The vernacular architecture of Baton Rouge is some of the richest in the
state. A number of Historic Districts scattered throughout town serve as
a showcase for the varied culturally-influenced buildings that make up the
historic fabric of our community. Sadly, many jewels of these districts
have been lost to progress or neglect. Today, due in part to the Foundation’s
40 plus years of educating the community on the benefits of historic preservation,
Baton Rouge’s oldest structures and districts are protected under
a Historic Demolition Ordinance overseen by the Planning Commission of East
Baton Rouge Parish. City and Parish officials work closely with preservationists,
architects, and community activists to ensure that the utmost care is given
to these landmarks of our area.
Historic Spanish Town, Baton Rouge’s oldest neighborhood, celebrated
its bicentennial in 2005. First laid out in 1805 and bordered by Capitol
Lake, North, Fifth, and Ninth Streets, Spanish Town is perhaps best known
for its narrow streets, intimate settings, and abundance of historic structures.
Most buildings were built before the Civil War, during the years when LSU
was located in the US Garrison grounds (now the Capitol Complex). Spanish
Town has seen a number of significant architectural stylings, including Greek
Revival, Queen Anne, Shotgun, and Craftsman Bungalow.
Captain Elias Toutant Beauregard had rather extensive land holdings in
Baton Rouge. It was upon this land that he decided to lay out a town in the “grand
manner” of European cities: a town with plazas, formal gardens, and
public buildings. The year was 1806, and Captain Beauregard had great hopes
for his new real estate development—it was to be the fashionable neighborhood 
in Baton Rouge, on a par with the Garden District in New Orleans—though,
at that time, Baton Rouge was still a rather small city and most of the people
lived in what is now downtown and in Spanish Town. The first plan for the
town was drawn up by Frederick Walther, for eight blocks of development where
the Old State Capitol and River Center now stand. By August, he decided to
have another plan drawn up, this time by Arsene LaCarriere LaTour, a French
engineer and surveyor, who had a finished plan ready in two months. LaTour’s
plan for Beauregard Town featured a large public square in the center of
town called the “Place Royal,” bounded on the four sides by Spain,
Napoleon, France, and St. Charles Streets; in the center of this plaza was
to be a cathedral. Government Street (Calle de Gobierno) did not cross the
Place Royal, as it does now. At the foot of Government Street, between Maximillian
and East Boulevard, was to be the Palicio del Gobeirno.
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