NEW ORLEANS — New Orleans is known for its historical buildings and the city's ability to re-develop old buildings is part of the city's allure. Yet countless buildings and homes across the city sit vacant and abandoned, some verging on collapse.
The towering skyscraper on Loyola Avenue, Plaza Tower, was once a cutting-edge building, which has housed over the years, residents, office workers, and government employees. Ownership changing hands multiple times, but in recent years no hands have touched it, and it sits abandoned.
Last May, pieces flew off the building and injured a man. Tuesday morning fire crews were called to the site, after reports of smoke. New Orleans Police said a person was detained after harassing firefighters working to extinguish the blaze.
Danielle Del Sol from the New Orleans Preservation Resource Center said the risk of injury from abandoned buildings heightens during severe weather.
"Buildings big and small across the city, that are falling down, that on any given day, are a threat to maybe the buildings around it and people on the street,” Del Sol said.
The Market Street Power Plant was built in 1902, there are seven separate buildings, sprawled over 160,000 square feet, but it closed down in the early ’70s. Once responsible for powering homes, it has recently been responsible for a tragedy.
“When the city doesn’t hold property owners accountable for long-term negligent, this stuff is just going to happen again and again,” Del Sol said.
Last week, 18-year-old Anthony Clawson was inside the plant. Police say the Ben Franklin High School honor student fell 50 feet and died.
The ownership group said the building was secure at the time, saying in part, “We are currently investigating how the group that was there Friday night accessed the secured property.”
On Sunday the abandoned Naval Base caught fire once again, one of many fires over recent months. In June there was a shooting here. The City said they plan to shut it down but experts say that’s not enough
“Until the building is actually renovated and put back into use, securing a building, boarding it up, trying to keep trespasses out, is a only very temporary fix, it's not going to last long,” Del Sol said.
Naval Base developer Joe Jaeger said in part, when it comes to the fires, “We’re going to weld up the entrances and take a look at how to close up the building.”
We reached out to the city to ask what the plans are for these buildings, but we have yet to hear back.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XN9ays6Wfyo
► 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.