Lake Charles will soon have a new Mardi Gras Museum. Museum President Anne Monlezun calls it a “dream come true.” The project was announced Monday at 641 Enterprise Boulevard. The land is less than a block north of Broad Street and 1.5 miles from Interstate 10, the perfect place for culture, tourism and economic growth to converge.

CEO and President Kyle Edmiston, said Visit Lake Charles applied for a  $1.6 million grant on behalf of the Museum after the 2020 hurricanes. The U.S. The Economic Development Administration grant had grant monies available for “brick and mortar” tourism projects from American Rescue Plan Act dollars.

The Mardi Gras Museum of Imperial Calcasieu was housed in the Central School Arts & Humanities Center on Kirby St. in 1998. It closed in 2020 after the building was damaged by hurricanes.

Nic Hunter said the Museum is one more example of the “good things going on in Lake Charles through public/private partnership.”

In 2017, the City decided to focus on three Economic Development Districts, the Lakefront, along the I-10  corridor and the Nellie Lutcher Cultural District, bounded by  Seventh Street and Railroad Avenue to the north and south, Ryan Street and Enterprise Boulevard to the east and west.

“This District has seen more growth recently than it has in decades,” Hunter  said, pointing out two new nearby businesses on Enterprise Boulevard. Another is being constructed on the corner of Broad and Enterprise. He anticipates locals and tourists will visit the Museum and spark more development.

The project will require $3.5 million to complete, Edmiston explained. Funding requests for the Mardi Gras Museum will be placed on the City of Lake Charles City Council and the Calcasieu Parish Police Jury upcoming meeting agendas. Careful to point out that these funds are not yet approved, it is possible that the project could receive $400,000 from the City and $400,000 from the CPPJ. In addition to securing the grant for the Museum, Visit Lake Charles will add $400,000 to the purple, gold and green pot.  The truly collaborative effort will be further buoyed by the Mardi Gras Museum of Imperial Calcasieu who will be responsible for raising funds to furnish the interior and further curate displays for the exhibit. Museum Director David Faulk said a fund-raiser is already in the works. He’s looking for sponsors and teams for a golf tournament to be held at Gray Plantation May 13.

The Mardi Gras Museum of Imperial Calcasieu was founded by Anne Monlezun. She said it housed the  most Mardi Gras costumes in the Gulf South. “The new Museum will be more versatile and allow for more programming and creativity in a space specifically created to showcase the artistry and traditions of local krewes,” she said.

Luvertha August, Lake Charles City Council District B, recalled that Enterprise Boulevard was a “social and economic mecca” and has lain fallow for many years. “This is where business was done by day and where we socialized after dark,” she said.

Police Juror Mike Smith noted the Museum is along the route that the Krewe of Omega Parade has been passing for 45 years or more. He imagined a grandstand located there for more people to sit and enjoy it. It could happen – but not this year. The estimated time to complete the project is after the 2024 Mardi Gras season.

“It is exciting to see positive growth and movement happening in the Nellie Lutcher Cultural District,” August said. People have worked hard to build up that area, and an attraction of this magnitude will be a game changer.”