7716-7718 Colapissa St.

District: Carrollton - Partial Control

Owner: Devon Sweeney

HDLC Staff: Jesse Stephenson

Rating: Contributing

Applicant: Arbac Properties Inc

Permit #: 23-10022-HDLC

Description: Demolition of a Contributing rated, two-family, raised-basement residential building to grade.

HDLC Guidelines:

Section 12, Pages 23-24 of the Guidelines for New Construction, Additions and Demolition, state 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. As a result, the HDLC rarely considers the demolition of Significant or Contributing buildings or structures within a local Historic District or on a Landmark site to be an appropriate option.

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: FEMA survey research indicates the original single-shotgun type building was estimated to have been constructed around 1925-1935, however, it appears on the 1929-1940 Sanborn map as the second to last house to occupy parcel number 459.
The alternatives to demolition that have been explored by the applicant: Construction of a parking lot.
The difficulty or impossibility of reproducing such a building or structure because of its design, texture, material or detail: While reproduction might not be cost-prohibitive, recreation of historic details such as columns, windows, grand staircase, and trim would be difficult and unlikely. Furthermore, this building is a bookend that completes block face at Colapissa and Lowerline. It retains it's single story massing and craftsman details. Any new construction or parking lot built in place of 7716 Colapissa would likely not share this building's same massing, roofline and character, which could alter the streetscape considerably.
The special character and aesthetic interest that the building or structure adds to the local Historic District: The raised basement bungalow retains it's massing, craftsman rafter tails, fan light transoms, Greek key window trim at the gable, and grand staircase indicative of the period in which it was constructed. The building sides retain the original wood siding, historic window casings, and trim.

The condition of the building or structure: HDLC Staff conducted an interior and exterior inspection on May 2, 2023 and found the building to be in fair condition.

On the exterior, the roof shingles were deteriorated and need to be replaced but the overall roof structure was not compromised. The rafter tails showed signs of rot but there were no visible sags suggesting that the structural members are competent. The walls appeared plumb and level as the building was not racked or leaning. Some weatherboards were missing or showed signs of rot but there was no widespread failure of exterior bearing walls. The wood window sashes appeared to be in good condition but current deferred maintenance has left some missing panes of glass allowing water to enter the building. The sill of the building appeared to be competent with some portions requiring replacement.

The interior ground floor level has extensive mold growth on the drywall and insulation and would need remediation with laminate and tile flooring installed over the concrete subfloor. Visible sections of framing appeared to be in good condition. The upper levels appeared to have water intrusion at ceiling and at non maintained windows. The units retain their wood floors, three panel craftsman doors, some mantels, and millwork details with some additions of big box store millwork.

Staff Recommendations:

The raised basement bungalow retains it's scale, massing, siting, and roof form. The front façade, with the altered gable windows and sidelights, retain the original building character intent. The building is in fair condition and appears to be structurally sound and reasonably watertight. Currently, there is constant discourse regarding the lack affordable housing by advocates, residents, and the New Orleans City Council. The demolition of this building would remove the potential for four (4) residential units to come back in to commerce simply to provide parking as part of a plan to raze a total of 3 historic properties.

For the aforementioned reasons Staff cannot recommend approval of the demolition of the building.