A building partially collapsed Monday in the heart of the French Quarter, blocking traffic near the intersection of Toulouse and Dauphine streets as police scrambled to close off the area. The New Orleans Police Department confirmed the collapse and asked motorists to avoid the area, though it was not immediately clear whether anyone was injured.
The collapse happened in the 600 block of Dauphine Street, according to nola.com, which first reported the incident Monday. WWL-TV reported that the collapse occurred near the intersection of Toulouse and Dauphine streets and caused traffic blockages. The New Orleans Fire Department had not returned a request for comment as of the initial report.
A Block With a Long, Documented History
The 600 block of Dauphine Street sits at the corner of Dauphine and Toulouse, an area the Historic New Orleans Collection's Diboll Vieux Carré Digital Survey has documented as containing contributing historic properties surveyed since at least 1968, per the collection's property records.
Monday's collapse was reported in the French Quarter.
Strict Preservation Rules Govern Quarter Repairs
Preservation rules govern repairs to French Quarter buildings.
The scale of the challenge is citywide. Preservation concerns extend beyond the French Quarter.
Financial Stakes of Structural Failures
The financial consequences of structural failures can be severe.
New Orleans has since moved to tighten rules for construction crews. Hoodline reported tighter fines for contractors earlier this month that New Orleans's revised Responsible Bidder Ordinance sets fines of $500 for a first labor violation and $1,000 for repeat labor violations by covered contractors. Whether any recent maintenance, permits, or code issues were tied to Monday's collapse on Dauphine Street has not been reported.
