Calcasieu Parish is named for the name of an Atakapa Native American leader meaning “crying eagle”.
Created: March 24, 1840
Parish Seat:
Marion 1841 – 1852
Lake Charles 1852 – present
Parish Courthouse – Lake Charles
Location: 1000 Ryan Street / Kirby Street
Built: 1911 - 1912
Style: Neo-Classical and Beaux Arts
Architect: Favrot and Livaudais
Contractor: Texas Building Company
Description: The building faces east and is two story buff colored brick, stone and concrete structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds with the Courthouse Annex and Judicial Center on the west side and the Administration Building on the south side..The east front has a large portico with four high columns rising to a pediment at the roof line. There are north and south wings. A white colored balustrade runs along the edge of the flat roof. On the center of the roof is a large green colored dome. Additions were constructed in 1958 and 1960. On the west side is the modern Courthouse Annex constructed in 1989.. The architect was Hackett & Associates and Ellender & Broussard and the contractor was Bessette Development Corporation.
Note: The first courthouse was built in Marion in 1841. The previous courthouse was constructed by H L Robinson in 1891. The building was enlarge in 1902. The architect was James Riely Gordon and the contractor was R W Albright. The building burned on April 23, 1910. The present courthouse was constructed at a cost of $200,000. The building is a replica of the famous Villa Copra, known as the Rotunda in Vicenza, which was designed by a noted Italian architect, Andrea Palladio, whose work became known in the 17th and 18th centuries.
Parish Judicial Center – Lake Charles
Location: 1001 Lakeside Drive / Kirby Street
Built: 1992 - 1994
Style: Modern
Architect: Hackett & Associates and Ellender & Broussard
Contractor: Bessette Development Corporation
Description: The building faces north and is a three story buff colored brick, buff colored concrete and glass structure. The building is located on the west side of the courthouse and is connected by a second story walkway. The north front has a recessed porch with pillars on the first story and large arched window above on the second and third stories. The east side has a recessed first story with pillars. The windows are horizontal. The roof line is flat.
Parish Administration – Lake Charles
Location: 1015 Pithon Street / Gill Street
Built: 1966 - 1967
Style: Modern
Architect: Hackett & Associates and Ellender & Broussard
Contractor: Priola Construction Corporation
Description: The building faces west and is a four story red brick, concrete and glass structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds on the south side of the courthouse. The main entrance is on the west side of the first story. The roof line ios flat. The building was enlarge in 1998. An addition was added in 2003. The architect was Ellender Architects Associates and the contractor was Alfred Palma, Inc.
See: Located in the parish is the Louisiana Third Court of Appeal.
Courthouses:
N – Beauregard Parish and Jefferson Davis Parish
S – Cameron Parish
W – Orange County, Texas and Newton County, Texas
Photos taken 2011 and 2017