The Plaza Tower on Loyola Ave. in New Orleans, Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2024. Staff photo by David Grunfeld, The Times-Picayune | NOLA.com)
Plaza Tower stands in the Warehouse District in New Orleans, Tuesday, Nov. 28, 2023. (Photo by Sophia Germer, The Times-Picayune)
The Plaza Tower on Loyola Ave. in New Orleans, Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2024. Staff photo by David Grunfeld, The Times-Picayune | NOLA.com)
The Plaza Tower on Loyola Ave. in New Orleans, Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2024. Staff photo by David Grunfeld, The Times-Picayune | NOLA.com)
An Orleans Parish Judge has denied a temporary restraining order blocking city contractors from proceeding with preliminary work that would lead to the demolition of Plaza Tower, the long blighted 45-story building on Loyola Avenue that is the city’s oldest skyscraper.
Judge Sidney Cates’ ruling Thursday morning, which followed a brief hearing, clears the way for work to resume on the building.
That work was set to begin Jan. 8, but was put on hold, after the building’s owners, the estate of the late developer Joe Jaeger, got a temporary restraining order preventing contractors from entering the building.
The owners had argued they were already preparing to secure the building and that the city’s efforts to demolish it would cause them economic harm.
Attorney Christopher LeMieux, representing the owner in court on Thursday, also argued that the city’s demolition notice last week came more than a year after the initial notice, which was too late to meet their “immediate danger” claim.
But city attorneys pointed to the fact that the building has been empty for more than two decades, the last 10 years under the current ownership. They said it had hundreds of code violations, hundreds of thousands of dollars of fines and they owners had shown no ability to find a willing buyer or development partner.
Cates’ ruling comes as the city is rushing to address a host of safety and infrastructure issues ahead of Super Bowl LIX on Feb. 9. Crowd safety has taken on an added sense of urgency in the wake of the attack on Bourbon Street early on New Year’s Day.
It is not clear if the owners will appeal Cates’ ruling and how quickly the city’s contractors, who are based in Indiana, will be able to return to the site to begin their work.
Plaza Tower stands in the Warehouse District in New Orleans, Tuesday, Nov. 28, 2023. (Photo by Sophia Germer, The Times-Picayune)
The Cantrell administration has been threatening legal action for years over the condition of the 54-year-old tower, which has been deteriorating since it was abandoned by its last tenants in 2002 following chronic problems with mold, faulty elevators and other deficiencies.
In December, the council approved a $2.75 million contract with Renascent to conduct a floor-by-floor assessment and come up with a plan to make the structure safe.
The company would also be in position to demolish it, at an estimated cost of $28 million, according to its contract with the city.
On Dec. 27, city officials notified the building’s owner that they intended to enter the premises to begin the assessment. That work was set to begin early Friday with a team of seven contractors who flew down from Indiana on the city’s dime.
Instead, the city was served with the temporary restraining order.
The Plaza Tower on Loyola Ave. in New Orleans, Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2024. Staff photo by David Grunfeld, The Times-Picayune | NOLA.com)
In a rare show of unity, Mayor LaToya Cantrell’s Chief Administrative Officer Gilbert Montaño and City Council President JP Morrell held a joint press conference last week to vent their frustrations with the owner, the estate of the late developer Joe Jaeger, and their latest legal maneuvers to stop the building from being demolished.
This is a developing story. Check back later for more details.
Email Anthony McAuley tmcauley@theadvocate.com.
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