Local station WWOZ has had several homes: the first being an upstairs storage room at Tipitina’s when the station was first founded in 1980 by brothers Jerry and Walter Brock. In 1984 the station moved into the second floor of “kitchen” building in Armstrong Park (a location known as the “treehouse”) next to Perseverance Hall. Due to space limitations, the station also occupied a small building on St. Philip Street for its administrative headquarters. Both the “treehouse” and Perseverance Hall in Armstrong Park are in derelict condition today after years of neglect.
The “treehouse” WWOZ station in Armstrong Park today.
717 St. Charles Avenue, proposed new home for WWOZ. Source: Realtor.com.
In 1987, the station’s license was transferred from the Nora Blatch Foundation by donation to the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation. WWOZ went dark in August 2005 during Katrina’s devastation when the city lost power. It relocated to the second floor of 1008 North Peters, adjacent to the French Market post-Katrina. In the past few years, OZ has been searching for a new home as the space it occupies is too small and the building where it’s located is in poor shape and reularly suffers water damage. Recently, it was reported that WWOZ was going to move to a 6,620-square foot three-story commercial fully-renovated Warehouse District property at 717 St. Charles Avenue, which has a price tag of $2.375 million. The current square footage of the space occupied now by WWOZ on North Peters is estimated at roughly 3,500 square feet, so the property on St. Charles Avenue would have almost doubled the square footage occupied by the non-profit community radio station. The location could have provided a first floor studio, and is located next to a parking lot, on the St. Charles Avenue streetcar line, in what has been described as a “safer,” more professional setting.
After an evaluation of all the available space for the station, the WWOZ staff had submitted photos of the problems in the current property on 1008 North Peters, and demonstrated the issues with the French Quarter property they currently occupy, including staff crowding, air conditioning woes, continuing water damage and issues such as someone throwing a rock through the station’s window. a few years past, WWOZ had been working with the French Market Corporation, who occupies the third floor of the same building, to expand the station’s footprint within the North Peters Street property. But that was never approved or completed.
Since WWOZ is owned by the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation, any action such as purchasing a property must of necessity be voted on and approved by the Foundation Board—since the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation would be the purchaser of the building (not WWOZ). Friends of WWOZ has its own board which is appointed by the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation, and the WWOZ board and staff recommended the purchase of and move to the St. Charles Avenue property.
But last night in a closed Executive Session meeting of the Jazz & Heritage Board, the Foundation rejected the building purchase and WWOZ’s move to the 717 St. Charles Avenue location. Their Board voted not to approve the purchase of the property as the majority of board members voting said the building was not “suitable” for WWOZ, without elaboration. Sources say that the search for a suitable property to move the station has been ongoing, and had included almost 40 properties, when the St. Charles Avenue property came up. They also revealed that Jazz & Heritage Board members who voted against the purchase of the 717 property were more inclined to recommend that the station move back to Armstrong Park, the historic site of Congo Square. Reportedly, there are several developers who have been contacted regarding a redevelopment of Armstrong Park, but there is no clear date (not even a developer at this writing) on where in the park WWOZ would be able to re-locate.
The most looming issue is that the 1008 N. Peters property currently occupied by the station is in bad disrepair and is set to be renovated once the station leaves the property—and WWOZ’s deadline to move out of 1008 N Peters is set for August 1, 2023. The Jazz & Heritage Foundation’s Board has not offered a solution for the station’s relocation to another location, which is less than three months from now.
WWOZ General Manager Beth Utterback said in a statement: “This is a real shame for WWOZ. In the last two months WWOZ has broadcast/streamed 190 musical sets and cultural bearer performances live featuring over 900 musicians. This includes Jazz Fest, French Quarter Fest, Treme Fest/Congo Square, New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Foundation’s concert series, live ‘OZ studio performances and Piano Night. WWOZ has been on someone else’s second floor for 42 years: Tipitina’s, The Treehouse in Armstrong Park and the French Market. 717 would have been the first real home which our staff, show hosts, musicians, volunteers and culture bearers so richly deserve.”
WWOZ management and members of the Jazz & Heritage Board are meeting next week to try to determine a solution to find a new home for the station as quickly as possible.
