NEW ORLEANS — Trader Joe's could soon be coming to Uptown. New Orleans City Council members voted to allow developers to demolish a vacant 1950s building.
Historical advocates say the building has significance.
You may have driven past it before. On the corner of Freret and Jena Streets Uptown is this vacant building, a 1950s mid-century construction. Once upon a time, young minds populated the hallways inside. Now, this building could soon be demolished.
Council member Lesli Harris says Trader Joe's could soon be sitting on this corner; she said, "That school building has been sitting there for a long time with no commerce attached to it, so getting a grocery store that provides affordable, fresh food, especially in District B where we know there are a lot of food deserts."
She went on to say, "It's going to be walkable and on a public transit line, so people can actually get to Trader Joe's easier than going to Metairie."
She says the new supermarket will revitalize Freret Street, "I want to make it clear that what is being demolished is that school building and nothing else on that campus."
The Councilwoman says the building's architectural style is not native to New Orleans. However, Bryan Block with the city's Historic District Landmarks Commission says the building is on the national register for historic places. "It was a school building that was associated with the archdiocese, Our Lady of Lourdes school. It was part of a larger complex that was the entire block, that included a church and a rectory," he said.
He continued, "What makes us unique in the world is that we have such a large amount of historic fabric that still exists."
"We do like to make the case that buildings from the middle part of the 20th century are now becoming important landmarks and they represent an Architectural style that is unusual in New Orleans but they do still carry some significance."
One resident, however, says the neighborhood needs supermarket options. Jim Suruda said, "This thing is a square brick monstrosity. It doesn't have a single awning. It doesn't have a balcony or anything."
He went on to say, "It would be convenient. It would save me four blocks, which would be about four minutes each way, which would be eight minutes a day. That would be great."
► Get breaking news from your neighborhood delivered directly to you by downloading the new FREE WWL-TV News app now in the IOS App Store or Google Play.
