB 4 to extend the State Historic Tax Credit.
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Construction of a permanent docking facility in front of the pavilion at Woldenberg Park. (Photo by Sandra Stokes)
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Tougher rules on short-term rentals will become law in New Orleans.
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