709 Tchoupitoulas St

Description: Appeal of ARC recommendation to install wood bi-fold doors at enlarged street level opening 

ARC Recommendations: 

3/22/22: The ARC recommended conceptual approval of the project, with the following provisos:

Gallery:

• The ARC had no objection to the installation of the new gallery. The location of any underground utilities or services should be determined prior to construction. If the placement of the posts is affected, any changes will need to be approved by the ARC. The post location in relation to the existing posts on the adjacent gallery also needs further study.

• The bases of the posts look out of scale (too  large).

New second floor doors:

• The new doors look too heavy – they should have a greater ratio of glass to wood than shown.

First floor opening:

• The ARC agreed that they would allow the single large opening on the right side since there is evidence that it previously existed; however, they still felt that a roll-up garage door was out of character for the building. They recommended a more traditional door style in that opening that fits better with the overall style of building, such as carriage doors or bi-fold French doors.

2/15/22: The ARC was reluctant to approve the addition of a gallery without further documentation that a gallery previously existed in this location. They also agreed that the installation of new overhead doors was not appropriate for the type and style of building. While there may have been an overhead door on the façade previously, it would not have been original, and the current condition is more appropriate for the historic character of the building, even if not entirely accurate. The committee suggested the applicant perform additional research to determine what the original condition of the building would have been.

Context Photos:

Door Options:

Current Drawings:

Public Comment:

Previous Drawings:

Sanborn Map:

Overhead Door Examples:

Street View: