The Grey Lady Acknowledges New Orleans Fires
New York Times: Venerable Church Burns in New Orleans (June 28, 2006)
Historic structures [in post-Katrina New Orleans] are burning to the ground — the latest was the Coliseum Place Baptist Church, a venerable red brick church that until Friday had towered over Coliseum Square in the Lower Garden District since 1855. Preservationists here described the loss as heartbreaking; it followed a February fire that destroyed a cherished World War I-era theater in the same square.
The newest threat to New Orleans is a direct outcropping of the storm, in many respects. Vagrants, squatting in empty buildings, lighting candles and cooking without electricity, are setting fires, the authorities say. Pipes broken during Hurricane Katrina have been leaking 85 million gallons of water a day. Manpower in the Fire Department is down by a third, on a good day. And inadequate flood insurance has been an inducement to arson, officials say … Water pressure is down to 20 pounds per square inch, from 90, in some areas because of the leaks.
[emphasis mine]
Pay particular attention to this reporting of the Baptist Church fire. I don’t think it’s accurate to say that the remains of the congregation had tried to tear it down in the past.
The blaze at the Coliseum Place Baptist Church, the oldest Baptist church in New Orleans, was a heavy psychological blow to the struggling city … The cause of the fire was under investigation. The building had been vacant for quite some time, and largely unused; residents reported chasing off vagrants. The remnants of its congregation had previously sought to tear it down, but the Historic District Landmarks Commission had refused the request.
Friday, in front of the smoldering ruins — the spire was intact, though badly damaged – distraught residents milled about the square, trying to head off the wrecking crew. An engineer brought in by local residents said parts of the church could be saved. But the report was to no avail; demolition went ahead after a nearly daylong standoff.
The square’s residents, meanwhile, spoke as if their neighborhood’s heart had been ripped out. ”No tourists are going to want to come here if we lose all of our historic buildings,” said Rene Padilla,
who lived next door to the church.
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Thanks Maitri for staying on top of this.
You’re right — the *only* person who wanted to tear down the church, and who was prevented from doing so, was the owner (Halperin?). He allowed it to fall into disrepair, neglecting the property while vagrants moved in, and causing a “demolition by neglect.”
Padilla had more to say in a recorded interview:
http://communitygumbo.blogspot.com/2006/06/6242006-community-gumbo.html
There are photos of the remains of the church here:
http://communitygumbo.blogspot.com/2006/07/712006-community-gumbo.html
Potlikker,
Remember that any baptist church has no single owner, rather it belongs to the entire congregation. The only people who wanted the church destroyed are the *self-proclaimed* owners of the church, the Curtises (you’re probably thinking of the Halpern demolition of the last Victorian a few blocks away). Demolition by neglect is common in this city, especially now when it is so convenient to use an impending storm and rebuilding confusion as scapegoats for removing “blighted” properties, however historic.
The PRC needs more power on this matter and they should petition to obtain it from city and state government.
You’re right about the Halpern Victorian demolition.
I don’t think the PRC has any legal authority, but the Historic District Landmarks Commission does.
Padilla said HDLC never showed up to stop the church demolition.