 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
LSU architecture students jump start businesses in Old South Baton Rouge
Old South Baton Rouge is an area of three square miles in the inner city of Baton Rouge. Once a working-class, racially integrated community, the area contained some of the city’s best and most popular restaurants, department stores, and two theaters — one of which, the McKinley, played host to artists such as, Sam Cooke, James Brown, and B.B. King. But in the 1950s and 60s, the civil rights movement reached its crescendo and integration led to a large flight of African Americans leaving the area for better homes as a result of better jobs. As they left, so did the prosperity that was once a part of the community, leaving the individuals with less financial capacity behind. Many of the businesses that did not move, simply went bankrupt. Today, businesses within the Old South Baton Rouge community continue to face similar obstacles.
“I think not having someone to mentor them ... not having a business plan, is a problem (the businesses) face,” said Judy Bethly, coordinator for LSU’s Community-University Partnership, or CUP. “Old South Baton Rouge businesses struggle with maintaining a significant client base and day-to-day accounting operations. Community business owners could benefit greatly from the mentorship of more established businesses.” An effort to solve the problem has already begun by LSU architecture
students, as part of the Urban Studio project — spearheaded
by LSU-CUP and funded by the
Vinyl Institute. The studio will function as a clearinghouse
for design and construction resources, donated materials, and an
extensive tool library. Residents of Old South Baton Rouge can obtain
the materials, tools, and training needed for small improvement
projects. Eventually, the project will require a facility located in Old South Baton Rouge that can accommodate community and client meetings, studio space for LSU architecture students, a small shop and a storage area for tools and materials. This facility will also act as a community-based office/studio and a staging area for future student/design construction projects. But for now, it is simply known as Arch 5002 — Design Studio and Arch 5004 — Seminar in the LSU General Catalog. The classes run for a semester and are broken into three phases: programming, design, and construction/final presentation. Students work in groups of two or three and each is assigned to a local business in the Old South Baton Rouge community. Their focus is to work with the business and design and construct something that will help bring about revitalization. Over the course of the semester, students get to know the businesses and their owners. They learn about their history, their day-to-day activities, their customers, and help identify ways to bring about improvement. Michelle Hanks, a senior from Baton Rouge, has been working with classmates Dustin Sammarco and Dale Wood to assist Evonne Thomas, owner of Mable’s Flowershop. For the first three weeks, the students got to know Thomas and cleaned the flowershop, and the duplex attached to it, from top to bottom. In doing so, they created extra space, allowing for storage on the left side of the duplex, as well as a place for Thomas to live on the opposite side. Now, with a budget of $1,000, the group has several projects in the works.
The shop once had a large picture window in the front that was taken out and boarded up. The students plan on replacing the boarded-up picture window with a display window that can be opened during the day, allowing passersby to see into the shop. A cashier counter and ribbon shelves will be constructed, as will a staircase to finish the connection between the shop and the duplex. Where is Thomas in all of this, you might ask. After all, who would let a group of students come in and conduct a mass renovation of her business? According to Hanks, she’s right behind the group. “She is such a positive force for us, which makes working for her such a pleasure,” Hanks said. “She is optimistic with what we bring to the table as far as ideas go, and to be able to work with someone like her makes the whole process worthwhile. “The reality of such a project is grounding, but it also opened my eyes to the opportunities that lie within a project if you really look for them. I truly believe that the group and Evonne, are anxious to get into the construction phase to finally see our designs come to life, as well as to see the effect they will have on the business itself. I think the only pressure on us now is to try and cut the wood straight and not break the glass that will go into the window.” With the completion of a semester’s work nearly done, David Baird, LSU architecture professor and head of the Urban Studio Project, is optimistic about the effect the project has had on students and business owners alike. This isn’t the end of an experiment, but rather the beginning of something new. “This has been a great experience for the students and myself,” Baird said. “By the end of the semester each student group will have taken a small architectural project through every phase, including construction. “I am thankful for the business people in Old South Baton Rouge who were willing to work with our students. I hope the experience is as rewarding for them as it is for us.” Written by Josh Duplechain
| LSU Office of University Relations
Related Links: School of Architecture |
According
to the 1990 U.S. Census, only 1.2 percent of the city’s total
income comes from Old South Baton Rouge, and more than half of its
residents live at the poverty level, with 29.1 percent of those
individuals living at half the poverty level, or $12,575 or less
per year.
Thomas
is currently using an old Ryder van to make her deliveries –
mostly outside of Old South Baton Rouge. With help from Hanks, Sammarco
and Wood, Thomas’ van will get a new paint job with a logo
and shop information on both sides, as well as on the back door,
making it a moving billboard.
