New owners are now giving a new life to what’s believed to be the oldest building in Acadiana- the Duchamp Opera House.
The carriage inside the Duchamp Opera House is just a little part of history serving as a reminder of the significance of the Opera House once held in the city.
The carriage would transport those from the port on the side of Evangeline Oak to the opera house and what was once the New Era Hotel.
St. Martinville City Councilman Mike Fuselier said the building- built in 1830 has been used for different purposes for many years. The city owned the building for the past thirty years until it became costly.
“It was donated by the Bienvenus, we turned it into the old opera house and refurbished it and it became a working theater, as well as an art gallery,” Fuselier said. “And it had just kind of been after 20 years, it just kind went by the wayside and it was just kind of costing us money.”
The Duchamp Opera House's new owners, John and Mike LeBlanc, a father and son duo from St. Martinville had a connection to the building.
“The building’s important to me because I’m from the area I went to school right across the street at Trinity Catholic,” Mike LeBlanc said. “My mom had a jewelry store that she started off in this building with one showcase. That jewelry business went on for 20 plus years.”
LeBlanc said he and his father thought there was a need for a place for those to stay when visiting the city.
“When we first purchased the building, our main focus was a short-term rental maybe, because we knew the area, there was a need for it,” LeBlanc said. “We have tourists coming in from out of town.”
But LeBlanc said it was the community who wanted to see the building also serve as venue space.
“As we were doing the renovation and getting things going people were knocking on the doors looking for an event space, asking if they could use the place for weddings, baby showers things like that,” LeBlanc said. “So, it kind of evolved over the last year into an event center.”
LeBlanc said in July they won a $55,000 Louisiana Main Street grant which helped speed up the process for major improvements.
He said the opera house also received a National Register of Historic Places plaque through grant money that will soon feature a QR code for people to scan.
“The QR code is basically, we’re gonna have a virtual tour with pictures of the inside of the building so people that are walking down the street, they can actually see pictures and see what it looks like on the inside,” LeBlanc said. “As well as translation for our French folks that are coming through by the bus.”
LeBlanc hopes through the space visitors will remember the history that runs through St. Martinville.
“We can potentially preserve the history of the building and better tell the story of what’s happened here, it means a lot to us.”
LeBlanc said in a few weeks guests will be able to use the Carriage House Suite.
