Ascension Parish is named for the Ascension of Our Lord Roman Catholic Church in Donaldson.
Surrounding Parish Courthouses:
E – Livingston Parish and Saint John the Baptist Parish
S – Saint James Parish and Assumption Parish
W – Iberville Parish
Created: March 31, 1807 
Parish Seat:
Donaldsonville 1807 – present
Parish Courthouse – Donaldsonville
Location: 300 Houmas Street / Nicholas Street
Built: 1888 – 1889
Style: Romanesque Revival
Architect: Jason Freret
Contractor: Parish Building Committee
Description: The building faces east and is a two story red colored brick structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Donaldsonville. The east front has a large arch on the first story with a square red colored brick clock tower rising above the entrance. The roof is hipped. The courtroom is located on the second story. The building houses the District Court and Parish Court of the 23rd Judicial District. The building burned in 1889 and was rebuilt by the Building Committee and the architect was Jason Freret. The building was enlarged and renovated in 1938. The architect was Budeman & Murrell and the contractor was R P Farnsworth & Company, Inc. The building was expanded by additions constructed in 1974 and was renovated 1n 1982. The architect was Perez Associates and Studio Four. The building was enlarged in 2006. The architect was Henry L Chavin Architect LLC and the contractor was Stafford Construction Company.
Note: In 1830 and 1831 the community of Donaldsonville briefly acted as Louisiana’s state capital. The Capitol building that served from Donaldsonville stood in the large park across the street from the courthouse. That building was eventually dismantled and the bricks from it were used to build up the levees in this parish.
Parish Courthouse – Gonzales
Location: 828 South Irma Boulevard / East Wortley Street
Built: 1974 – 1975
Style: Modern
Architect: August Perez & Associates
Contractor: Construction Enterprises, Inc.
Description: The building faces west and is a two story red colored brick and concrete structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Gonzales. The building houses the District Court and Parish Court of the 23rd Judicial District. In 2003 an addition was constructed.
New Parish Courthouse – Gonzales
Location: 828 South Irma Boulevard / East Wortley Street
Built: 2019 – 2021
Style: Modern
Architect: CGL and Grace Hebert Curtis Architects
Contractor: The Lemoine Company.
Description: The building faces west and is a three story glass and concrete structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Gonzales. The interior has a large glass lobby and eight courtrooms. The building houses the District Court and Parish Court of the 23rd Judicial District.
History: The parish was created in 1807 and Donaldsonville was selected as the parish seat. The first courthouse was built in 1810 and was destroyed by fire in 1846. The second courthouse was designed by Henry Howard and built by George Weldon in 1846 and was destroyed in 1862 by a federal bombardment during the Civil War. The third courthouse was built by Thomas Supple in 1867 and burned in 1889. The fourth and present courthouse was constructed in 1888 to 1889. A fifth courthouse was constructed in Gonzales in 1974 to 1975 as the Parish Courthouse East. In 2019 to 2021, a new courthouse was constructed in Gonzales at a cost of $29.500,000.
Parish Courthouse – Donaldsonville
Parish Clerk’s Office
Photos taken 2011 and 2019