2011

Landmarks By Year

The Landmark

The Calcasieu Parish Historical Preservation Society's prestigious Landmark Award is a decorative wooden plaque that is usually attached to the front of a structure.

This award is given in recognition of homeowners who have restored a historic structure as near as possible to its original look.

Among the architectural styles often seen in this area are Queen Anne revival, Eastlake, Colonial revival, bungalow and 20th Century eclectic.

2011

905 Kirby, Tammy and Billy Edwards

The George Samuel Kreeger House, c. 1905 was awarded a Landmark Plaque to the current owners, Tammy and Billy Edwards during the Jan 18th, 2012 annual CHPS meeting.

Front of 905 Kirby The three story, three bed room, 2.5 bath American Foursquare is believed to have been built in 1905 for St. Patrick Hospital’s first Anesthesiologist, Dr. George Samuel Kreeger. It is thought to be the last home in Lake Charles to have gas lighting, four of the original gas lights remain and were converted to electric chandeliers. There are hardwood floors throughout the house and the windows are original. The parlor and dining room are connected by a large wood paneled pocket door also original to the house. Interesting features to note are the Lake Charles style columns along the wide front porch with its classic pediment and the scroll brackets under the eaves. At some later date an addition was added to the rear of the house. When the present owners, Billy and Tammy Edwards, began the full restoration from October 2010 –March 2011, the history of the house would be difficult to find. One of the previous owners had the abstract bound in leather and placed on the table in the foyer for all to see. After a spousal spat, it was thrown into the fireplace and burned. All records the new owners were able to find were located at Levingston Land and Title.

A native of New Orleans, and a graduate of Tulane Medical School, Dr. Kreeger interned at Touro Infirmary and later studied in Paris, France and Vienna, Austria before coming to Lake Charles in 1902. His practice was first in the field of general medicine and later as an anesthetist at St. Patrick’s Hospital.

903 Broad, Samantha and Randy LeJeune

903 Broad, owned by Samantha and Randy LeJeune was awarded a Landmark plaque for 2011 during CHPS annual meeting on Jan 18, 2011.

Front of 903 Broad Chester Brown House 903 Broad Street c. 1904. The research for this house is fascinating. The Great Fire of 1910 has made it very difficult to look back for early Lake Charles history by the destruction of the Court House and its records. Levingston Land and Title has records dating back to late 1800’s that give clues regarding property sales, changes of ownership, and names of persons paying taxes that can be researched at the Clerk of Court’s office.

The home was built in 1904 by Chester Brown, the treasurer of Ramsey Lumber Company, who lived there for only a few years before selling it. Chester Brown bought the lots from a man named Wood in 1903, who had acquired them from the old Henry Reid properties. Records at the Clerk of Court show George Locke purchasing the property December 28, 1912. The Locke family lived there for several years and when they left, the Louis G. Seiss family moved into the imposing structure.

Louis Seiss and his wife moved to Hot Springs, Arkansas but left it occupied by his son John D., his wife, and their two daughters for 21 years. The home became the residence of E. T. and Pearl Ward in 1963 and she opened and operated Ward’s Plantation Restaurant. It was sold by Seiss heirs to Harold Guidry and Larry Hurst of Lafayette in 1968 and they continued to operate it as the Plantation House, a premier seafood restaurant. During this time, the porches were enclosed with glass, a bar was added to the East side, a brick dining room was added to the rear, and a porte-cochere was added to the front. Pearl Ward had moved East on Broad Street and opened the Aragon.

112 Grove Street, Mike Clooney

There is only one home over 50 years old in Margaret Place still owned by the original family!

Front of 112 Grove Street Mike Clooney, the third generation owner, received the coveted Landmark plaque for the home at 112 Grove Street. The Thomas J. Clooney House 112 Grove Street c. 1913 This very fine bungalow was built in 1913 at 112 Grove Street, formerly 1612 Grove Street, for Thomas J. Clooney by Clooney Construction and Towing Company in a newly opened sub-division called Margaret Place. This area had opened for development in 1912 as was bounded by South Ryan, Wilson Avenue, Park Avenue, and Shell Beach Drive.

Thomas J. Clooney, Sr. was one of six children born to John Francis and Mary Ann (Kaough) Clooney.John Francis came to Calcasieu Parish soon after the Civil War by way of Galveston, Texas. His work was in the ship building business constructing wooden schooner.

He left Galveston, Texas when yellow fever broke out in 1869 in search of the yellow pine forest known to be at Calcasieu Pass. He found a job at the Kaough Shipyard south of what is now Lake Charles along the Calcasieu River. He married Mary Kaough and they moved up to what is known as Lake Charles and built a home and business around where the port of Lake Charles was now building wooden schooners and other wooden vessels. To facilitate his ship building business he dredged out part of the land at a bend in the Calcasieu River to create what is known as Clooney Island today.