Letter: Delay decisions on ‘Big Charity’
Print
Email
Save
Share
Del.icio.us
Digg
Facebook
Reddit
The Foundation for Historical Louisiana, pursuant to its charge in House Concurrent Resolution 89 of the 2006 Regular Session of the Legislature, has recently hired the firm of RMJM Hillier to do an independent assessment of Charity Hospital in New Orleans.
RMJM Hillier is an internationally renowned architectural firm that specializes in both preservation and state-of-the-art health-care design.
Due to be completed by Aug. 21, this in-depth evaluation will be the first study to determine the structural integrity of this building and the possibilities of restoring and renovating Charity to a first-rate medical facility.
Charity Hospital has been a part of Louisiana’s architectural, cultural and medical heritage for 272 years.
Recently, the National Trust for Historic Preservation listed the hospital and its adjacent neighborhood as one of America’s 11 most-treasured and endangered sites.
Since its closing there have been several assessments of the hospital, but only to determine the monetary amount of damages to be reimbursed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. There has been no study to determine the viability and reuse potential of this monumental landmark. That is, until now.
The Foundation for Historical Louisiana has worked diligently to fulfill the charge unanimously passed by the 2006 Legislature in House Concurrent Resolution 89. HCR89 provided no appropriation, thus the study is being funded by the Foundation for Historical Louisiana and donors.
We are proud to have been chosen to lead this fact-finding mission to provide the first independent assessment of the building and to determine its viability for any future medical use. With the cooperation of the state Office of Facility Planning and LSU, RMJM Hillier has begun this critical evaluation to gather the full data.
We ask that all decisions concerning Charity Hospital and/or a proposed new hospital, which will demolish more than 25 blocks of historic homes and businesses in a National Register of Historic Places neighborhood, be put on hold until we have the results from this assessment of a Louisiana icon.
Our findings will be issued to the full Legislature, LSU Board of Supervisors, state Office of Facility Planning and the Louisiana Recovery Authority by Aug. 21
Sandra Stokes
Executive vice chair
The Foundation for Historical La.
Baton Rouge
 | ||||
| Most Popular | Most Emailed | Hot Topics | ||
