Downtown Minden getting LSU touch
Written by Angel Haney
Friday, 17 December 2010
Downtown Minden may soon get a boost of inspiration that may lead to the remodeling some of the old buildings.
Students and faculty from the LSU School of Architecture have been working and living in Minden for the past two weeks to provide assistance to Minden Main Street in their efforts to cultivate the community.
The program began when an architect from Mississippi contacted professors at Louisiana State University (LSU) in Baton Rouge to help renovate the downtown area of McComb, Mississippi.
LSU Architecture professors Frank Bosworth, Marsha Cuddeback and a group of students went to McComb in 2009 and the beginning of 2010 to work on several projects.
Their efforts won them an award, which subsequently led to getting a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.
The Minden Main Street Workshop is the first in a series of workshops to connect environmentally responsible design practices with historic preservation strategies to accelerate sustainable development in Louisiana’s small towns and cities.
“We hope that this will serve as the pilot that will help other universities start their own programs,” Cuddeback said.
The program is an intercession course between regular school semesters. The students will do all of the research and designing of the projects in about 11 days.
“This will give the community design and technical assistance while the students gain class credit,” Cuddeback said.
“The students become completely immersed in the community,” Bosworth added. “This is a concentrated effort and the short courses leave no room for anything else to distract them. It makes a huge difference on the outcome.”
There are 12 students working in three groups, each one focusing on one building.
The buildings selected were the old Imperial Hotel, which the students want to see turned back into a hotel, Webb Hardware and the Crichton Building, both of which are being proposed as apartments. They will present their findings and ideas on January 5.
“The students have been very professional and informed,” said Pattie Odom, Minden Main Street director. “They are not just drawing and measuring. They are doing research and making these feasible plans that can actually work for this community.”
“It’s very rewarding to have an impact on the community,” said Jessica Wasiloski, a LSU architect student who is working on the Imperial Hotel and who also worked on the McComb projects. “I’ve learned a lot on both projects. This is a practical application because our ideas have the potential to be used.”
Other students have also had a positive experience with the program.
“I didn’t know what to expect, but it’s been pleasant,” said Rob Pennington, another student who is new to the program. “I hope a lot of people will come out when we present our ideas. That’s the whole point of ths project. We want to inspire and reinvigorate the community.”
“It’s not a difficult program to run and we have had a lot of community and group support,” said Cuddeback. “Pattie Odom has been fabulous and she’s terrific with the students. It makes it easier when you have such accomodating people. There is no shortage of opportunity here.”
According to Odom, Lestar Martin, an architect and retired professor of architecture from Louisiana Tech University, will be on hand after the students are done to help property owners see the potential in the old buildings.
“This has just been wonderful,” Martin said. “The students have been enthused and I hope this will let people see the potential this area has.”
“I hope we can make these dreams become a reality that will benefit this community,” Odom added.
On Wednesday, Dec. 15, Professor J. Michael Desmond, Architectural Historian from LSU, addressed a group of about 30 people at Minden City Art Works.
His presentation, “Minden: Past and Present,” touched on the “eccentric layout” of the town and the early non-navigability of Bayou Dorcheat. The presentation was part of the Main Street Workshops project.
“Minden’s layout is eccentric,” Desmond said. “And learning about its colorful history and preserving it is important.”
On December 21, Louisiana Main Street Director Ray Scriber will present “Main Street Louisiana” at City Art Works at 5:30 p.m. as another installment in the project. The public is invited to attend.
For more information on the project, check out the blog the students and faculty have kept during their experience at www.lsuminden.blogspot.com.
