2428 Napoleon Ave.

District: Uptown - Partial Control

Owner: Our Lady of Lourdes New Orleans Louisiana Inc

HDLC Staff: Jesse Stephenson

Rating: Contributing

Applicant: Heather Gorman

Permit #: 24-11014-HDLC

Description: Demolition of a Contributing rated education building to grade.

HDLC Guidelines:

Section 12, Pages 23-24 of the Guidelines for New Construction, Additions and Demolition states that the demolition of all or portions of historic resources within a local Historic District or Landmark site are considered drastic actions, since they alter the character of the area. Once historic resources or buildings that contribute to the heritage of the community are destroyed, it is generally impossible to reproduce their design, texture, materials, details and their special character and interest in the neighborhood. When reviewing demolition applications at properties located within a Historic District or at a Landmark site, the HDLC uses the following criteria in its evaluations:

The historic or architectural significance of the building or structure as designated by its “rating”: Contributing
The importance of the building or structure to the tout ensemble of the area:

The educational building at 2428 Napoleon was constructed in 1957 and fronts the corners of Freret and Napoleon as well as Freret and Jena. The building was designed by New Orleans architect Philip P. Cazale, a parishioner of Our Lady of Lourdes and a designer of postwar educational buildings in the city of New Orleans. 2428 Napoleon was constructed to replace the previous school that was constructed in 1909 and subsequently demolished in 1956. The building is a symbol of the postwar growth of the population of New Orleans.

The school building is part of the Our Lady of Lourdes Complex which is on the National Register of Historic Places. It is the last architectural piece constructed that tells the complete story of the development of the complex.

The alternatives to demolition that have been explored by the applicant:

New one-story commercial 13,500 SF specialty grocer building.

The difficulty or impossibility of reproducing such a building or structure because of its design, texture, material or detail:

The L-shaped building is constructed of steel and concrete and clad in brick which is indicative of the period in which it was constructed. The building contains subtle religious iconography, glass and breeze block fenestration and operable windows. The overall architectural articulation speaks to the interior program of classrooms, vertical circulation, and gathering spaces. It is extremely unlikely that any building that would replace 2428 Napoleon would have the same level of materiality, attention to detail and visual articulation.

Staff Recommendations:

The building at 2428 Napoleon is on the National Register of Historic Places as part of the Our Lady of Lourdes Complex and is considered a Contributing Rated building by National Park Service. The designation of the Contributing Rated status was given to the building as part of the broader complex of our Lady of Lourdes. A previous applicant submitted the application to place the Our Lady of Lourdes Complex on the National Register in order to secure tax credits for rehabilitation of the school structure in addition to the church and the rectory. The nomination of the Our Lady of Lourdes complex to the National Register was reviewed by this Commission on November 3, 2021 and was recommended for approval of the listing based on the architectural and cultural significance of the complex.

The building at 2428 Napoleon was the only building that was out of the period of significance thus making it ineligible for tax credits. Through research, the author of the National Register report found that the building at 2428 Napoleon could be considered significant to the complex at large if the period of significance used ranged from 1925-1971 (in lieu of 1820-1935). This alteration was accepted by the National Park Service and 2428 Napoleon was included in the Lady of Lourdes Complex register designation and eligible for tax credits.

The previous proposal that helped secure the National Register status did not come to fruition. HDLC Staff does not believe it to be appropriate to rescind the contributing rating status of the building due to a failed proposal in order to demolish the building for a new development. HDLC Staff aligns with the contributing designation given by the National Park Service. HDLC Staff believes there is the possibility of adaptive reuse of the building 2428 Napoleon. As stated the HDLC's mission statement, the purpose of the HDLC is to preserve the cultural, social, economic, political and architectural history of the City of New Orleans. For the aforementioned reasons Staff recommends denial of the demolition to grade.