333 St. Joseph St.

Staff Recommendations: 

The applicant originally applied for and received a building permit and CofA to renovate the existing mixed-use building, including repair of the 2nd floor wood windows to match existing. After the CofA was issued and work began at the building, the applicant contacted HDLC Staff to discuss additional necessary exterior work. The CofA was then updated to include removal of an impermeable paint coating for replacement with a new breathable masonry coating, and minor modifications at the second floor brick façade ledge to better shed water. Unfortunately, the applicant did not provide any information for new storm shutters and this specific work was not reviewed or approved in advance.

On December 21, 2023, Staff observed that new permanent roll-down storm shutters had been installed at the 3rd floor penthouse openings without HDLC approval and notified the applicant. While located only at the new penthouse addition openings, the roll-down shutters and their coil housings are visually prominent and are highly visible from all surrounding streets, including directly across St. Joseph and particularly from Tchoupitoulas and North Diamond Street. They also appear to have a highly reflective finish from various surrounding perspectives.

The HDLC Guidelines for shutters and storm preparedness allow for minimally obtrusive and historically appropriate permanent storm shutters, which are typically temporary wood, metal, or fabric panels that are deployed only when storms are approaching. By utilizing minimally visible pre-installed fasteners, the openings are able to be protected when necessary with little to no negative impact on the existing building's historic fabric or visual character. Based on this, the high visibility of the storm shutters from the surrounding public right of way, and because this work was completed without HDLC approval, Staff recommends denial of the request for retention. Staff also recommends the applicant consider other less-intrusive methods to achieve the desired opening protection that can be reviewed and approved at the staff level.