By the looks of the comments section, this little incident has caused quite a stir in our little community. First, and foremost, I’d like to ask that people remain civil. As I’ve said before, name calling is not productive and while we encourage lively debate, it seems like the comments are sliding down a spiral of vitriol and racial tension. The Art House is home to a wide variety of people from different ethnic backgrounds just as is the Treme neighborhood, so trying to pigeonhole one as a “hipster commune” or the other as just “the ghetto” is completely unfair and unproductive. Come on, people, it’s Mardi Gras and the Saints are Super Bowl Champs. Let’s just try to get along.
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In any event, the New Orleans fire department sent out a press release regarding the situation at 1614 Esplanade. It mentions the cease and desist order and the numerous code violations, but makes no mention of the tree house structure or why the residents remain without power.
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Also, the art house residents have set up a blog for taking donations to help raise money to fix all of the code violations found in the house (and which, quite frankly, could be found in most houses in New Orleans).
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EDIT: Here’s the relevant quotes from Fire Chief Norman Woodridge on the subject of the code violations from Doug McCash’s article:
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As [Woodridge] explained, some electrical circuits in the Art House were overloaded and some terminals were “basically exposed.” In addition, the house lacked a fire alarm system, posted emergency instructions, lighted exit signs, and acceptable escape routes from all of the quarters.
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At 8:20 p.m., Woodridge issued a news release saying Thursday’s “cease and desist” order stemmed from the failure of the property owners to correct safety and code violations found in the Jan. 25 inspection. The violations were “based on change of use or occupancy, primary means of escape, electrical code infractions and the lack of detection, alarms or communications system.” The news release emphasized that the department had not ordered anyone out of the house or off the property.
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“It’s a residential property. It’s being used more like a boarding house,” Woodridge said in an earlier interview.
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He said the coming cold snap made things especially hazardous. If “a space heater or something like that overloads a circuit, that could be devastating,” he said.
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The full text of the Fire Department’s press release is after the jump:
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