Why so many of New Orleans' buildings are collapsing
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A former art gallery In the 1400 block of O.C. Haley collapsed on Sept. 21, 2024. Photo: Courtesy NOFD
We've always known New Orleans is sinking away beneath our feet, but a series of building collapses over the past several months has made it clear that at least some of the city is crumbling away before our eyes, too.
Why it matters: Hold onto your bricks, people.
The big picture: The most infamous example of a building collapse in New Orleans was in 2019 when the then-under-construction Hard Rock Hotel fell apart at the corner of Canal and Rampart streets.
- That collapse, which killed three people, was eventually blamed on engineering flaws, but the most recent failures have happened at long-since complete buildings.
They include:
- An exterior wall at a 7th Ward home collapsed on Jan. 5.
- The historic CBD building that houses the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities partially crumbled Dec. 14, 2024.
- A Lower Garden District building fell apart on Dec. 30, 2024.
- A Central City building collapsed near the New Orleans Jazz Market on Sept. 21, 2024.
The intrigue: The hard-to-ignore, dangerous pattern is a clear indication that something's got to change, says Preservation Resource Center of New Orleans executive director Danielle Del Sol, who recently wrote about the issue for the organization's magazine.
- "At the end of the day, it comes down to responsible property owners and irresponsible property owners. Responsible property owners need to have the right information in their hand," she says. "And for irresponsible property owners, it's time for the city to step up" by cracking down on code violators.
What's happening: There's far too much diversity in New Orleans' architecture and how it's cared for to blame one problem for the recent collapses, Del Sol says.
- "In most cases, probably years of issues culminated to one moment," she says.
- But there are some patterns in the recent building failures that are worth mentioning.
- Three of the buildings were brick constructions, which can become weakened over time if the brick is painted over with moisture-trapping products, especially in New Orleans' wet climate, or if the mortar between the bricks isn't maintained properly.
Zoom in: The CBD building, Del Sol says, is surrounded by others that are under construction — and there's been a big pothole on the street out front for years.
- "Major renovations around them … led to tons of vibrations in the ground beneath them," she says. "And anytime a truck hit that pothole, the whole building would shake. So, yes, they're regularly maintaining their building, but all these other environmental factors culminated into one moment."
What's next: New Orleans City Council is looking to hire an engineering consultant to provide ideas around structurally reviewing buildings.
- An RFP for that role should be public within the coming weeks, a City Council spokesman says.