Upper Pontalba needs $8M in repairs. Will city pay? | Business News

One of the city’s best-known and most historic buildings, the Upper Pontalba apartments, needs millions of dollars to remedy years of needed maintenance, botched repair jobs and severe damage caused by Hurricane Ida more than two years ago.

The city agency that manages the building will go before the City Council budget committee Monday, asking for $8 million to make badly needed repairs to the nearly 175-year-old structure.

Though it was barely noticeable from the street, the iconic building was severely damaged by Hurricane Ida more than two years ago and its roof, which stands four stories high above the French Quarter, has been covered with tarps ever since.

The French Market Corp., which manages the building for the city, has been working for several years on a plan to address the Upper Pontalba’s problems, which are not limited to damage from Ida. There are long-standing roof problems that predate the 2021 hurricane, as well as rotting widows, moisture intrusion and an aging, insufficient HVAC system.

The agency is ready to move forward with the repairs but needs the city to front them money. Mayor LaToya Cantrell’s proposed construction budget doesn’t include money for the Upper Pontalba renovation project.

French Market Corp. Executive Director Leslie Thorn Alley believes her agency has a compelling case, given the building’s historic and architectural significance. She said she thinks the omission was possibly an oversight and is optimistic City Council members will allocate the necessary money so the project can move forward as quickly as possible.

Preservationists say it should be a top priority for a city that prides itself on its history and culture.

“Getting the money to fix them up is imperative,” said Mary Nell Wheatly, advocacy coordinator with the Preservation Resource Center. “It’s imperative that the city provide for the protection of this historic and architectural gem.”

Cantrell’s office did not respond to a request seeking comment.

Long history

In a city known for its historic buildings, the Upper Pontalba on the upriver side of Jackson Square and its sister building, the Lower Pontalba on the downriver side, are in a class all their own, said Wheatly.

They were designed and built from 1849-1851 by Baroness de Pontalba and are among the oldest apartment buildings in the U.S., though they were technically built as individual townhouses separated by firewalls.

In the 1930s, both buildings were renovated into apartments and placed on the National Register of Historic Buildings. The Pontalba heirs sold the Lower Pontalba to a philanthropist, who later bequeathed it to the state. Local civic leaders bought the Upper Pontalba, which was subsequently purchased by the city.

Though city-owned, the Upper Pontalba has been managed over the years by a series of quasi-public agencies, which, since 2013, has been the French Market Corp.

The agency rents out the first-floor spaces to retail tenants and 50 upper units to residential tenants, though one apartment is reserved for the city for use by the mayor of New Orleans. Earlier this year, Cantrell was barred by the City Council from using the apartment after a series of reports suggesting she was regularly staying overnight there.

For more than a month, the apartment has been vacant and under repair because of a plumbing problem in the unit above.

Shoddy workmanship

The French Market Corp. began looking at addressing long-standing problems at the Upper Pontalba several years ago. Some of the problems stem from the building’s age. Leaks, moisture retention and being located on the river in a city with high humidity for the better part of two centuries have taken their toll.  

A shoddy renovation in the 1990s exacerbated things. Balconies facing interior courtyards were enclosed to minimize moisture intrusion. But the walls were poorly constructed, and cheap widows were installed in the place of the former balconies. They now leak, trapping more moisture in the walls.

A post-Hurricane Katrina roof repair created other problems. The flashing and gutters used are too narrow, which has led to leaks in the seams where the roof lines of the individual units come together.

Alley cannot say why such careless work was done on such a historically significant building. She wasn’t around the at the time and her agency wasn’t in charge back then.

“Over the years, six separate entities had control over this building and with each change you get new architects and contractors,” she said. 

More recently, the air conditioning system has begun to fail. The upper floors don’t stay well cooled, which traps warm, humid air in the building.

In 2020, the agency spent months putting together a plan, then estimated to cost $3.1 million. It successfully sought historic building tax credits from the state, which promised to reimburse 20% of the cost.  

COVID slowed things and took a bite out of the monthly building rent that has always enabled the French Market Corp. to be self-funded. Still, the agency had ample cash reserves to pay for the Upper Pontalba repairs and was ready to go to bid in 2021, when Hurricane Ida hit.

“Water came in from the roof. It came in from the Decatur Street side. It came in sideways,” she said. “We had to start all over again.”

Cost increases

The French Market Corp. tarped the roof, which has since been re-tarped two more times, and redrafted its renovation plan to include the roof repairs. That added months to the process, which was delayed still further when the agency went back to the state to reapply for the historic building tax credits.

At the same time, the French Market Corp. was dealing with Ida damage to its administrative building on Decatur Street, which was also found to have an extensive mold problem. The agency was forced to relocate to vacant space in the Upper Pontalba and the bulk of its capital reserves were set aside to rebuilding the moldy administrative building.

As for the Pontalba repairs, the price tag has more than doubled now to $6.2 million. Alley estimates that it could go as high as $8 million with soft costs, inflation and delays factored in.

Uncertainty

Three City Council members sit on the French Market Corp.’s Board of Directors, including Eugene Green, Oliver Thomas and Freddie King. All have told Alley they support of the project and approved going forward with it.

Earlier this year, the City Planning Commission and city budget office also met with Alley and signaled their support for funding the project. Alley said she was surprised and confused the project was not included, but is hopeful the council will fund the project.

Council member Joe Giarrusso, who chairs the council’s Budget Committee, said he is “anxious to hear from the French Market Corp.” about the building’s needs but could not commit to what the council will do.

Wheatly said it’s important the city prioritize the building’s repairs. 

“The Pontalbas are in a class all their own,” Wheatly said. “They’re not just a local treasure. They’re nationally significant.”