1031 Canal is a partially collapsed multi-use high rise building in New Orleans, Louisiana, located at 1031 Canal Street in the Central Business District. If completed, the project would have been known as the Hard Rock HotelNew Orleans. After months of controversy, on September 22, 2011, the New Orleans City Council voted 5–2 to approve the necessary height variances with provisions. As proposed the building would have included 300 market-rate apartments, a 500-space parking garage and of retail space on the first two floors. The project has undergone a lengthy and controversial development process. On October 12, 2019, the under-construction building partially collapsed, killing three workers and injuring dozens of others. As of 2020, the building site remains in its partially collapsed state, including with the bodies of two deceased workers. Government officials are debating the project's future and potential culpability of various people and organizations involved.
Demolition of former Woolworths store
A permit to demolish the existing building, a former Woolworth store constructed in the 1930s and vacant since the late 1990s, was issued in April 2014, and demolition began in October 2014, with completion scheduled for 2016.
Following the demolition of the Woolworth building, there was little progress made on the site until February 2018 when Kailas announced a partnership with Hard Rock to turn the new building into the Hard Rock Hotel New Orleans. The new plan maintained the already-approved height, massing, and general design of the tower. Plans for the interior then included 350 hotel rooms, 65 1–3 bedroom units available for purchase, an upscale restaurant, of event space, and a 400-space parking garage.
Partial collapse during construction
On Saturday, October 12, 2019, at approximately 9:12 a.m. during construction, a partial collapse of the structure occurred on the side facing North Rampart Street. Three workers were killed and dozens of others injured. , October 2019 The cause of the collapse is under investigation. Some workers and a contractor said they had complained about unsafe practices before the collapse, and one posted a video of what he said was the construction site showing insufficient support for the structure. Investigators said they would evaluate the information. New Orleans mayorLaToya Cantrell has called for the entire building to be demolished. On January 15, 2020, a petition to demolish three neighboring historic buildings, also owned by the developer, 1031 Canal Street Development LLC, was to be considered by the Historic District Landmarks Commission for the Central Business District. Those structures are located at 1019 and 1027 Canal, and at 1022 Iberville Street. At the time, the collapsed 18-story building had not yet been removed. A few days earlier, the developer requested a delay in the decision-making process, pending the finalization of the plan as to the methodology for the demolition.
