Plans for a Trader Joe’s location in Uptown New Orleans cleared a key hurdle Thursday when the City Council approved a request by developers to demolish the former Our Lady of Lourdes School at the corner of Freret Street and Napoleon Avenue.
The council sided with developers and business owners who said the 67-year-old midcentury modern building lacked the same historical character as the other nearby buildings, including the former Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic church, built in 1925. They noted that past plans to repurpose the old schoolhouse had failed and extolled the benefits a “specialty grocery store” could bring to the area.
A pedestrian walks past the former Our Lady of Lourdes School on Jena and Freret streets in New Orleans, Tuesday, July 16, 2024. (Photo by Sophia Germer, The Times-Picayune)
“To have a specialty grocery store that has affordable, fresh food and vegetables, that’s walkable, that’s on a public transportation system — that’s everything we could want,” said council member Lesli Harris, whose district includes the proposed development.
The Historic District Landmarks Commission voted June 5 to bar developers from razing the former school at 2428 Napoleon Ave. The council’s 7-0 vote on Thursday overrides that decision, allowing developers to move forward with the development.
Moments after overriding the commission’s decision, the Council also unanimously granted zoning approval for the project. That marks the final stamp of approval from city officials for the development to proceed.
In May, developers David Fuselier and Zach Kupperman got permission for the development from the City Planning Commission after submitting documents that closely matched designs and other specifications for other Trade Joe’s outlets.
A pedestrian walks past the former Our Lady of Lourdes School on Napoleon Ave. and Freret St. in New Orleans, Tuesday, July 16, 2024. (Photo by Sophia Germer, The Times-Picayune)
At the time they said only that it would be a “specialty grocery” — a phrase used repeatedly to describe the plan by members of the council on Thursday; but a source confirmed to The Times-Picayune that the development will involve a Trader Joe’s.
The retailer, known for its bohemian image and friendly staff, was already working on plans to open a location on Tulane Avenue. Currently, only two of the chain’s 587 stores in the U.S. are located in Louisiana: one on Veterans Memorial Boulevard in Metairie, the other on Perkins Road in Baton Rouge.
A vehicle passes the former Our Lady of Lourdes School on Napoleon Ave. and Freret St. in New Orleans, Tuesday, July 16, 2024. (Photo by Sophia Germer, The Times-Picayune)
The commission’s report recommended that developers try to find an alternate use for the building, rather than tearing it down. Developers had previously explored plans to convert the existing structure into a “Mad Men”-style hotel. They later scrapped that plan because of financial constraints.
The Archdiocese of New Orleans and its partners also scrapped plans last year to convert the school into an apartment complex with 62 units for low-income older adults.
Advocates for historic preservation spoke out against the development on Thursday, urging the council to side with the commission and reject “uneducated” opinions of developers.
But the developers said they had exhausted efforts to refurnish or renovate the building for other uses.
“It is not the right candidate for adaptive reuse,” Kupperman told the council Thursday. “Most importantly, the structure does not acknowledge the historic structure of the neighborhood. It dominates the corner and diminishes the area.”