City flagged unpermitted work at French Quarter building months before partial collapse

NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) - A city commission flagged unpermitted interior demolition at a historic French Quarter building months before part of it collapsed, according to public records reviewed by FOX 8.

The structure at 631 Dauphine Street partially collapsed on Sept. 14. The property was built more than 200 years ago, first appearing in a city survey in 1811, said Kristin Gisleson Palmer, executive director of the Preservation Resource Center.

Preservationists said the collapse raised public safety concerns and damaged the building’s classic French Quarter facade.

Public records obtained by FOX 8 show city departments learned of structural concerns at the building months before the collapse.

The Vieux Carre Commission flagged unpermitted interior demolition in April and referred the issue to the Department of Safety and Permits.

The permits department said workers presented they installed shoring to support the structure, which the city deemed sufficient in June. Officials now say a lack of shoring more than likely caused the partial collapse.

“We were having so many building failures, especially historic building failures around the city,” said Erin Holmes, executive director at Vieux Carre Property Owners, Residents and Associates. “It frustrated me because we need to have a better ability to maintain these properties.”

Preservationists said the collapse and ones like it should remind property owners and city officials to prioritize prevention, citing the economic impact on tourism, particularly when it comes to the significance of historic buildings.

“Right now, our economic driver is tourism,” Palmer said. “We only have that driver because of how unique this city is.”

Holmes said the city’s architecture, in particular, draws visitors.

“Without the architecture, I don’t think that the city could function as the tourism attraction that it is,” she said.

FOX 8 could not reach the property owner. An architect connected to the property referred FOX 8 to an attorney, who had not responded as of this report.

The city said last week it had issued a permit to stabilize the structure at the Dauphine Street property.

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