Crescent City Towers

Infobox Skyscraper
building_name = Crescent City Towers


caption = The familiar landmark of the New Orleans skyline in October 2007
built = 1964-1969
2006-2008 (renovation)
use = Residential
location = 1001 Howard Avenue
New Orleans, USA
roof = convert|531|ft|m|0
top_floor =
antenna_spire = N/A
floor_count = 45
floor_area = convert|485000|sqft|m2|0
elevator_count = 13
architect = Leonard R Spangenberg, Jr & Associates
skyscraperpage_id = 1572|

Crescent City Towers (formerly the Plaza Tower and dubbed as the Crescent City Residences in the early phases of the redesign) is a 45-story, convert|531|ft|m|0-tall skyscraper in New Orleans, Louisiana, designed in the modern style by Leonard R Spangenberg, Jr & Associates. Located in the Central Business District (CBD), it is the third tallest building in both the city of New Orleans and the state of Louisiana.

The building has been unused since 2002 because of environmental problems such as toxic mold and asbestos. In March 2005, the Plaza Tower was purchased by Giannasca Development Group LLC for $4 million. The Giannasca Group plans a $120 million renovation to convert the office tower into a 197-unit condominium tower with an entirely new .

After construction, units will feature wall-to-wall windows rated to withstand up to 200 mph (320 km/h) winds. The building will house an internal water supply that would last three weeks.

Plaza Tower

Construction of the Plaza Tower began in 1964, but halted in October 1966. The property was bought out and construction resumed in 1968. Upon completion later that year, the Plaza Tower became the tallest building in New Orleans and Louisiana, a record it held for four years when One Shell Square surpassed it by over convert|160|ft|m|0.

Along with the World Trade Center on the Mississippi riverfront, the Plaza Tower marked the beginning of modern high-rises in New Orleans. The building has always held a prominent place in the city's skyline, even after the 1970s building boom on along Canal Street and the 1980s boom along Poydras Street. This is due to both its unique design, particularly its "mushroom top," and its location on the extreme edge of the CBD.

The Plaza Tower was originally designed primarily as an office building with some residential space on the upper floors. Upon completion of the tower, very little residential space was made available. By 1984 the remaining residential apartments were made into offices.

In 2001, tenants began to publicly criticize the building's owners for ignoring worsening conditions in the building. Claims were made that a lack of proper maintenance had led to exposure to asbestos and toxic mold. Several class action lawsuits were filed by workers against the owners and managers and their own employers, the Louisiana Department of Social Services and Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals. In 2002 approximately 700 Louisiana state and New Orleans District Attorney's Office employees relocated en masse to offices on Common Street. Since that time, the building has sat sealed off and unused.

Rebirth as Crescent City Towers

The renovation will begin by gutting the building down to its superstructure, both on the interior and exterior. This is required because of the building's history with asbestos, toxic mold and water leaks. The new facade will feature a neomodern look, making extensive use of glass and staggered balconies. This will provide the units with views of the New Orleans skyline and the Mississippi River. Once complete, the building will have amenities such as a gourmet restaurant, spa, fitness center, indoor pool and retail space. An adjoining building containing a 350-space parking garage and several townhouse units will also be renovated. The redesign was originally proposed under the name Crescent City Residences.

The architectural team behind the redesign is composed of Williams Architects of New Orleans and Marks Thomas Architects of Baltimore. Dorian M. Bennett Realtors Inc. has exclusive rights to sell the 350 units, with prices starting at $350,000. Unit sizes have not been determined, but prices will be in the range of $450 per square foot, similar to prices in the French Quarter, and about $100 per square foot higher than the nearby Warehouse District.

In November 2005, Giannasca Development Group announced it had secured $24 million to start the redevelopment project. A construction timetable is still being developed in light of delays and logistical issues since Hurricane Katrina. However, current estimates are for an opening date in 2008.

In spring 2006, modified plans were released reflecting changes aimed at addressing post-Katrina concerns. This redesign includes glass designed to withstand 200 mph winds, a self-contained electrical generator, and an internal water supply, which developers say could make the building self sufficient for three to four weeks. The external design has also been changed to a cleaner glass and steel design, removing the needle point and multiedged surfaces of the original design. This new exterior will consist of gold-tinted wall to wall glass and maroon steel. The price of the project has increased from $100 million to $120 million while the number of units has been reduced from 350 to 197. These units will run from 1,080 square feet starting at $450,000 to several 3,000 square foot units costing several million dollars. Three quarters of the units will have only one bedroom. The project also saw a slight name change to the Crescent City Towers.

In July 2007, the owners defaulted on the mortgage and the Plaza Towers was put on the auction block. Howard Acquisitions, LLC already held the mortgage on the building. Their winning bid protects their investment and gives them full control over the high-rise. The new owners, Plainfield Direct, are remaining tight-lipped about their plans for the building.

On December 19, 2007, Plainfield Direct paid the City of New Orleans $608,000 in back taxes and announced plans to spend $10 million on environmental remediation. This work is set to begin immediately in the parking garage and building annex, work will begin in the tower in early 2008. Following the remediation work, Plainfield will partner with developers to put the building back into use. [cite web
url = http://www.nola.com/news/index.ssf/2007/12/investors_to_rehab_plaza_tower.html
title = Investors to rehab Plaza Tower
accessdate = 2007-12-19
date = December 19 2007
publisher = The Times-Picayune ]

Location

1001 Howard Avenue
New Orleans, LA 70113-2002

The Crescent City Towers are bounded by the following streets:
* Howard Avenue (south)
* Loyola Avenue (west)
* Julia Street (north)
* South Rampart Street (east)

ee also

* List of tallest buildings in New Orleans

External links

* cite web
title=Crescent City Towers
url=http://www.crescentcitytowers.com

References

* cite web
title=Crescent City Residences
work=Giannasca Development Group LLC
url=http://www.giannasca.com/project35.asp?p=35
accessdate=2006-05-17

* cite news
first=Greg
last=Thomas
url=http://www.nola.com/business/t-p/index.ssf?/base/money-0/114658891769600.xml
title=Condos are planned for troubled building
work=New Orleans Times-Picayune
date=2006-05-02
accessdate=2006-05-17

*

* cite news
first=Deon
last=Roberts
url=http://www.neworleanscitybusiness.com/UpToTheMinute.cfm?recID=1212
title=$24M in funding ignites Plaza Tower project
work=New Orleans CityBusiness
date=2005-11-16
accessdate=2006-05-17