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 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.
