Virtually New Orleans - Feature Photo of the Week, February 24, 1997

Click here or on the image to receive a larger JPEG version of the photo.

The Feature Photo is sponsored this week by NOLA Market.

My, oh my! What a tempest has brewed up over this building! This location, at 2001 St. Charles Avenue, used to be the Benson Mercedes-Benz car dealership. The car business moved out to Metairie a decade ago (and Benson has since sold to other parties), and the building had been abandoned. Enter Al Copeland. For those of you unfamiliar with Mr. Copeland, drive around the neighborhood (in most parts of the country) until you find a Popeye's Famous Fried Chicken franchise. You'll then see the institution for which Copeland is most famous. Al created the recipe for Popeye's chicken, opened the first stores in the chain, then created the franchising machinery. Popeye's is now second only to the Colonel. Al Copeland no longer controls Popeye's (he lost that control to several banks when his financing for a buyout of Church's Fried Chicken collapsed several years ago), so he's focused his energy on two other projects: Copeland's Cajun-American Cafe, and Straya. Straya's maiden location is in Metairie, near Clearview and Veterans. After working out the bugs there, Al has made the concept into a chain. He leased the building at 2001 St. Charles, renovated it (at no inconsiderable expense), opened the restaurant, and announced plans to convert the rest of the building into a suites hotel.

All of this was done with the proper legal approval and such, but Copeland didn't get approval from what now has become a problem for him: The Anne Rice Sacred Sites Commission. This body, whose membership appears to consist solely of author Anne Rice, has strong feelings on the preservation of certain landmarks in town, namely those that figure into the novels Rice writes. Declaring in a full-page ad on the Friday before Mardi Gras that Straya is "nothing short of an abomination," Rice blasted Copeland in a big way for the color scheme of the building, the neon sign, and the large arch that looms over the entrance to the parking garage on the side. Copeland, never one to back away from a fight, proceeded to take out a 2-page add on Lundi Gras responding to Ms. Rice. He has also filed suit in district court, claiming Ms. Rice has defamed him. This past week, the City Council worked out an agreement that Copeland will move the archway back a few feet (it obstructs the sidewalk), and he will then receive the proper authorization to continue the conversion of the building.

The T-P did an unscientific poll of its readers, and they tend to agree with Copeland by a margin of three to one. Most Uptown preservation groups side with Rice, but many Uptown folks applaud Copeland's use of an abandoned building in the hopes that the light and activity reduce crime. The city, of course, likes the economic development. Copeland may feel he has been defamed, but he couldn't have purchased the publicity he's gotten on this one.

For more details on the whole controversy, see our analysis of the Copeland-Rice battle. For a review of Straya as a restaurant, click here.

The photo was shot by Richard Vallon, with a Nikon F3 and a 20mm lens.

If you have any comments on the feature photos, please feel free to drop me a line and tell 'em to me!

View Previous Feature Photos.Information on the Feature Photo Page

This page is best viewed with:

Back to the VNO Home Page

This World Wide Web document is provided as a public service by Yatcom Communications. Yatcom Communications is a  consulting/public relations company dedicated to using computer technology to promote the City of New Orleans, Louisiana,  USA.

Copyright © 1995, 1996, Yatcom Communications. All Rights Reserved.

Comments are welcome: e-mail to vno@yatcom.com