New Orleans HDLC Meeting Summary - August 12, 2026
New Orleans Historic District Landmarks Commission Meeting Summary – August 12, 2026
The New Orleans Historic District Landmarks Commission (HDLC) met on August 12, 2026, at 1:00 PM in the City Council Chamber. The meeting, which covered a lengthy agenda from July and August, was chaired by newly elected Chair Jenny West. The commission addressed landmark nominations, consent agenda items, demolition applications, retention applications, and a special waiver of state legislation. Eight commissioners were present, constituting a quorum. The commission aimed to complete all items before a potential loss of quorum at 4:00 PM.
Consent Calendar
- Minutes of June 3, 2026, meeting: Approved unanimously.
- Consent agenda (Items A–M): Approved unanimously. Commissioner Hackenberg recused himself from Item D (710 Third St). Items included renovations, additions, and new construction at contributing-rated buildings.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Landmark nomination of 1737 New Orleans Street: Gail Baptiste, representing the Barbarin family, requested preservation of the home of musician Isidore Barbaran. Sandra Stokes (Louisiana Landmark Society) expressed support.
- Landmark designation of 2025 Constance Street (St. Alphonsus Church): Representatives from Friends of St. Alphonsus and the Preservation Resource Center spoke in favor, citing the building's architectural and cultural significance.
- 725-727 Mandeville St retention: Homeowner Simone Cifuentes described difficulties with a contractor and requested to retain dormers, but the commission denied the retention.
- 8616 Hickory St retention: The church owner explained that roof work was done without full HDLC approval due to urgent structural concerns. The commission approved retention with a $5,000 fine.
- 1200-1204 Ursulines Ave retention: Owner Benjamin Pearley argued for retaining decorative railings and tiered shutters, citing security needs. The commission denied retention.
- 301-303 Homer St retention: The homeowner, facing financial hardship, requested to retain vinyl windows that could not be recessed. The commission approved retention due to hardship.
- 3138-3140 Dauphine St retention: Owner Benjamin Pearley and contractor Stephen Johnson described challenges with a leaning building and an arson. The commission approved retention of gallery modifications, encouraging painting of the downspout.
Discussion Items
- Waiver of Senate Bill 198 requirements: Andrew Tzolo, special counsel to Mayor Helena Moreno, presented a resolution to waive new state requirements that would mandate HDLC review of all public construction. The commission suspended rules to hear the item first and passed the waiver unanimously.
- Election of Chair and Vice Chair: Jenny West was nominated and elected Chair; Jason King was elected Vice Chair.
- Appointment of ARC Members: The commission reappointed the existing Architectural Review Committee members.
- Landmark Nomination of 1737 New Orleans Street: Staff recommended approval under criteria (2) for association with an important person. The commission approved the nomination for study.
- Landmark Designation of 2025 Constance Street: Staff recommended approval under criteria (1) and (3). The commission approved the designation.
- July Demolition Applications (A–B): Both approved as per staff recommendations (partial demolition for camelback additions).
- August Demolition Applications:
- A (3110 St. Ann St): Approved for partial demolition.
- B (920 Cadiz St): Approved for partial demolition.
- C (616-618 Jena St): Approved for demolition to grade of a non-contributing structure.
- D (935-937 Adams St): Staff recommended denial of Options A and B, and no objection to Option C. The commission approved Option C (reduced roof demolition, preserving historic ridge line).
- E (518 Upperline St): Removed from agenda.
- F (906-908 Dante St): Approved for demolition through elevation with specific means and methods to preserve historic fabric.
- G (1033 Milan St): Removed from agenda.
- July Old Business Retention (906 Philip St): The commission denied retention of unpainted front porch columns and uplighting, citing prior violations and guideline requirements.
- July New Business Retention (725-727 Mandeville St): The commission denied retention of two street-facing dormers and directed the applicant to work with staff on corrections.
- August New Business Retention:
- 8616 Hickory St: Approved retention of partial roof demolition with a $5,000 fine (vote 7–1).
- 1200-1204 Ursulines Ave: Denied retention of decorative railings and tiered shutters.
- 301-303 Homer St: Approved retention of inappropriate windows based on financial hardship.
- 737-739 Elmira Ave: Approved retention of windows after applicant agreed to recess them appropriately.
- 3138-3140 Dauphine St: Approved retention of gallery modifications (downspout and roof line deviation) with encouragement to paint the downspout white.
- Ratification of ARC and Staff Actions: Approved unanimously.
Key Outcomes
- Waiver of SB 198: Approved unanimously, exempting the HDLC from reviewing new public construction projects.
- Landmark Designations: 1737 New Orleans Street approved for study; 2025 Constance Street designated as a local landmark.
- Consent Agenda: All 13 items approved.
- Demolition Approvals: 7 of 9 demolition applications approved (2 removed).
- Retention Decisions: 4 denials, 3 approvals (including one with a fine).
- Fines: One $5,000 fine levied (8616 Hickory St).
- Appeals: Applicants have 10 calendar days to appeal adverse decisions to the City Council.
- Next Meeting: Scheduled for September 2026.
Meeting Transcript
All right. Good afternoon, everyone. Um, we have quorum, so we're going to get started with the meeting. Let's go ahead and do roll call, please. Jimmy West, present, Jason King, present, Adaro Lewis present, Tim Wupin present, Ross Carson, absent, Annie Clark, absent, Annie Urban, present, Jim Ashby, present, Greg Hackenberg, present, Jennifer Green absent, Shawan de Pore present. That's eight members constitute the quorum. Welcome to the New Orleans Historic District Landmarks Commission meeting of August twelfth, twenty twenty-six. We would like to thank you for attending and appreciate your support and cooperation with the HDLC. The HDLC is located in City Hall on the seventh floor at the city's one stop shop. Our mission is to safeguard the heritage of the City of New Orleans by preserving and regulating historic landmarks and districts which reflect elements of its cultural, social, economic, political, and architectural history. Once a C of A is issued, changes must be approved before work and commence on these changes. If you have any questions about our policies or procedures, we have a highly qualified staff ready to assist you. We ask that you pay attention to the following meeting rules. If you plan on speaking and are not the applicant, you must fill out a speaker's card and hand it to the staff before the meeting. All speakers must state their name and address for the record. Our meetings are televised and recorded. There is a two-minute speaking time limit. We ask that you turn all cell phones off or on vibrate. Phone conversations should be conducted outside of this room. And if your application is denied or there's a no action vote, you have 10 calendar days from the date of this meeting to appeal to city council in writing. And the staff will furnish you with the details of this appeals process. Thank you. I'd like to note we did not have a meeting in July, so we have a very lengthy agenda today. We are also potentially lose quorum at 4 p.m. today. So I've asked that our commissioners work very diligently to get through the full agenda for both July and August. We've asked that the staff shorten the reports as needed so that we can accomplish this, but we want to make sure that all projects move forward and can conduct and move forward in their business. Um just wanted to note that as we start. We'll ask that you kind of keep that in mind as well as you're making your comments so we can get through all agenda items. So with that, um item two minutes of the Wednesday, June 3rd, 2026 meeting. Do we have a motion for approval? Commissioner King approves, seconded by Commissioner Poi, thank you. All those in favor, all those opposed. The motion carries unanimously. Um and at this point, we're going to move an item from the end of our agenda forward so we can hear it. Forgive me. This is under HDLC reports and communication. A waiver of amendments to LARS 254742 contained in the state bill 198. Um, sorry, 198. Um, Andrew, I'm gonna let you take it from here. So actually, we need to suspend the rules. Yes, thank you. We will need three motions to do this. So we need a motion to suspend the rules. Motion to suspend the rules. Uh, Commissioner Hackenberg, and I think I heard Commissioner Lupin. Thank you. Um, all those in favor? Great. Uh second is motion to hear it first, and then um to hear this item.
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