The former federal courthouse that consumes the block at the corner of Jefferson and Main streets in downtown Lafayette may be razed soon. The Advocate reported today on a plan to demolish the structure to make way for new mixed use development that will include commercial and residential spaces. Local government has owned the building since 2001, when it paid $800,000 for what was to be government offices, the paper reported.
City-parish government and the Lafayette Economic Development Authority are working on an agreement in which LEDA would take ownership of the property, demolish the old courthouse and then redevelop the 1.8-acre site.
“It would put a showcase corner of downtown back into commerce,” City-Parish Chief Administrative Officer Dee Stanley said.
The plan has been in the works for a few years, but is just now coming to a head.
Stanley said he hopes to present a proposed agreement to the City-Parish Council as early as next month.
... written by Wanna Be an Urban Planner , August 15, 2009 - 10:16 pm
Ahh, can't wait for the day when that block is peppered with more active street life, little shops up and down. Now if only that old parking garage across the way on Buchanan could be razed....and that parking lot where the Fais Do-Do stage goes every year. Wouldn't it be wonderful to have a year round marketplace at that site, covered with a fixed structure fabric roof that could provide shading year round, and also for the festival crowd attending? As for the classic public triangle that the old Fed Courthouse occupies, I'm all for this. (Worth noting that this block never has really been much in commerce as Stanley states, as it was the site of the old Central High School long before it became the Federal Courthouse and the old library, now AOC-ACFM). Nonetheless, let's start by pressure-washing the old City Hall. It needs a good scrubbing to get that dingy black off of it. Oh, and I can't wait for the day when the Parish Courthouse does get removed, as it does no good, as it blocks the terminating view of St. John's Cathedral from across downtown. Any plan for that site should include the courthouse square remaining a green space. The courthouse could more appropriately be built on either side of the split Main Street fronting the square, but not IN the square itself!
... written by Kilroy was here. , August 17, 2009 - 01:28 pm
The Federal Courthouse is a solid structure but lacks character. I hope there is a way to remodel it instead of razing to the ground. It might save a buck or two.
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Oh, and I can't wait for the day when the Parish Courthouse does get removed, as it does no good, as it blocks the terminating view of St. John's Cathedral from across downtown. Any plan for that site should include the courthouse square remaining a green space. The courthouse could more appropriately be built on either side of the split Main Street fronting the square, but not IN the square itself!