NEW ORLEANS —
When demolition crews begin to pick apart the Hard Rock, that debris will have to go somewhere.
Plans call for demolishing three other buildings in the shadow of the hotel to create that space.
Two of those buildings have been on Canal Street since the early 1900s.
1027 Canal St. sits right next to the Hard Rock. It was the Alamo Theater when it opened in 1908 and was later a Rubenstein's location.
And next to that is a nondescript building that today houses a beauty shop.
But it was once the headquarters of the Regular Democratic Organization, the political machine that controlled local government in the early 1900s.
A third building on Iberville Street that is not historically significant would also have to go, according to the plans which were released Monday and call for a four-step demolition process.
While Mayor LaToya Cantrell late last year said she supports the demolitions if it means the Hard Rock can can down, preservationists pushed back against the plan when it was first broached.
And Fire Superintendent Tim McConnell said at the time that he wasn't convinced at the time that more buildings had to be demolished.
“It's all got to be supported by hard data from engineers and the contractors and independent people who can verify whether it's really necessary,” he said after a Jan. 8 meeting of the Historic District Landmarks Commission.
City Hall on Tuesday would not say if the proposed demolitions must still be approved by the HDLC.
The Preservation Resource Center was among those who asked for the buildings to be saved if possible.
But on Tuesday, board president Jeanne Boughton issued a statement that reads in part, "All historic buildings are important to the PRC, but if three additional historic buildings must be sacrificed to ensure safety during the hotel site's demolition, (the) PRC will advocate for a redevelopment plan that honors this historic site and a design that serves the public interest."
The demolition process could be done by October, about a year after the deadly collapse, if the city signs off on the new plan and work can begin.
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