NEW ORLEANS — As demolition crews dismantle what was supposed to eventually be the Hard Rock Hotel in downtown New Orleans, the collapsed construction site won't be completely gone until January 2021, an attorney representing the developers said.
The construction site for the Hard Rock collapsed more than a year ago, killing Anthony Floyd Magrette, Jose Ponce Arreola, and Quinnyon Wimberly, construction workers who worked at the site.
Gilbert Montano, New Orleans' chief administrative officer said he wasn't happy with delay after delay in the developers' demolition plans. The demolition should've been done by Monday, a year after the collapse.
Montano told WWLTV's Investigator David Hammer the schedule was controlled by the building owners: 1031 Canal Development and principal owner Mohamed Kailas
“It’s frustrating to see the pace of which the building has been taking to come down,” Montano said. “I think that everybody involved, including of course, the administration, would like to see complete closure and the building coming down.”
Paul Thibodeaux, an attorney for 1031, said the extremely active hurricane season and other weather delays have been to blame.
He said he expected the top 10 steel floors to be down by the end of the month and the bottom eight concrete parking decks to be demolished and cleared in January 2021.
RELATED: One year after Hard Rock collapse, fixing New Orleans' Safety & Permits Dept. still a challenge
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