New Orleans HDLC Meeting Summary – September 2, 2026
New Orleans Historic District Landmarks Commission Meeting – September 2, 2026
The New Orleans Historic District Landmarks Commission (HDLC) met on September 2, 2026, at 1:00 PM in the City Council Chamber. Seven commissioners were present, constituting a quorum. The meeting covered a landmark nomination, consent agenda items, an appeal of ARC recommendations, several demolition and retention applications, and a ratification of prior actions. Key decisions included landmark nomination approval, denial of a full demolition at 1830 Fern Street, and retention approvals with conditions.
Consent Calendar
- 720 Henry Clay Ave: Massing approval for renovation of a landmark monastery and new construction of two flanking buildings (36,723 SF total) for multi-family residential use. Approved.
- 1221 Carondelet St: Site renovation and 570 SF rear addition to a landmark single-family residence. Approved.
- 1233 Josephine St: New construction of a 3,400 SF one-story nursery on a vacant lot. Approved.
- 2127 Prytania St: Design changes for new construction of a 1,876 SF one-story accessory event space. Approved.
- 901 Piety St / 3315 Burgundy St: New construction of a 6,600 SF one-story commercial building. Approved.
- 5622 Royal St: New construction of a 920 SF one-story and a 2,050 SF two-story residential building. Approved.
- 1911 Royal St: Renovation and 635 SF camelback addition to a Contributing-rated residential building. Item G was removed from consent due to Commissioner Carson's recusal; deferred to next meeting.
- 530 Powder St: New construction of a covered patio at a Non-Contributing commercial building. Approved.
- 2114 Decatur St: Renovation with additions and conversion to mixed use. Approved.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Landmark Nomination of 8133 Spruce Street: Multiple speakers supported the nomination. Peyton Bowman (applicant) affirmed the building's significance. Rochelle Julik (neighbor) supported the nomination, noting it adds protection. Susan Johnson (Carrollton Watch) and Mary Nell Nolan Wheatley (Preservation Resource Center) also expressed support. The school's head and architect argued the landmarking was unnecessary and would delay renovation, but staff clarified HDLC review can run parallel to tax credit processes.
- 1830 Fern St Demolition: Four public commenters (Mary Nell Nolan Wheatley, Deborah Howell, Leslie Raymond, Susan Johnson) opposed full demolition, citing the building's good condition, potential for historic tax credits, and the owner's recent purchase. Eighteen written comments in opposition were noted.
- 714 S Carrollton Ave Retention: Susan Johnson opposed retention of electrical raceways, arguing it sets a bad precedent for guideline compliance.
- Other applications: No further public comments were recorded for other consent or discussion items.
Discussion Items
Landmark Nomination of 8133 Spruce Street
- Staff recommended nomination under criteria 4 (representative of an architect whose ability has been recognized). The building (1911, designed by H. Jordan McKenzie) is largely intact. The applicant/owner (Stewart Hall) expressed concern about additional review layers but stated plans to use historic tax credits. The commission voted unanimously to nominate the building for study as a landmark.
New Business Work Applications
- 3636 St Charles Ave (Appeal of ARC Recommendations): Applicant requested approval of Option 3 design (stronger corner separation) and balcony depth of 4 ft 7 in. Staff recommended upholding ARC approval of Option 4 and limiting balcony depth to 4 ft. The commission voted unanimously to support the staff recommendation.
Demolition Applications
- 1830 Fern St (Contributing, Carrollton partial): Staff recommended denial due to good overall condition and ability to rehabilitate. Owner argued extensive termite/water damage made renovation infeasible. Motion to deny passed unanimously (7-0).
- 734 Austerlitz St (Contributing, Uptown partial): Staff recommended approval for partial roof demolition (62% total, but 45% of primary roof) to accommodate a camelback addition. Approved unanimously.
- 5615-5617 Perrier St (Non-Contributing, Uptown partial): Staff recommended approval. The building (c. 1975-85) is non-contributing and termite-damaged. Approved unanimously.
- 802 Third St / 2613 Annunciation St (Non-Contributing, Irish Channel full control): Staff recommended approval with proviso that demolition permits not issued until new construction permits are approved. Applicant agreed. Approved unanimously.
Retention Applications
- 203 Walnut St (Contributing, Uptown partial): Retention of full demolition of exterior wall framing due to severe termite damage and partial collapse. Owner salvaged and plans to reuse materials. Staff recommended approval with a tier one fine. Commissioner Hackenberg moved to allow retention with no fine; passed unanimously (7-0).
- 714 S Carrollton Ave (Non-Contributing, Carrollton full control): Retention of two electrical raceways installed in deviation of C of A. Staff recommended approval because the strip mall is non-historic and raceways are not visible from street. Motion to allow retention initially failed 1-6 (Commissioner Harden opposed), but after reconsideration, Commissioner Harden changed vote, resulting in unanimous approval (7-0).
- 1505-1507 Esplanade Ave (Non-Contributing, Treme full control): Retention of inappropriate windows and hardy trim. Staff recommended: for windows 1-7 and 11-18, recess and add full screens; windows 8-10 approved as installed; deny retention of hardy trim. Motion to support staff recommendations passed unanimously.
- 1705-1707 Pauger St: Application withdrawn.
- 338-340 Elmira Ave (Contributing, Algiers): Applicant not present; deferred to next meeting.
- 1426-1428 Dauphine St (Contributing, Marigny full control): Retention of roof shingle color (approved), but denial of retaining removal of ridge tiles/ridge cap vents and installation of porch gate. Owner cited safety concerns for gate and contractor error for roof. Motion to support staff recommendations (allow shingle color, deny retention of ridge tiles removal and porch gate) passed unanimously.
- 926 Joseph St (Contributing, Uptown partial): Retention of partial roof demolition (58%) completed without C of A. Owner had medical issues; contractor acted against instructions. Staff recommended approval with tier one fine. Motion to approve with no fine passed unanimously.
Key Outcomes
- Landmark Nomination of 8133 Spruce Street: Approved for study (unanimous).
- 1830 Fern St Demolition: Denied (7-0). Owner has 10 days to appeal to City Council.
- 734 Austerlitz St Demolition: Approved (7-0).
- 5615-5617 Perrier St Demolition: Approved (7-0).
- 802 Third St / 2613 Annunciation St Demolition: Approved with proviso (7-0).
- 203 Walnut St Retention: Approved with no fine (7-0).
- 714 S Carrollton Ave Retention: Approved after vote change (7-0).
- 1505-1507 Esplanade Ave Retention: Partially approved per staff recommendations (7-0).
- 1426-1428 Dauphine St Retention: Allowed shingle color; denied retention of ridge tile removal and porch gate (7-0).
- 926 Joseph St Retention: Approved with no fine (7-0).
- Ratification of ARC and Staff Actions: Approved unanimously.
- Upcoming: HDLC 50th anniversary celebration on September 30, 2026.
Meeting Transcript
All right, um let's go ahead and do roll call. Please. Roll call. Jenny Green present, Jennifer West, or sorry, Jenny West present, uh Jason King absent, Adara Lewis present, Tim Lupin absent, Ross Carson present, Annie Clark present, Annie Irvin absent, Jim Ashby absent, Greg Hackenberg present, Shawanda Pore absent, and Alan Harden present. We have seven members constituting a quorum. Wonderful. And I wanted to say um welcome to Commissioner Harden uh representing the Garden District. We're very excited to have a new commissioner with us today. Um so thank you. Thank you for volunteering and for your service. Um okay, everyone, so welcome to the New Orleans Historic District Landmarks Commission meeting of September 2nd, 2026. Um 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, districts, and elements which reflect our cultural, social, economic, political, and architectural history. The full HDLC mission statement can be found online. The HDLC has written guidelines that outline our policies and procedures, and they are available on the city's website. Please um we do ask that if you um prior to submitting that you please determine if your property is in an HDLC district or if your property is an HDLC landmark before beginning any work or repairs on the property. If the worker repairs are visible from the public right-away, the work requires a certificate from the HDLC, which is known as a certificate of appropriateness or a C of A. You must get a C of A prior to beginning work. Once a C of A is issued, changes must be approved before work can commence on these changes. And if you have any questions about our policies or procedures, we have a highly qualified staff ready to assist you. Please 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 and that you conduct phone conversations outside of this room. If your application is a no, is is if your application is denied or there is 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 that appeals process. Um thank you. All right, so with that moving forward, um the minutes of Wednesday, August 12th, 2026 meeting. Commissioners, do we have a motion to approve? Thank you, Commissioner Carson. Seconded by Commissioner Green. All those in favor. All those opposed. Um the motion carries. Uh number three, landmark nomination of 8133 Spruce Street. 8133 Spruce Street is a contributing rated structure in the Carrollton Local and National Register Historic District, located on lots 10, 11, and 12 of square two seventy-seven in municipal district seven. The building faces Spruce Street is backed by Pinola Street and is bound by Dublin Street and South Carrollton Avenue. There is a confirmed construction date of 1911 as per the original building permit and architects records. The building permit was issued on February 17th, 1911 for a two-story frame residence to cost $9200. The building was designed by the firm Mackenzie Ellers and Johnson and built by Geyer Brothers. McKenzie Ellers Johnson was a partnership between architects H. Jordan McKenzie, Herbert P. Johnson, and Engineer Walter Ellers. The building appears to have had no major alterations and is largely intact and faithful to its original design. There are two other buildings that that were designed by H. Jordan McKenzie, which have already been designated as landmarks by the HDLC. The Bahey House at 4437 Pater Street in 1982, and 4506 Canal Street, the Christmas House in 2023. The Historic District Landmarks Commission evaluates the significance of a structure based on the four criteria as established by Section 84.22 of the city code, any one of which can make a building eligible for nomination.
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