On Monday, February 6, 2012 at 1:38 pm 3rd District Quality of Life Officer, Patrick Smith wrote: “Sir,
The vehicle was towed by Bill’s Car Crushers on 2/6/12.”
Respectfully,
P/O IV Patrick M. Smith | New Orleans Police Department |
Third District/Quality of Life | Office-504-658-6198 |
Cell-504-444-7514 | email: pmsmith@nola.gov
photos and article by Laura Rapp Boucher
Neighbors and I found a burnt out car at the end of our street which is at Verna and St.Vincent streets.
The car looks to be an act of arson and it looks to have damaged the house near where the fire took place. It’s been there at least two weeks.
I am worried this could become a dumping ground for stolen cars or other crimes because it is a quiet area where these things never happen.
This house at 1549 Verna is owned by the heirs of Edward A. Lambert. The house has been “demolished by neglect” for almost a decade. It’s my understanding that Mr. Lambert was an electrician who once ran wires from his house to the stage at one of the early Jazz Fests so that the “show could go on”.
Unfortunately, the heirs to this home have decided to slowly demolish it by neglecting it year after year. And now, the property has attracted someone who believes this is a good place to burn a car. Why? Because it is obvious that the property owner doesn’t care.
This house has been repeatedly featured in blight articles at FSJNA dot ORG and I reported it to the city. The city took action and levied fines. You can see a PDF with information about 1549 Verna from August 31, 2010 by clicking here.
What is it going to take to get rid of this problem? A new owner.
And, it appears we may have that in real estate salesman Tommy Crane.
Mr. Crane would like to take the photo you see above and transform it into a place we can all be proud of. As you can see from his architect’s rendering, the new house will seemlessly integrate into the neighborhood due to its thoughtful planning and style.
Criminals see blighted homes, bandit signs, and unkempt areas as an invitation.
Mr. Crane has the resources and a plan to make this blight go away. He would like our support for approval to remove this blighted building. Let’s work together to prevent more blight and more crime in this area.
Here is a statement from Mr. Crane on his intentions for the property:
“I have an agreement to buy the property from the heirs subject to getting a demo permit. I have submitted an application for such with HDLC and my understanding is that there will be a hearing on Feb 9, 2012. I wanted to bring this to your attention and am happy to meet in person to discuss my plans for the property.
To give a brief summation, my intentions are to build a raised center hall with approx 2500 to 2800 sq ft. The bulk of the sq ft would be on a main level with a 40 ft wide and 8 ft deep porch overlooking the Fairgrounds. There would be 2 bedrooms and a bath under roof in attic and ground level garages below entering from the side on Private St. My architect is drawing preliminary sketches which I will be happy to pass along. My goal would be to have a property that looks as if it has always been there and not appear to be a new home. I do not anticipate any variances will be needed or required.”
Tommy Crane
504-723-8504
CLICK HERE TO VIEW Mr. Crane’s plans for 1549 Verna.
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Many thanks to Dean Burridge for first reporting the burned car on January 27th and for meeting with Mr. Crane about 1549 Verna.
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March 13, 2011: 1549 Verna in the link below…
https://fsjna.org/2011/03/blightstat-9/
November 18, 2011: 1549 Verna in the link below…
1549 Verna in the blight page at FSJNAdotORG:
https://fsjna.org/steps-to-stomp-out-blight/