The dream of affordable housing at the Oil and Gas Building in the CBD has died. Back in 2013, 1100 Tulane was bought by The Renaissance Neighborhood Development Corporation, a Volunteers of America subsidiary. They have since sold the vacant office building and former ground floor home of techno club Ampersand to Baywood Hotels. Canal Street Beat reports that a 182 unit hotel might be coming in and that Baywood will be "fully gutting the 55 year old building."
Famed local architect August Perez was part of the team that designed the building, now listed in the National Register of Historic Places and built in 1959. The mid-century modern was eyed as a potential hotel by previous owner Raoof Khan, who purchased the property in 1997.
Khan had plans to also gut the fourteen story building and even demolished buildings at 1120 Tulane Ave and 1116 Tulane Ave to make room for parking for his proposed 176 room Wingate Inn. However, the building sat nearly vacant for over 15 years. The only consistent tenant appeared to be Ampersand, which closed its doors April 12 of last year.
· Developer Acquires Oil & Gas Bldg. For Hotel Conversion [Canal Street Beat]
· 1100 Tulane Ave [Curbed NOLA]