28 APRIL 2007 PRESERVATION IN PRINT NEW ORLEANS HISTORIC VIEUX CARRÉ ”One of America’s top 100 bars.” – Esquire Magazine Classical music • Local flavor Lunch & Dinner The Apartment of the Emperor available for private parties 500 Chartres 524-9752 www.napoleonhouse.com Simply put...Bevolo, since 1945 Call for a brochure (504) 522-9485 521 Conti St., New Orleans www.bevolo.com Specializing in Antique Jewelry, Formal and Provincial Antique Furniture ROYAL ANTIQUES, LTD 309 Royal Street 504-524-7033 • royalantiques@bellsouth.net AMERICA’S PREMIER ARTS AND ANTIQUES MARKETPLACE www.prcno.org
PRESERVATION IN PRINT APRIL 2007 29 Developers and Residents Grapple Over Future of Bywater by Sue Hobbs, News Editor Icinola development planned at intersection of Bartholomew and Burgundy streets. When developers last fall proposed plans to insert three new building projects into Bywater, residents and the Bywater Neighborhood Association questioned whether the intended changes would fit in as positive additions to what already exists. H istoric Bywater has attracted an infusion of new investment and population in the past couple of decades, and since Bywater (which remained mostly dry during Hurricane Katrina) contains several large areas zoned light industrial, it also has attracted developers of mixed residential and commercial building projects. Context matters to Bywater residents, who are fiercely protective of the historic character of their neighborhood. They live in Bywater because they love its people-oriented culture and its blocks of 19th century single and double shotgun houses. Architects and city planners typically look to the context of existing neighborhoods to determine the appropriateness of new buildings. Context can be defined in a range of ways, however, and those different viewpoints have been at the heart of why some neighbors are pleased with the proposals for Bywater and some are not. For some, contextualism means new structures that aim to appear historic. Another approach to contextualism is to make the structure as different as possible for a contrasting juxtaposition. Others believe that new structures should be sensitive to historic structures through compatible size, scale, color, material and character. The three Bywater development projects – the National Rice Mill, Bywater Art Lofts and Icinola -- proposed in late 2006 now have reached various stages of the approval process. The Rice Mill and Art Lofts developments would adapt existing industrial structures with new interior construction and maintain the same building heights. The Icinola (pronounced eesee-nola) development proposes a mix of adaptive and new construction that some Bywater residents have welcomed, while the height, scale and modernist building designs have caused other neighbors to shudder. RICE MILL DEVELOPMENT NEARS APPROVAL National Rice Mill, developed by Sean Cummings, has received approval from the Bywater Neighborhood Association and the Historic District Landmarks Commission. Only the New Orleans City Council approval remains pending before the plans can go forward to reuse the abandoned industrial building for 60 residential units, 20,000 square feet of ground floor commercial space and 105 parking spaces at Chartres and Montegut streets. Architect Wayne Troyer has distributed the existing 78 foot, 4 inch building height over five floors. The 133,500 square foot space would feature a swimming pool on the ground level, nine penthouses, communal landscaped terraces, off-street parking for cars and bicycles, and an open-air public landscaped courtyard. A smokestack, shown in archival photographs to have once existed in the building, would be replicated to ventilate the courtyard. The chimney also would enclose wind turbines to generate electricity. Rice Mill apartments would be offered as rental units for the first five years. Construction is expected to take three years. ART LOFTS FOR ARTISTS Developers of Bywater Art Lofts on the site of a blighted former garment factory on the block bordered by Dauphine, Independence, Pauline and Burgundy streets initially presented plans for a mixed construction modern industrial design for 54 residential rental units, but in response to objections from Bywater residents, the architects went back to the drawing board. The new plan unveiled at a meeting for neighbors is only for renovation of the abandoned buildings into 37 apartments within the existing structures. The original plans calling for a 40-foot height also have been altered to the existing buildings’ height of 22 feet, 8 inches. The 54,328 square foot area of the original design is now reduced to 35,584 square feet. The Bywater Neighborhood Association has given its support to the new plan, and the city council approved zoning for conditional use on the property. With the change to no new construction for the project, developer Historic Restoration Inc. is seeking a 20 percent state tax credit for saving historic buildings. A neighbor whose home abuts the property thanked architect Gary Meadows of HCI Architecture Inc. for the lowered building elevation. “Now I will still be able to see the sunrise from my back porch,” he said. “Historic proportion is extremely important to us in the neighborhood,” said Beth Butler, a neighbor who is with ACORN. “The overwhelming feeling is people are very happy the numbers came down.” Other Bywater residents at the meeting expressed complete satisfaction with the changes. “We have been in opposition before. I’m really impressed with what you’ve done,” a meeting attendee told the developer. Neighbors also had been outspoken with their concerns about parking because the development would add residential density to the neighborhood. The design includes 47 off-street parking spaces plus scooter and bicycle storage space, while another 30 curbside spaces are available around the building. The Art Lofts name reflects who the residents would be. To qualify for residency, applicants must provide evidence that they are artists. Artisans; sculptors; craftspeople; writers; graphic designers; computer artists; people in dance, theatre, movement, textile and fiber arts and others would qualify, although none of the residents’ art would be judged. The interior would incorporate a glassenclosed courtyard space for artists’ exhibitions. However, artists’ maximum annual income must not exceed $22,000 for one person or $31,000 for four people. Artists would not be prohibited from income increases above those limits during their residency at Art Lofts. Seven two-bedroom units would rent for $594 per month, and 30 one-bedroom units would rent for $492 per month. The units are targeted for occupancy by December 2008. ICINOLA ON FOUR BLOCKS The Icinola mixed construction of residential condominium and commer- continued on page 30 www.prcno.org
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