1547 Leda St.

Staff Recommendations: 

An application for interior demolition at 1547 Leda was entered into the OneStop May 13, 2019 and issued the same day for Ms. Cangelosi's project. On May 15, 2019 another application was submitted for the demolition to grade and was slated for the June HDLC Commission meeting. Prior to the meeting a Safety and Permits flag was put on the property by the then director Zachary Smith stating, "Owner may be making building unstable in order to obtain a demo permit. Hold all permits as per director Z Smith."

As is the procedure, an interior and exterior inspection was completed by HDLC Staff on June 4, 2019. It was noted that the interior demolition had stripped the building of all finishing materials with some interior bracing in place. The exterior was clad in Asbestos shingles and all windows and doors remained and seemed to be in good condition. 

The demolition application was heard on June 5, 2019. A motion for denial was made and passed, 8-2. This decision was appealed to the New Orleans City Council by Ms. Cangelosi. The appeal was heard on July 18, 2019. A motion was made to keep the front 14 feet of the building. The verbiage of the motion was amended the same day to specify that 14 feet would essentially start at the edge of the front porch and extend into the house. No permit was issued because a renovation permit would be required. No work commenced.

An application for "New Construction" was then submitted in February of 2022 that noted the incorporation of the 14 feet. A visual inspection was conducted February 18, 2022 by HDLC Staff of the building. The inspection showed that no major structural changes had occurred, only the meager semblance of an attempt to start the removal of the Asbestos cladding. The building was still complete with all windows, doors and roofing materials. The application was reviewed by HDLC Staff and and a Certificate of Appropriateness was issued March 8, 2022.

Due to unforeseen events Ms. Cangelosi still did not start the work in the spring of 2022. Ms. Cangelosi applied for a Renovation Permit on October 28, 2022 to reboot the ill fated project. The scope was for sill work but drawings noted the saving of the 14 feet of the building. Ms. Cangelosi contacted the HDLC to inform Staff of the restart.

On November 21, 2022 HDLC Staff performed a visual inspection of the building. Little had changed from the previous inspection in February of that year. However the building was showing signs weathering not uncommon for an uninhabited building.

On January 9, 2022 Safety and Permits issued the renovation permit for the sill work.

(Note* Satellite imagery from January 28, 2023 shows the building roofing material completely intact.)

At the beginning of May of 2023 the neighbors became very concerned about the state of 1547 Leda Court and began contacting the HDLC as work had commenced. On May 9, 2023 a demolition by Neglect citation was issued. 

A visual inspection was again conducted by HDLC Staff on May 23, 2023 and noted all the wood windows had been removed and the building was completely open to the elements because their removal. However the roofing material was intact.

 On May 25, 2023 the renovation permit was revoked by Safety and Permits for not having a a licensed contractor as noted by HDLC Staff. 

A visual inspection by HDLC Staff was again conducted on June 6, 2023. The rear encapsulated porch had been removed and portions of the roofing materials had been removed. The roofing material removed was located on the fairgrounds side at the rear of the house and at the side gable on the Esplanade side. Additionally, roofing members could be seen cut on the Esplanade side.

A licensed contractor was secured and the permit was reissued on June 9, 2023 with work recommencing. In the interim HDLC Staff noted that the structural drawings for the Renovation called for piles to be driven under the 14 feet of the house that was to remain. This triggered HDLC to contact Ms. Cangelosi and Safety and Permits in order to review updated drawings.

On July 6, 2023 a meeting at 1547 Leda Court was attended by Ms. Cangelosi, Ms. Cangelosi's legal council, Ms. Cangelosi's Structural Engineer, Bryan Block, Jay Dufour, and Jesse Stephenson. The building had visible holes in the roof and the flooring material were not present. The slow destabilization of the building and poor sill condition rendered the side elevation walls non-salvageable. Ms. Cangelosi's structural engineer agreed the front porch and primary façade could be saved if properly braced. HDLC Director Bryan Block agreed to the compromise in an effort to move the project forward. Ms. Cangelosi was given 30 days to revise drawings for the new structural system for the sill work, and bracing required to save the front wall. In that 30 days work was to commence to secure the building and site for safety issues. This did not happen.

On Sunday, July 30, 2023 at 12:58PM Ms. Cangelosi contacted Bryan Block to notify him the building had "collapsed." Coincidently, there was a backhoe onsite which is antithetical to securing the building and properly bracing the primary façade. By the time the HDLC visual inspection was able to be completed on the morning of Monday, July 31, the site had been completely leveled and cleared with the exception of some porch columns and a bit of lumber. This was less than 24 hours after the "collapse." There were no photos of the collapse, or collapsed condition that were of any merit given to the HDLC Staff. 

Staff recommends granting retention of the illegal demolition with a Tier 3 fine.