Lost Landmarks Unveiling

The Calcasieu Historical Preservation Society (CHPS) will unveil markers at three sites of “Lost Landmarks” in Calcasieu Parish on Thursday, January 30, 2014.  The markers are custom fabricated of cast metal by Southwell Foundry.

The first unveiling will be at 5:00 pm at the intersection of Enterprise Boulevard Extension and St John Street, the site of Ball’s Auditorium.  A second short ceremony will follow at the site of the Majestic Hotel at 5:45 pm, corner of Bilbo and Pujo downtown.  The final ceremony will be at 6:15 pm on the 800 block of Ryan Street, location of the Arcade Theatre, the Miller Building, the Weber Building and the Paramount Theatre.  The sites are all in Lake Charles, Louisiana.

The short ceremonies will acknowledge the roles the structures played in the economic, social, and cultural history of Southwest Louisiana.  Partner organizations will assist in the unveiling.  The Lake Charles/Southwest Louisiana Convention and Visitors’ Bureau will represent the hospitality industry symbolized by the Majestic, and the Arts and Humanities Council of Southwest Louisiana will represent arts and culture as symbolized by the lost Arcade and Paramount theaters.  CHPS wishes to thank the City of Lake Charles, the Downtown Development Authority, and Empire of the Seed/Rick and Donna Richard for their kind and generous assistance in obtaining installation sites.

The markers are part of the “Lost Landmarks heritage education program” of CHPS made possible by an arts-and-tourism grant from the Lake Charles/Southwest Louisiana Convention and Visitors Bureau administered by the Arts Council.

The unveiling ceremonies are open to the public, as is the reception immediately following at the historic Calcasieu-Marine Bank building.