History and resources of the Charpentier Historical District in Lake Charles

In the early days of the development of Lake Charles, solid pine and cypress construction were plentiful and used a great deal in building homes in what is now known as the Charpentier (char peh ti ay) Historical District.

Why "Charpentier?" The lack of architects at the time meant that each house reflected the characteristics of individual builders or carpenters whose plans often came from pattern books. "Charpentier" is french for Carpenter.

These carpenters combined detail and elements from various styles such that well over a century later Jonathon Fricker, an Architectural Historian for the State of Louisiana, coined the term, "Lake Charles Style Architecture" .

In 1990, The Charpentier Historical District was admitted to the National Historic Register.

The following links will let you learn more about the district:

• Photo Gallery of homes within the district on CalcasieuPreservation.com
• Facbeook page created by local resident and preservationist Alan Walker. Note: Alan Walker has graciously agreed to let the Preservation Society post his photos in a street-by-street manner via a slideshow.
• Legacy of Lumber, a page on the City of Lake Charles website dedicated to the Charpentier District.
• Slide show of three streets within the district utilizing Alan Walker's photos have been posted at CalcasieuPreservation.com with more to come!
• Guidelines for the district
• Listing on the National Historic Register
• Successful Brownsfield effort within the district

A word of caution when researching the Charpentier District on the web. I found several articles by national websites that provided inacurate information. For example, one site indicates that the Imperial Calcasieu Musuem is located within the Charpentier District. The Museum makes for a wonderful outing and the Sallier Oak is a "must see". However, it is on Sallier Street which is not in either of our two historical districts. Within the zoning map of Lake Charles, you can see the boundaries for Charpentier and Margaret Place Historic Districts.