Tag: New Orleans

Demolition permits filed for three buildings adjacent to the Hard Rock Hotel

Permits were filed to demolish a handful of structures near the Hard Rock building, according to the Vieux Carre Property Owners, Residents, and Associates (VCPORA).

Demolition permits were filed for three addresses, according to VCPORA, and they include: 1019 Canal St., 1027 Canal St. and 1022 Iberville St.

The permits for the Canal properties show they are “located in the Red zone” of the Hard Rocket Hotel at 1031 Canal St. and demolition of the structures are “necessary to facilitate demolition operations and planning required” at the partially collapsed building.

The Hard Rock Hotel partially collapsed on Oct. 12 at 9:12 a.m., according to various reports, killing three workers, injuring dozens more and strewing debris near the intersection of Canal and North Rampart streets.

Several videos of the collapse emerged hours later on social media.

The cause of the collapse is still under investigation.

A partial implosion of the building on Oct. 20 toppled the construction cranes, leaving one dangling and the other crashing down onto North Rampart Street.

But the remainder of the building remains standing. The hotel project reportedly cost $85 million.

The two Canal street buildings are owned by LLCs registered to the same officer and manager of the Hard Rock property, VCPORA said.

The developer listed for the Hard Rock building and adjacent properties is listed as 1031 Canal Development LLC, which wants to demolish the 18-story Hard Rock building and adjacent structures.

The demolition requests will appear for approval before the Jan. 8, 2020 meeting of the Central Business District Historical District Landmarks Commission.

“We seriously question the need for further removal of this block and are trying to find out more,” VCPORA said on its Facebook page Dec. 18.

The Oct. 12 collapse killed Anthony Magrette, 49; Quinnyon Wimberly, 36; and Jose Ponce Arreola, 63.

The bodies of Wimberly and Ponce were reported to still be trapped inside the rubble, according to The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate.

The newspaper reported that relatives of those who were killed in the collapsed have filed lawsuits against the groups behind the construction–including 1031 Canal Development LLC and Citadel Builders.

Delmer Joel Ramirez Palma, a Honduran national and Hard Rock worker who survived the collapse and later voiced his concerns to investigators, was deported on Nov. 29, WWLTV reported.

Group of women sought in connection to stabbing on Canal Street

Images courtesy of the NOPD.

A person was stabbed multiple times on Canal Street Dec. 20 following a a verbal altercation with a group of four women, the New Orleans Police Department said.

The incident occurred at approximately 1:52 a.m. in the 800 block of Canal St., the NOPD said, when the group of women engaged in a verbal argument with the victim shortly before the encounter turned into a physical altercation.

One of the women reportedly used a sharp object to stab the victim multiple times before fleeing the scene, the NOPD said.

The NOPD released surveillance camera footage of the suspects on Dec. 26, which is pictured above.

The victim was listed in stable condition on Dec. 26, the NOPD said.

Anyone with information on the incident and the identity of the incident is asked to contact NOPD Eighth District detectives at 504-658-6080. Anonymous callers can contact Crimestoppers GNO at 504-822-1111 or toll-free at 877-903-7867.

Reported stolen camera takes photo of alleged Saint Ann Street vehicle burglary suspect

Courtesy of the NOPD.

An in-car camera on Dec. 11 allegedly captured the image of a suspect burglarizing a vehicle on Saint Ann Street just before walking away with the camera, the New Orleans Police Department said.

The alleged burglary took place approximately 1:30 a.m. in the 1000 block of Saint Ann St., the NOPD said.

A camera mounted inside the car allegedly took a photograph the suspect entering the vehicle and immediately uploaded the image to the victim, the NOPD said.

The suspect fled the scene in an unknown direction, the NOPD said.

The NOPD released the surveillance photo of the suspect, who is pictured above.

Anyone with information on this incident is asked to contact Eighth District detectives at 504-658-6080, or to call anonymously to Crimestoppers GNO at 504-822-1111 or toll-free at 1-877-903-7867.

NOPD: man reportedly robbed of wallet on Dauphine Street

Courtesy of the NOPD.

An attempted wallet snatching on Dec. 6 turned into a simple robbery on Dauphine Street, the New Orleans Police Department said, with the suspects leaving the scene in a Chevrolet pickup truck with front end damage.

The NOPD said the incident occurred at approximately 6:55 a.m. in the 600 block of Dauphine St. when a female suspect approached the male victim and attempted to take the victim’s wallet.

The man pushed the suspect away, the NOPD said, at which time a male suspect approached and pinned the victim near the truck so the female suspect could take the victim’s wallet.

The female suspect took the victim’s wallet and then drove away, along with her partner, in the pickup truck down Dauphine Street, the NOPD said.

The female suspect is described as white, standing about five foot eight inches tall with long black hair, approximately 40 years old and wearing black and white tights.

The NOPD described the male suspect as “brown-skinned” with medium build and a bald head, clad in a dark green jacket and wearing a plaid shirt and jeans.

The NOPD released a surveillance photo of the alleged suspects and their truck on Dec. 12.

Courtesy of the NOPD.

The photo shows a tan-colored truck with driver’s side front end damage.

The NOPD asks anyone with information on this incident to contact Eighth District detectives at 504-658-6080. Anonymous callers can contact Crimestoppers GNO at 504-822-1111 or toll-free at 877-903-7867.

Sewage system cited as possible cause for Dec. 16 explosion on Dauphine

Officials cited methane gas as a cause for the Dec. 16 explosion near Dauphine and Toulouse streets, local media reported.

The explosion, which reportedly occurred at approximately 5 a.m. on Dec. 16, caused an audible “boom” and blew three manhole covers. A video posted to social media shows a car on fire after the explosion.

Terry Ebbert, New Orleans Director of Public Safety and Security, reportedly told WWLTV that fumes from waste somehow ignited and erupted with flames near Toulouse and Dauphine.

WWLTV reported that the State Fire Marshal’s office indicated a faulty Entergy electrical line may have caused the explosion.

Entergy, the New Orleans Fire and Police departments and EMS vehicles reportedly arrived on scene and closed the block to the public.

No injuries were reported.