Second Harvest Food Bank nears completion of $15M renovation

Second Harvest Food Bank became the largest food bank in the world’s history back in September 2005, with the help of America’s Second Harvest, now Feeding America. The New Orleans headquarters temporarily operated from a closed Wal-Mart in Baker, LA until they were able to return home following Hurricane Katrina. They also opened a facility in Lafayette in 2006 in addition to their headquarters here in New Orleans. Second Harvest Food Bank leads the fight against hunger in South Louisiana by providing food access, advocacy, education, and disaster response.

Their current New Orleans facility is located at 700 Edwards Ave. in a 200-000 square-foot hub, and it has recently been renovated in a $15 million project. The move to their current building happened in 2010, but they quickly realized a renovation was necessary to meet the growing needs of the community. Renovations to the facility include a new roof, air conditioning, a kitchen, showers, bathrooms, and meeting rooms. These renovations and upgrades aim to double services for those in need, and they currently already distribute 50 million meals a year.

Services Provided by Moses Engineers

Moses Engineers provided the mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and fire protection designs for this renovation. Thanks to the new air conditioning system the facility is now able to protect the food and also cool the hundreds of volunteers that work at the warehouse. In addition to the ongoing needs of feeding those at risk for hunger, the Second Harvest Food Bank is also a disaster responder. They work alongside the National Guard for anything that may happen in South Louisiana, and during a natural disaster the warehouse is able to turn into a dormitory thanks to the addition of showers.

To read more about Second Harvest’s renovation check out the full article on City Business by Lance Traweek. The architect for the project is New Orleans-based Eskew Dumez Ripple and the contractor is Donahue Favret Contractors of Mandeville.

Historical renovation at warehouse on 4201 Tulane Ave

The historical building at 4201 Tulane Ave revealed their renovations at a recent Preservation Resource Center’s event. The building, originally built in 1924, became the headquarters for Riecke Cabinet Works Inc. The plant was once well-known for manufacturing high-quality custom cabinetry and wooden fixtures, and it was in business for 67 years. After Riecke Cabinet Works closed in 1971 The Lighting Inc. Company acquired it up until 2006. For years after that the building sold and changed ownership several times. Eventually it was divided into storage units that were left to deteriorate.

However, all of that changed when Tony and Katherine Gelderman purchased the property at 4201 Tulane Ave in 2020. They began working on its revival and wanted to give new life to the building while maintaining as much of the original character as possible. The Geldermans worked with Rome Office, Trine Builders, and Urban Properties on the historical renovation project, and Moses Engineers provided all the MEP designs. In addition to the mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems Moses Engineers also provided the fire protection systems.

More details about the history of Riecke Cabinet Works as well as the historic renovation process can be found in Preservation in Print‘s September magazine issue. Davis Allen wrote the story, and photos were provided by Charles E. Leche as well as the Rome Office. You can view the full story online here, or become a member of Preservation Resource Center of New Orleans for a subscription!

Photo by Charles E. Leche from Preservation Resource Center of New Orleans

Warren Easton High School opens 9th grade academy

School is back in session for most students as of last week. And for the first time New Orleans’ has a standalone 9th grade academy located at Warren Easton Charter High School. The 9th grade annex was built across the street from the school’s main campus in a long-abandoned business school building. The school previously used the main campus’ third floor for all ninth-grade classrooms, but now they have their own space to better prepare students as they transition into high school.

Image from Nola.com – Staff photo by David Grunfeld

Moses Engineers provided MEP designs for Warren Easton’s 9th grade annex including the HVAC system, plumbing system, fire protection and electrical systems. We were thrilled to work on this project with all other firms involved including Manning Architects and the McDonnel Group. The new annex has welcomed a freshman class of 350 students — 100 more than typical. This expansion to Warren Easton Charter High School will allow the school to grow by 40% according to school officials.

To learn more about the 9th grade academy check out the below link!

Posted on August 11, 2022 – by Marie Fazio

Warren Easton High School opens N.O.’s first standalone 9th grade academy

Allows younger students to better focus on tough transition into high school

Four Seasons Celebrates First Year

This month marks the first anniversary of the Four Seasons Hotel New Orleans opening at the foot of Canal Street, and they have had an incredible first year! Moses Engineers was honored to provide the MEP designs for this project, including the fire protection and lighting design. To celebrate their anniversary the hotel’s PR team compiled a list of numbers to celebrate their success:

$550 million to transform New Orleans’ historic World Trade Center, which in turn spurred development along the riverfront
80,000 single-use amenities saved from landfills as part of the hotel’s commitment to eliminating single-use plastics
72,145 guest check ins & 477 employees strong

To check out the full list and original article check out the link below by Biz New Orleans:

“This has been an extraordinary year and I could not be prouder of our team and their efforts,” said Mali Carow, the hotel’s general manager, in a press release. “The overwhelming support from the community has been boundless, and we are honored to be part of the tremendous hospitality industry of this great city.”
Four Seasons Hotel New Orleans Celebrates First Year – Biz New Orleans

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