NEW TIME – NONDC TO DEMOLISH CENTRAL CITY EYESORE ACQUIRED AT SUMMER SHERIFF’S SALE
Event will highlight progress; importance of public/private partnership in blight elimination
NONDC will mark the release of its 2011 Property Condition Survey results with the demolition of a significantly blighted property in Central City. The home was acquired in July through the city’s pilot sheriff’s sale program spearheaded by Councilmember Stacy Head’s office. Jeffrey P. Hebert, director of the city’s office on blight policy and neighborhood revitalization, provided NONDC with significant guidance in finalizing ownership of the property. The acquisition was made possible through a grant from the Greater New Orleans Foundation. Once complete, the demolition will make way for the construction of a new, high-quality affordable home in the coming months.
WHO: Una Anderson, Executive Director, NONDC
Councilmember Stacy Head, District B, City of New Orleans
Jeffrey P. Hebert, Director, Office of Blight Policy and Neighborhood Revitalization, City of New Orleans
Isabel Barrios, Program Associate, Greater New Orleans Foundation
WHAT: Major Blight Demolition and Release of Central City Property Condition Survey
WHEN: Wednesday, November 16, 2011
2:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
WHERE: 2815 Third Street, New Orleans, LA
A home with a story to tell
The New Orleans Neighborhood Development Collaborative (NONDC) has begun its work to renovate this historic home in the city’s Central City neighborhood.
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It is an imposing figure that looms large over its corner at LaSalle and Second Street. Something about the two-story manse with the fading, weathered pink exterior at 2427 LaSalle Street lets you know there is a story there, one that needs to be preserved and shared. It is that history – and an eye for what the property could be – that led the New Orleans Neighborhood Development Collaborative (NONDC), a non-profit community engagement and development organization in Central City, to purchase the rambling structure in desperate need of repair.
“This property is a testament to Central City’s rich history,” said Una Anderson, NONDC’s Executive Director. “It just made sense to return this piece of history to its former glory and turn it into a high-quality, affordable homeownership opportunity for the community.”
The home was originally owned by Ida Whitious Johnson, a license practical nurse and a longtime African-American homeowner in the area. A true entrepreneur and respected figure in the community, “Nurse Johnson” purchased a duplex and rental cottage at 2606-08 Louisiana Avenue near the historic Flint-Goodrich Hospital, providing a home and sustenance for her family.
The Johnson family was displaced twice by the federal government’s plans to bring public housing to New Orleans. In the 1939, the Louisiana Avenue residence was purchased for what Mrs. Johnson’s granddaughter, Idalorraine Jules Wilderson, refers to as “meager money” to make way for the first of the city’s housing projects. Mrs. Johnson used these funds to purchase a larger duplex on Magnolia Street. This home would play a prominent role in New Orleans history.
In the early 1950’s, plans were made to expand the Magnolia Housing Projects. Area neighbors and businesses initially organized to fight the expansion. Over time, dissent waned until Mrs. Johnson was the sole property owner to reject the government’s conservative $6,000 offer. Undeterred by the threat of suit, Mrs. Johnson fought against the federal government in court and was awarded nearly $25,000. With the judgment, Mrs. Johnson purchased a large duplex with 16 rooms at 2427-2429 LaSalle Street.
Over the years, Mrs. Johnson descendants spread across the country in search of the economic opportunities that were scarce in pre-desegregated New Orleans. The house fell into disrepair. NONDC’s Anderson commented, “It took considerable time, effort and commitment to work with the Johnson family to complete the sale. Given the history, the family wanted to make sure they received a fair deal for the home. Also they wanted to make sure it would be preserved as much as possible.”
NONDC has plans to divide the home into two units, each with three master suites and a front balcony. While much of the home’s interior will need to be removed, its original floors and staircases will be restored. Additionally, the fireplaces will be restored and enclosed. The traditional New Orleans-style exterior will be maintain with repairs to its classic gingerbread trim, turned spindle columns, frieze, and lap siding. The home will also feature a vibrant Painted Lady exterior.
NONDC talks LaSalle Corridor Revitalization on WYLD 98.5 FM
NONDC’s communications manager Rachel D. Graham and Kenneth Jackson, owner of the historic Dew Drop Inn, recently joined Theresa Sanchez on WYLD 98.5 FM’s Sunday Journal to discuss the nonprofit’s use of Neighborland.org to modernize the civic engagement process as it gathers community input on the redevelopment of New Orleans’ Historic LaSalle Street Corridor. Kenneth detailed the Dew Drop’s rich history and the corridor’s legacy of business ownership and vibrant commerce. Click here to listen to the full interview.
NONDC Announces Key Staff Addition, Promotions
NONDC today announced several staff additions as the organization rounds out the team charged with building upon the organization’s successful revitalization efforts in Central City. Organizational changes include the addition of a Marketing Communications Manager and the promotion of three team members who previously served as program fellows through the Louisiana Delta Service Corps.
Rachel D. Graham, NONDC’s new Marketing Communications Manager, will guide the organization’s strategic communications policy and ensure message consistency in traditional marketing and media, social media, and community engagement and outreach opportunities. A recent New Orleans transplant, Graham has nearly 20 years of experience in comprehensive organizational communications and has served with leading non-profit, economic development, private sector and governmental entities in Philadelphia, Houston and Baton Rouge.
NONDC’s new Blight and Acquisition Manager, Will Bowling, will lead the organization’s Six Block Acquisition and Blight Elimination effort, a comprehensive strategy to revitalize Central City. Bowling previously served as NONDC’s Neighborhood Revitalization Fellow, overseeing its property condition survey and mapping initiative. A graduate of Brown University with degrees in public policy and religious studies, Bowling previously served as a community organizer in the Denver offices of President Barack Obama’s 2008 campaign.
Nina Feldman will serve as NONDC’s Community Engagement Manager. A graduate of Bard College, Feldman will continue the work she started as a Delta Corps fellow, working closely with neighborhood residents to confront quality of life issues through signature initiatives such as the Curb Appeal Your Block beautification project. She will also work closely with community stakeholders leveraging NONDC’s resources to develop community assets.
Kim Vu-Dinh will serve as NONDC’s Funding and Compliance Manager. In this capacity, she will identify potential resources to support the organization’s programs and ensure compliance with funders’ regulations and reporting requirements. Vu-Dinh previously served as NONDC’s Housing and Economic Development Fellow. A graduate of the University of California at Berkeley and City University of New York School of Law, Vu-Dinh relocated to New Orleans from Alaska where she practiced law and managed political campaigns. One initiative successfully resulted in the creation of a state-sponsored housing trust designed to address the issues faced by low-income Alaskans.
To date, NONDC has been a partner in the transformation of over 25 vacant and decaying properties into quality affordable housing accessible to existing residents of Central City. NONDC also served as Community Partner on the completion of Harmony Oaks, the 460-unit mixed income redevelopment of the former CJ Peete Public Housing Complex. The project was made possible by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development Hope VI Revitalization Grant awarded to the Housing Authority of New Orleans in March 2008. As Community Partner, NONDC is also responsible for developing 50 off-site, single-family homes in the neighborhood surrounding the complex under the Harmony Homes brand.
NONDC Featured on WDSU’s Neighbor or Nuisance
Bringing to conclusion a more than year-long process to remove a significant piece of blight in Central City, NONDC recently demolished a former convenience store at the corner of Toledano and LaSalle … and WDSU’s Rachel Wulff captured it for her “Neighbor or Nuisance” segment. (July 3, 2011 – WDSU-TV New Orleans)
Selective Salvage at 3300 La Salle Street
Today, NONDC continued preparing its property at 3300 La Salle Street for demolition. Once the current blighted property has been removed, the site will serve as an important piece of ongoing commercial development efforts along the La Salle Corridor.
We worked with Willie White of the Old City Building Center to remove the salvageable parts, including roofing titles and other architectural details, for reuse on other sites in the future. Before the building is demolished, we will also pull off the doors.
As a result of a recent story featuring NONDC in the Times Picayune, we received a call from Gina Anderson on the West Bank. She was inquiring about old siding for her friend, Ms. Ursula, who has been working to repair her storm-damaged home since Hurricane Katrina. We were able to donate some of the wood from the 3300 La Salle property as well as some shingles that had been stored inside the building. Ms. Ursula’s birthday is this Monday, and this served as the perfect early birthday present!
NONDC Participates in First Major Lien Foreclosure Auction
Today NONDC took part in the first major lien foreclosure sheriff’s sale in New Orleans as 19 properties went up for auction. Over the past year, NONDC has advocated for this process with the City’s Code Enforcement, City Council, and the City Attorney’s Office. We were excited to be able to see properties go up for sale that have been neglected for many years and sit in blighted condition. We plan to bring the property that we purchased at 2815 3rd Street back into commerce and build a high-quality affordable home on the lot.
For more on the city’s lien foreclosure auction and NONDC’s participation, click here for a story in today’s Times-Picuyane.
- 2815 Third St. Photo by Ted Jackson, The Times-Picayune
