The Beauregard Town Civic Association is moving forward with a plan to turn the neighborhood into a locally designated historic district, which, if approved, would make it one of just three such districts in Baton Rouge.

The association has been working on the effort with the Planning Commission, which in 2019 received a $17,500 grant from the State Historic Office of Preservation to fund an architectural survey of all 517 structures and 38 distinct architectural styles in the neighborhood.

They’ve also been meeting with property owners to discuss the idea and weigh potential concerns. So far, civic association president Jeff Kuehny says support for the idea has been overwhelmingly positive.

“Historic districts across the country not only help preserve the neighborhood but help increase the value of the property,” Kuehny says. “It gives more stability to the neighborhood.”

Beauregard Town has been a federally designated historic district since the early 1980s. Though the federal designation is honorary, not regulatory, it does enable property owners to qualify for federal historic building tax credits when renovating historic buildings, Planning Director Ryan Holcomb explains.

To learn more about one of Baton Rouge’s oldest neighborhoods and how it plans to ensure its historic status, keep reading the story from the Baton Rouge Business Report.