From the Times-Picayune:
The mother of New Orleans Pelicans superstar Zion Williamson can proceed with plans to add a movie theater and workout space to the third floor of her 150-year-old Garden District mansion, thanks to a vote last week by the New Orleans City Council, which greenlighted the project over objections from the Historic District Landmarks Commission.
The commission rejected the plans in July, citing concerns that the addition to the First Street home would strip the Italianate-style villa of its historical significance and set a precedent that would make it harder to preserve the original characteristics of other historic buildings.
Sharonda Sampson Anderson, however, decided to appeal the decision to the City Council.
Anderson's plans, submitted by architects John Williams and Calvin Gallion, call for demolishing 62% of the roof and expanding an existing third floor to install a new theater, fitness space, guest rooms and a bathroom. The addition would be visible from the street, which was of particular concern to the landmarks commission.
Before appearing in front of the City Council on Thursday, the architects adjusted those plans so that the addition would be set further back from the street and therefore be less visible than originally designed. They also told City Council members that their client had signed “a letter of amicable collaboration” pledging that she and her architects would work closely with the Garden District Association neighborhood group to ensure the home preserved its historic appeal even with the addition.
Association President Shelley Landrieu, who was the only community speaker at the meeting, endorsed the modified plans. Without saying the name of the homeowner, Landrieu spoke glowingly of Anderson and her vision for the place where she plans to live with her husband, Lee Anderson, and her young stepson.
“We do believe they’re the right owners for this house,” Landrieu said. “It’s going to take a lot of love, a lot of passion and a lot of money to take this house to the next step.”
Anderson’s two-story villa with front and side double galleries dates back to about 1869, and it still retains many of its original characteristics, among them segmental arch wood windows, louvered wood shutters and ornamental iron metalwork.
Tulane University benefactor Merryl Aron, a local women’s golf champion, purchased the home in 1967 with her then-husband, Sam Israel. They reversed decades of alterations and returned the house more closely to its original form.
The twice-widowed Aron then donated the mansion to Tulane — her husband’s alma mater — in the late 1990s for an immediate tax deduction, but the school let her keep living in it until her death in 2015 at age 102.
A company owned by a relative of Aron bought the home in 2016 and then sold it to Anderson for $2.3 million in the summer of 2020.
Williamson, who lives elsewhere in the New Orleans area, is preparing for his third season with the NBA’s Pelicans, who have him under contract until 2023.
