About Lake Charles' Margaret Place

The state of Louisiana kicks off a year-long celebration of 200 years of statehood

LAKE CHARLES CELEBRATES HISTORICAL MARGARET PLACE!

Continuing in my Historical Series of Lake Charles as promised, here is a preview of the Lake Charles Palm Sunday Historical Tour of Homes which will focus on Margaret Place:

Margaret Place is generally considered the oldest recorded subdivision in Calcasieu Parish and will celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2012.

According to the Calcasieu Historical Society, the boundaries for the Margaret Place Historical District are the Griffith Coulee, Shell Beach Drive, the Pithon Coulee, and the North side of South Ryan. Margaret Place streets are broken down by individual Streets on the Calcasieu Historical Preservation Society website. There are less than 100 homes within Margaret Place.

MY FAVORITE MARGARET PLACE HOME

One of my favorite Margaret Place homes is located at 330 Wilson and was once owned by my dear friends Mickey and Blair Stoker. Active members of First Presbyterian Church in Lake Charles, the Stokers always hosted the annual Santa party for the kids of First Presbyterian Church. As you will see by the picture below, we had quite a big group back in the 1980′s! This is another photo from my time capsule from 1988! I have pointed myself out my holding my daughter, Melinda and my son, Curtis, is in the front row!

330 Wilson is also known as the “Locke” home for historical purposes. Leon Locke was Mayor of Lake Charles in the 1930′s. Lake Charles also has a park nearby named after Mr. Locke. You can view the charm of this historic home when 330 Wilson will be on the 2012 Palm Sunday Tour of Homes.

Margaret Place Centennial Celebration
March 31-April 1 Margaret Place in Lake Charles will show off it's history!

Saturday March 31- Margaret Place Fan Tour. Beginning at 4 p.m. ticket holders will take a guided walking tour focusing on the porch/garden/patio history of Margaret Place homes. This will be followed by a Celebration Street Party with Margaret Place residents including musical entertainment and a cash bar from 6-8 p.m. This event is already SOLD OUT!

Sunday, April 1, 2012

100th Anniversary Brunch. 121 Artisian Bistro is located right in the heart of Margaret Place. There will be two brunch seatings at 9:30 a.m. and at 10:30 a.m. This is an advanced sale/limited ticket event. $25. Click here for details.


Reflections of Margaret Place and ICCS in Pictures. An exhibition of photographs and images from both the Immaculate Conception Cathedral School and Margaret Place residents, regional artists and archives. Free. Click here for details.

Palm Sunday Tour of Homes. This is an event not to be missed! Ticket holders will have the opportunity to view the exteriors and interiors of nine fabulous private residences in this historic area. One of these homes is the Shell Beach Drive Residence of Former Louisiana Senator Willie Mount. Tickets may be purchased at Margaret Place entrance gateways the day of the tour for $25. Click here for details.


Sue Zimmerman, recipient of the Mayor's Award as the 2010 Artist of the Year, has created watercolor Images of Margaret Place, which will be on display in the Palm Sunday Tour of Homes program. The paintings feature architectural accents and images of the homes on the tour. Click here to view the images and learn more about how to purchase the artwork.

There is currently one Margaret Place property for sale which is a townhome on Dr. Michael Debakey Drive for $149,900.

The Lake Charles/Southwest Louisiana Convention & Visitors Bureau along with the Arts and Humanities Council of Southwest Louisiana, have been busy with many other plans to commemorate the 200th anniversary of Louisiana statehood.

Stay tuned, in my next Historical Celebration Series I will continue to share fun facts and historical information about Lake Charles LA

Lake Charles is rich in culture and history. Lake Charles has been my home for 29 years where I have enjoyed living, working and playing throughout the years. I love Lake Charles and enjoy sharing my knowledge of our city with those relocating to Lake Charles or visiting Lake Charles.

To learn more about Lake Charles and Lake Charles Real estate, visit my website. I am passionate about real estate and enjoy "matching people with properties"

Other Historical Blogs of Interest:

Lake Charles Historic Churches

Historic Places in Lake Charles

Re-Visiting The Charleston Hotel

1912 Lake Charles US Post Office/Courthouse

Margaret Place Historical District Townhome

Townhomes in the popular Margaret Place Historical District are a rarity!

Located at 210 Dr. Michael DeBakey Drive, this townhome offers 2 bedrooms, 2 ½ baths and 1,698 square feet of living area.

Features include an open floor plan, new kitchen cabinets, granite, paint, oak staircase, proximity to Christus St. Patrick's Hospital and more!

What a great time to buy in Margaret Place! Generally considered to be the oldest recorded subdivision in Lake Charles, Margaret Place will celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2012. Come join the celebration!

Additional features include a wood burning fireplace and a privacy fenced patio on a lot measuring 29.57 x 45.79.

Directions: From Ryan Street, go west on Dr. Michael DeBakey Drive. Townhomes are behind Moffett Realty.

Schools: Barbe Elementary, Reynaud Middle, Washington High School

Those living in The Margaret Place Historical District can easily realize a healthy walk within the confines of the district, inclusive of a stroll along Shell Beach Drive.

More aggressive walkers generally find themselves going East on Shell Beach to the Bord du Lac Park and Civic Center area or West along Shell Beach to the Port.

This is a photo taken last night just minutes from Margaret Place as 3 of us walked along the new Bord du Lac Promenade. The new Marina facilities are to the left.

We walked to Veteran's Park, then to Ryan Street with a stop for a salad at the Pujo Street Cafe and a leisurely walk back to our homes in Margaret Place. Great way to end the day.

Life is great in Lake Charles and extra special in Margaret Place!

This morning I finally got in a decent walk! And what better place to start than from my home in Margaret Place Historical District!

A few friends from Grove Street joined me from our "base camp" which is my wonderful next-door neighbor and friend's front porch. After visiting, laughing, laughing really hard with and at each other, we got started for our Lakefront Promenade destination.

The weather was near-perfect and we were thrilled with the pedestrian view of the Marina and Promenade which opens officially on Saturday. I was especially pleased with the amount of "green" and landscape between the boardwalk and the street....much improved. I purposefully did not take photos as there is still some construction underway, but it is going to give those on I-10, yet one more reason to take a break in Lake Charles.

As we approached the PPG water park, the breakfast discussion began. Our energy level was such that we walked the extra few blocks to scope out Booda's Bistro for breakfast. One look at the menu and we decided to have breakfast in order to gain more "intelligence." We each ordered something different and were all pleased. I went with the Farmer's Omelet which was perfect, but way more food than I needed/wanted so it was boxed and is in the leftovers-to-look -forward-to category. Some day I will remember to take a photo of these meals BEFORE I partake!

On the way back, we walked down Griffith Street. When we stopped to talk to a neighbor who agreed to let me photograph her home (again) as they had recently painted it and I love the new color.

The color was carefully selected from the Sherwin Williams Vieux Carre, French Quarter Colors selection.


As we turned from Wilson on Grove, we stopped to talk with another neighbor and friend who were finishing their 4 mile power walk.

As we concluded our walk, and made plans to meet on Monday for another go at this walking thing, I contemplated, "this is life as it should be!"

It doesn't get much better than walking the tree-lined streets of Margaret Place Historical District, onto Shell Beach Drive, and then to the new Lakefront Promenade!