NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Despite opposition from preservationists, New Orleans’ Mayor LaToya Cantrell is getting behind a proposal to tear down three buildings as part of a plan to demolish the partially collapsed Hard Rock Hotel.
Cantrell said Monday she decided to back the proposal after consulting engineers who said the work is necessary to safely bring down the Hard Rock, The Times-Picayune/New Orleans Advocate reported. The proposal was made by the Hard Rock Hotel’s developers
“My initial response to that is public safety first,” Cantrell said.
Engineers said they needed a clear line of sight for the large cranes they plan to use for the Hard Rock work, according to the mayor.
Preservationists say the additional demolitions would further damage the historic nature of Canal Street.
The proposal calls for tearing down two century-old buildings on Canal Street and another building on Iberville Street. The buildings are owned by major partners in the hotel project.
Councilwoman Kristin Gisleson Palmer, whose district includes the properties, said on Monday that she was skeptical of the developers’ motives and could not back the plan unless outside engineers not working for the developers said it was necessary.
Representatives of the developers have not responded to requests from The Times-Picayune/New Orleans Advocate for comment, the newspaper reported.
“We need to be judicious about giving anybody carte blanche without a third-party engineer saying what has to be done and doesn’t have to be done,” Palmer said.
The upper floors of the Hard Rock Hotel collapsed on Oct. 12 as the hotel was under construction. Three workers were killed. The remains of two of the workers are still in the building.
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