New Orleans Convention Center Authority may buy Louisiana ArtWorks building

The Ernest N. Morial Convention Center may be acquiring additional property downtown.

According to The Advocate, The Ernest N. Morial Convention Center board may purchase the Louisiana ArtWorks building located on Howard Avenue and Carondelet Street.

The building was previously owned by the New Orleans Culinary and Hospitality Institute.

Last Wednesday the Convention Center board approved the deal to buy the property.

The Convention Center will most likely lease it to the New Orleans Culinary and Hospitality Institute, which has the support of several hospitality and restaurant leaders in New Orleans. The collaboration to the two entities will help drive New Orleans’s restaurant-driven economy.

The Convention Center will purchase the property for $8 million and will allocate $4 million for future improvements.

The building was recently appraised at $13 million.

The Convention Center plans to lease the building to the New Orleans Culinary and Hospitality Institute until it develops the funds to operate on its own, The Advocate reports.

Of course, this comes after previous expansion plans were postponed earlier this year.

• Convention Center may buy failed ArtWorks building from culinary institute [The Advocate]
• New Orleans Culinary and Hospitality Institute [Facebook]
• Ernest N. Morial Convention Center expansion plans are stalled [Curbed NOLA]