We spent a day in Lake Charles, LA. Lake Charles surrounds the city along with Prien Lake and the Calcasieu River.
Being surrounded by all that water many of the homes are actually on the water or have a water view.
Shell Beach Drive which skirts Lake Charles on the south shore was once the continuation of the Old Spanish Trail.
For decades before the opening of the 1950 Calcasieu River (I-10) Bridge on the north edge of the lake, transcontinental drivers were treated to some of the most sumptuous architecture and gardens on this very drive.
There are many styles of homes along Shell Beach from Georgian Manors, Louisiana Acadian, Floridian Stucco to English Tudor.
Each fine estate home is unique in more ways than one and most are historic landmarks dating to the early 19th Century, although there are some newly constructed homes. This is the George Law House. The three-storied exterior is English manor and is constructed of cypress.
The Krause-Burton House is a Roman Revival. Lots of that spooky Spanish Moss hanging from the 100 year old trees along the road.
The Richards House is one of the oldest on Shell Beach Drive. It is now called Lakeview.
The Rudolph Krause House is a Scottish-Tudor-Balmoral style mansion with stucco and brick, leaded glass, and half timbering. Looks like this house would fit more in the highlands of Scotland than in subtropical Lake Charles but Mr. Krause made his fortune in the lumber industry so that seems why he chose to build a house the showcases wood.
The homes of Shell Beach Drive in Lake Charles are grand southern homes and many have been occupied by generations of the same family.
From Shell Beach we went into downtown Lake Charles. This is a law firm.........a Family Law Practice of what I think is a very creative lady.
The Calcasieu Parish Courthouse was built in 1912 and is still in use today.
Near downtown Lake Charles is the Charpentier Historic District.
Lake Charles is regarded as the capital of the Western Louisiana pine lands, fueling a lumber boom in the 1800s, impacting much of the City's architecture.
Experienced lumbermen from the North, known locally as "Michigan Men," arrived in Lake Charles. They brought with them the tall and angular style of construction that mirrored the Victorian tastes popular in most of America at the time.
Today, the Lake Charles sawmills and lumber yards are gone, leaving the unique homes of the Charpentier Historic District as the only reminder of its early twentieth century heritage.
The traditional rocking chairs on the front porch are plentiful. The pretty porches abound.
The Calcasieu Parish School System is the largest employer. Oil refineries dot the landscape and Lake Charles has the biggest casino market in the state of Louisiana.
What a treat! The magnolia's are starting to burst forth. An interesting day learning a little more about Louisiana.