Everyone who knows anything needs to get out and talk to the neighbors now. It should’ve been done before, but whatever. Time to do it now. Once’s it’s all explained, people will think twice. OUTREACH NOW!

This is blatantly illegal. The ERTNA has zero regard for the New Orleans citizens living in this house, and it seems neither does the City of N.O. I think a little civil disobedience is in order here.

wow! Of all the days to do this in this dreadful freezing, wet weather. I’m not for this free-for-all in the neighborhood, but I’m not for treating people inhumanely either. Bad showing City of NO.

Was this neighborhood association involved at all in getting the NOPD sicced on the second lines? If so the wrong set of people are being driven out town.

Yeah, its too bad they don’t sell crack out of that house. The City would act like it doesn’t exist.

i can understand shutting down an illegal club, but not kicking people out of a house, unless they don’t have power/water, and even then it should have been a process that takes at least a week. perhaps we are not getting the entire story here?

One more reason to leave this dying shit hole of a city. If I could get a job in Denver, I’d be on the first thing smoking outta here. At least there you can have parties outside of the city without the country bumpkin redneck cops messing with you like they do here.

You sure are right Micah, nothing harder than having a good time and a party in New Orleans. If we can just get rid of the dead weight of complainers and bellyachers who don’t want to be here, i think this city will be alright, though.

one of the highlights of my recent trip to NOLA was a personal tour of the Treehouse. After visiting it, we had a wonderful meal down the street. I looked forward to returning in April. http://www.flickr.com/photos/thatcar/4196428122/

Micah, New Orleans is not a shit hole. It is my home and one that I and many others love as well as bust our asses to lift up. If you aren’t working to improve it, you’re dead weight. Either start helping or start packing.

This is disappointing. The New Orleans art scene and counter-culture draws so many people to the city. I wish the Art House and the neighborhood association could work through this.

Defend The NOLA Art House! Two things that make me furious re: this persecution: (1) There are way too many instances of it taking YEARS to get owners to address blight (example: Jennifer Coolidge’s place on the 1000 blk of Dumaine that has been a dangerous hazard since 8/29/05); at least the NOLA Art House has created something that delights! (2) It amazes me that the City can mobilize quickly and push to shut down the NOLA Art House, yet it takes YEARS to enforce laws on the books via the City Attorney’s Office re: clubs where violence & gun incidents (including fatalities) are frequent. This is utter & complete B.S.

One more thought after being asked, “who is benefiting from this?” I can’t help but wonder if that it might also be a returned favor to ERTCA re: buying off on/supporting Pres Kabacoff’s mixed-income project @ 1137 Esplanade. District C was very determine to push that project through despite strong neighborhood resistance and ERTCA’s stamp of approval did not represent the views of the surrounding residents. The uncharacteristic rapid action on the part of City officials stinks to high heaven of strings being pulled.

Michelle left me a voicemail, and she kept repeating I didn’t “sign anything”

The prosecutor/police “told me to send the letter out”.

It seems to me that she’s not interested in being the Treme solution. Otherwise she would have worked with her residents and promoted mediation on both sides.

It seems that they were trying to get identifiable complaints, and could not find any. So they went for codes violations. Nearly every place has enough code issues to be cited for something if they wanted.

She ended with, “I am not close enough to hear anything, and have no complaints about the place”

I know there were some noise complaints early on, but none since a new bar opened up. It seems they make more noise on a continual basis?

They had been completing tasks for permits. They brought in official security, checked ID’s, did paperwork, and was working with the city…. hence the inspection a few weeks earlier. They were told things to fix, but with all these issues, and now with pressure from the ERTCA/neighborhood. They expedited a shutdown. How can things get done with no power, and a freezing house?

And a sink in every room?!?!?!

Cotton, either you are blind, or you haven’t traveled much. I’d pack my bags and leave tomorrow if it wasn’t for my family and my job. This is the most dirty and ghetto city I have ever been to, but I haven’t been to Detroit. Most of this city could use to be bulldozed or napalmed.

An illegal boarding house is an illegal boarding house. Fire code is fire code. Building code is building code. You’re not exempt from it because you are caucasion, middle class “artists” from wherever. If the post-art school scenesters think this is persecution, they need to go read a few history books to find out what persecution is. Or walk outside and ask a few of their neighbors who buy food at the convenience store across the street.

To clarify, The Art House is NOT an illegal boarding house. the residents pay rent to live in separate units with a shared, family-style kitchen. we are more than eager to adhere to the fire code and the building code, but have not been given the necessary information and time to make the changes that our house (and probably almost every house in NOLA) needs to make. we are being forced out of our home by inhuman means (depriving us of heat and hot water). We have no money, our food is spoiling, and the officials with the Fire Department responsible for this situation refuse to tell us what we need to do to fix this situation.

@Micah - ive lived all over the country and traveled all over the world. new orleans is a special place. that you couldnt make it work for you just means its you, not us. and thats ok, not everybody is cut out for it — youll be fine in the rest of america.
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so buy your bus ticket already, and hit the road. dont let the door slap ya on the ass on the way out…

as cool an idea as it is, safety & permits, fire code, and all that is a complex but important thing. trust me, i own a business and my friends have opened businesses in residential neighborhoods.
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if youre too big to be underground, then you have to do it right. and that means being: A) smart. B) diplomatic.
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the house was neither.
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for instance: its all awesome until their overloaded electrical sparks a fire and burns the house down, destroying yet another historic, one-of-a-kind property. in new orleans, these properties come first. cuz once theyre gone, theyre *gone*. with them go the incentive for people to visit and invest here.
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without our history new orleans is just another poor, run-down southern town. thus its gotta be protected, and things have to be done *right*.
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make sense, kids? do what the big boys do. work with the fire department, the permitting department, your city councilman, and your neighborhood associations. be nice, play by the rules, and youll be ok.
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or just stay underground next time.

actually, in new orleans, historical properties don’t come first. Look at house where Louis Armstrong was born and grew up getting demolished or the club he used to hang around at in his formative years.

“the residents pay rent to live in SEPARATE units with a SHARED, family style kitchen.” (capped emphasis mine) This probably qualifies 1614 Esplanade as a Boarding House which likely requires a zoning change or variance. & since you’re in a Historic District another layer is added.

Remember the “blue people” living off Esplanade, next to where Whole Foods later located, then left. Suddenly, the neighborhood hue and cry, “blue people” have to go. They had been there long before Whole Foods. What is it with these witch hunts?

this is sad.. it truly hurts to have witnessed a place this beautiful in new orleans.. and to see the “authority” carelessly do all that they’re capable of.. to shut it down.. with no regard for the people who live there.. or the positives they contributed to the city..