5518-5520 Tchoupitoulas St.

District: Uptown - Partial Control

Owner: Carwash Blues LLC

HDLC Staff: Jesse Stephenson

Rating:  Contributing

Applicant: Jonathan Drennan

Permit #:  23-31172-HDLC

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 double shotgun at 5518 Tchoupitoulas was constructed between 1880 and 1890 and the building first appears on the 1896 Fire Insurance Maps. 5518 Tchoupitoulas is one of three remaining shotgun doubles that remain on the riverside of Tcoupitoulas. The building provides a residential screen to the otherwise industrialized portion of the block and compliments the historic residential fabric on the riverside of Tchoupitoulas.

• The alternatives to demolition that have been explored by the applicant: Expansion of the carwash at the rear of the property.

• 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 wood windows, massing and decorative elements would be difficult and unlikely. Any new construction of a carwash service buildings built in place of 5518 Tchoupitoulas  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:  5518 Tchoupitoulas retains it's wood trim, front wood windows, door transom framing, wood trim, brackets, and gable vent opening. Other than the removal of the historic front doors/transoms and weatherboard encapsulation the building remains predominantly intact. 

• The condition of the building or structure: 

HDLC Staff conducted an interior and exterior inspection on November 28, 2023.

Staff Recommendations: 

The vacant one-story residential building rests on a masonry pier foundation. The exterior wall structure consists of barge boards nailed to heavy timber sills and is covered in wood weatherboards as noted from the interior of the building. The wood weatherboards at the sides and rear of the building are covered in vinyl siding. The roof is comprised of asphalt shingles with a gable on hip roof at the front of the building with a porch overhang. The rear of the building has a small shed roof that meets at the rear wall below the gable..

The roof shingles were in mostly in good condition and create a watertight envelope. The exterior walls were not racked and the building was plumb and level. Although the framing was concealed by vinyl siding and interior finishes it is assumed that the framing is in good condition based on the plumbness of the structure and that the loads are being competently endured. 

The crawl space was well ventilated and dry. The floor joists, where visible, were in good condition. The masonry piers appeared plum and sills were plum and bearing loads.

The interior spaces were mostly dry. Damage from wood destroying insects was visible on some wood flooring and with the trim being severely damaged. The lumber used for the trim is likely of poorer quality than the framing material which might explain the extent of the damage.

The walls were cover is varied finishing materials. The ceilings were dropped in some locations with no visible access to the attic of the building. Peeling paint and water stains were noted on the walls and ceilings with large deposits of wood destroying insect frass at those locations.

• Staff Recommendation: 

At the time of inspection the building was deemed to be in fair condition due to the extent of wood destroying insect damage. The building retains many of it's original architectural features and there is no indication that the building is beyond repair. The purpose of the HDLC is to preserve the architectural integrity and heritage of New Orleans. With that responsibility, the HDLC has a dual responsibility to preserve housing stock. It has been noted by many government officials and the New Orleans City Council that the city of New Orleans has a housing shortage. It is utterly inappropriate at this time to be "City of Yes". For the aforementioned reasons Staff recommends denial of the demolition to grade.

• Recommendation: Denial