La. officials say Charity Hospital architect overstepped boundaries in drawing up plans

In the ongoing debate over the future of Charity Hospital, state officials and preservationists are butting heads over a study calling for the renovation of the 70-year-old facility that's been boarded up since Hurricane Katrina.

The state, which backs building a new hospital in downtown New

Preservationists say the state is now trying to put the genie back in the bottle.

In an Oct. 24 letter, state Commissioner of Administration Angele Davis claims RMJM Hillier, the Philadelphia architectural firm behind the study, overstepped its boundaries when it included in its report detailed plans on how Charity could be transformed into a state-of-the-art 21st century hospital.

When the Legislature commissioned the report in 2006, it called for a study to "evaluate the viability of providing interim health care on the first three floors of Old Charity and to evaluate the entire structure with the focus on identifying damages for which FEMA reimbursement could be obtained."