Baton Rouge’s Downtown East area named National Historic District
Federal tax incentives are expected to bolster development and investment in the area.
BATON ROUGE, LA (WAFB) - An area of Downtown East has been named a National Historic District, making the area eligible for tax incentives in hopes furthering local development.
Downtown Development District Assistant Executive Director Gabriel Vicknair announced the update that’s been in the works since late last year at January’s DDD meeting.
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The National Park Service approved the Eddie Robinson Sr. Historic District as a historic district, which includes 560 properties eligible for the tax credits and restorations tax abatement. The area is named after Grambling State University football coach Eddie G. Robinson.
A 20 percent federal income tax credit is available for the rehabilitation of historic, income-producing buildings that are determined by the National Park Service to be “certified historic structures,” according to the DDD.
“It’s difficult to restore older buildings because they take care and they have a lot of issues, so this helps minimize that,” said Davis Rhorer, director of the Downtown Development District. “It offers an incentive for projects that might not happen on their own.”
The Louisiana Division of Historic Preservation, the department that filed the application in November, didn’t expect issues during the application process.
DDD Executive Director said the incentives would revitalize development and investment in the area.
The Electric Depot on Government Street and the Hotel Lincoln on Eddie Robinson Sr. Drive are among the developments.
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The former, a $6 million entertainment district, has already undergone renovations. The 33,000 square foot venue will include a full service bar and kitchen, a large gathering area, restaurants, and retail space. City Roots, a coffee shop, and BŌRU, a Japanese restaurant, are the latest tenants. Local architect and developer Dyke Nelson is developing the building alongside the East Baton Rouge Redevelopment Authority.
As for Hotel Lincoln, developer Solomon Carter plans to renovate the 68-year-old building into a 13-unit apartment complex and 4,000-square feet of ground floor commercial space.
“It’s how Third and Lafayette Streets used to be. People would not think of going down there at night,” Rhorer said. “Sometimes, this area is perceived as not being safe and some of the issues are very credible and need to be dealt with, which I think we’re doing.”
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