News
Magnolia Marketplace shopping center on South Claiborne wins City Council approval
January 24, 2013
Plans for a new shopping center on South Claiborne Avenue won unanimous approval Thursday from the New Orleans City Council. The Magnolia Marketplace will be a two-level mall where most of the stores will face an elevated, open-air parking deck. Read More »
Multi-Housing News Excellence Awards 2012
December 05, 2012
Blue Plate Artist Lofts was the Silver Winner-Best New Development Adaptive Reuse
National Housing & Rehabilitation Association's 2012 J. Timothy Anderson "TIMMY" Awards for Excellence in Historic Rehabilitation
December 05, 2012
Blue Plate Artist Lofts was awarded Best Historic Rehab Utilizing LIHTCs (Large/Over $15 million development cost) Read More »
Blue Plate Artist Lofts is featured in the National Trust for Historic Preservation's October Newsletter
October 18, 2012
For decades, the Blue Plate Fine Foods condiment company operated out of a 1941 Art Moderne-style building in New Orleans. Designed by famed local architect August Perez, it was the first building in the city constructed in that style. Read More »
Blue Plate Artist Lofts is a Finalist in the Best Historic Rehab Utilizing LIHTC’s Category
October 1, 2012
15 Historic Rehabilitation Projects Are Finalists for NH&RA 2012 'Timmy' Awards. The conversion of a former food processing factory to loft apartments in New Orleans, the adaptive reuse of a former elementary school to affordable rental housing in Kentucky, and the restoration of an historic African-America theater in Washington, D.C. are among the finalists for the 2012 J. Timothy Anderson "Timmy" Awards for Excellence in Historic Rehabilitation.
Blue Plate Artist Lofts Featured on CNBC's Show: "Ultimate Factories" Converted Factory Homes
August 31, 2012
Blue Plate Artist Lofts
The Blue Plate Artist Lofts has created a unique residential area for the artists of New Orleans. A perfect fit for the creative minds of the city, Blue Plate Lofts brings together an iconic historical landmark and a modern architectural design. Read More »
When the Stars Align
The mayor, the press, many big shots, and all the tenants were on hand to celebrate the grand opening of the Blue Plate Artist Lofts, formerly the site of huge vats of eggs, oil, vinegar, salt, and sugar being whipped up into New Orleans' favorite mayonnaise. Read More »
Redevelopment of Gert Town landmark expected to spur growth in area
June 10, 2012 From his Gert Town porch, Solomon Reese is watching his neighborhood transform before his eyes. "It's coming back good, it's coming back real good," said Reese, who has lived in his Gert Town home for about 40 years. The latest development, Blue Plate Artist Lofts, officially opened Thursday. Read More »
Blue Plate Lofts helping to revitalize Gert Town
June 8, 2012 The historic Blue Plate Foods building in Gert Town is bustling with life once again. Known for making the first commercially prepared mayonnaise products in the country, it's now whipping up inspiration for artists. Deepak Saini takes us inside the restored icon. Read More »
Mid-City seeing rapid growth in housing and retail
June 07, 2012 The VA and LSU hospitals are driving rapid development in Mid-City. Developers are taking a lot of older, large buildings and converting them into housing. Read More »
White House Business Council Business Forward Briefings
April 10, 2012
Apartment Occupancy High in New Orleans Area as Construction Slows
March 7, 2012 Renters in New Orleans shouldn’t expect their monthly rates to drop anytime soon. Real estate industry professionals say that even with apartment occupancy rates and rental rates continuing to climb, construction of new multifamily housing units is now expected to slow. Read More »
Larson Roundtable Looks at Leadership Practices
The ULI Robert C. Larson Leadership Initiative in March presented an updated version of one of ULI’s historic leadership events—the Leadership Roundtable. Held at ULI headquarters in the Georgetown section of Washington, D.C., and open only to 50 ULI full members, the roundtable over two days provided eight hours of in-depth looks at leadership skills, best practices, and lessons learned. Read More »
Larson Leadership Initiative Holds Five Programs at Spring Council Forum
July 15, 2011 Because leadership is now one of the five priority areas for ULI, the ULI Robert C. Larson Leadership Initiative held five programs at the 2011 Real Estate Summit at the Spring Council Forum in Phoenix this May. Read More »
Affordable Apartment Complexes, Tailored For Artists, Are Blossoming in
New Orleans
June 5, 2011 The new Blue Plate Artists Lofts, a 72-unit housing complex due to open in February that HRI and JCH Development are building in the old Blue Plate Mayonnaise factory on South Jefferson Davis Parkway, will give leasing preference to low-income artists. Read More »
Historic Landmark Begins Transformation into Artist Lofts in New Orleans
April 18, 2011 Located in the historic and culturally rich Gert Town community, the 72 work-live artist lofts will come to life within the walls of a structure that is on the National Register of Historic Landmarks. Read More »
Historic N.O. factory will become apartments
April 11, 2011 The former Blue Plate Foods factory in New Orleans will be converted into 72 loft-style apartments with artists getting preference for leases. Read More »
Blue Plate Foods apartment conversion under way
April 7, 2011 That's the transformation in store for the long-empty Blue Plate Foods building at South Jefferson Davis Parkway and Earhart Boulevard. After years of planning, work has begun to convert the former factory into 72 loft-style apartments, with a leasing preference for artists, many of whom will be low-income. Read More »
Blue Plate sign to light up Mid-City again
April 7, 2011 New Orleans - The iconic " Blue Plate" sign will light up Mid-City one again. Read More »
Blue Plate Building To Become Artist Lofts
April 7, 2011 Former mayonnaise being transformed into 72 mixed-income, loft-style rental apartments with a leasing preference for artists. See full article
Spring 2011 – Groundbreaking for Blue Plate Art Lofts in New Orleans, LA
HISTORIC BLUE PLATE FACTORY WILL BE CONVERTED TO ARTIST HOUSING BY HRI PROPERTIES & JCH DEVELOPMENT
Former food processing plant will become 72 loft-style apartments
NEW ORLEANS, LA (April 4, 2011)-The building where local favorite Blue Plate Mayonnaise was produced for a generation will be transformed by New Orleans-based developers HRI Properties and JCH Development, into 72 loft-style apartments specially designed for artists.
The Blue Plate building is on the National Register of Historic Landmarks and is located in a designated Louisiana Cultural District.
"The Blue Plate factory, so visible at the intersection of Earhart, Washington and S. Jeff Davis Parkway, is truly iconic to all New Orleanians," said Josh Collen, HRI’s Vice President for Development. "It was one of the few buildings constructed during World War II and is one of the most distinctive examples of mid-20th century architecture," he said.
May 18, 2011 ULI Spring Council Forum, Phoenix, AZ
The Robert C. Larson Leadership Summit
Leading in the Future: A New Spin on Lessons Learned
March 22-23, 2011 Urban Land Institute's Larson Leadership Roundtable
Leadership Lessons Panel Washington, DC
March 10, 2011 Tulane University's Strengthening the Green Foundation
Research Policy, & Finance Conference, New Orleans, LA
Gulf Coast Greening Recovery Session, The Decision to Integrate Sustainability: A Developer's Perspective
February 2011 – University Housing completed in New Orleans, LA
October 20, 2010 – Article in Times-Picayune about Iberville Housing
January 2010 – Liberty Bank completed in Jackson, MS
Former Blue Plate Fine Foods building to be converted into apartment building
Saturday, January 03, 2009 | Times Picayune | New Orleans, LA | By Bruce Eggler
From mayonnaise-making to gracious living?
New Orleans developer Tara Carter Hernandez hopes so.
Hernandez is working on plans to convert the former Blue Plate Fine Foods building at South Jefferson Davis Parkway and Earhart Boulevard to a 72-unit mixed-income apartment building.
One of the city's earliest "modernist" buildings, the Blue Plate factory was designed by architect August Perez Jr. in 1941 for the local mayonnaise and sauce manufacturer, which had been founded 16 years earlier.
Blue Plate plant gets OK for apartments
December 3, 2008 | NOLA.com | New Orleans, LA | By Bruce Eggler
New Orleans – The City Council has approved a plan to convert the iconic former Blue Plate mayonnaise plant in Gert Town into apartments.
The approval given Monday allows developer JCH Develop to convert the South Jefferson Davis Parkway plant into apartments. The current plans will preserve the historic Art Deco landmark and its neon Blue Plate sign, according to a presentation JCH president Tara Hernandez gave before the council Monday.
Rebirth in reach, panelists say Leveling of hurdles of the past possible
Sunday, April 01, 2007 | Times Picayunne | New Orleans, LA | By David Hammer
For all its devastation, Hurricane Katrina may have wiped the slate clean for a new wave of retail and residential developments in the New Orleans area, efforts based on strong neighborhood planning and less tied to the political favors of the past At least, that was the hope expressed Saturday at a panel discussion during the annual Home and Garden Show in the Louisiana Superdome.
The diverse panel – which included several retail and residential developers, planner, a real estate broker, a former federal Housing and Urban Development undersecretary, a banker and an architect – told an audience of mainly community group leaders that it was time to seize on recently released city government plans to implement the city’s rebirth.