The city celebrated the completion of Nellie Lutcher Memorial Park with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Friday.

The new park is located at the epicenter of the Nellie Lutcher Cultural District, 702 Enterprise Blvd., and features landscaping, a walking path, connectivity for food trucks and “a stage outlined with piano keys to pay homage to Nellie Lutcher, someone who has meant so much to the fabric of this community,” said Mayor Nic Hunter in a release.

To further honor Lutcher, a mural will be added to the wall behind the stage to further memorialize Lutcher and will be painted by John Whaley.

Nellie Lutcher is a local musical icon. She was born in Lake Charles on October 15, 1912. Possessing a natural musical talent, she secured her first paid role at the age of eight as the assistant pianist at New Sunlight Baptist Church. By the time she reached 12 years of age, she was discovered and enlisted by the blues singer Ma Rainey. Lutcher served as the pianist for a performance at Buster Mancuso’s Palace Theater.

A few years later, Lutcher assumed the role of a pianist in both the Imperial Jazz Band and the Southern Rhythm Band. As her career advanced, she resided in, recorded music in, and performed across Los Angeles and New York City, as well as in the United Kingdom. She passed away on June 8, 2007.

Jackie Lutcher, the great-nice of Nellie Lutcher, said that the park will serve as a living history to her great-aunt.

“It is an honor, I wish that she was living to see this.”

At the ribbon-cutting ceremony, Hunter spoke to the efforts of District B Lake Charles Councilwoman Luvertha August, who gave Hunter a “really firm mandate” after he took office.

“That mandate was that we do more to honor Nellie Lutcher in this community, more than just a sign in the ground, and I committed that we would make that happen. This has been a team effort, but we would not be here today if it weren’t for the passion of Miss August representing this district.”

In return, August thanked Hunter for his follow-through.

“I truly appreciate his foresight, his determination, his ability to bring people together in order to have things like this.”

She noted that the public should not only enjoy the city’s parks and recreational facilities, but to also take care of them.

“The city is working very hard to provide projects like this for you to enjoy. Please treat these projects, these functions, and these locations as if they were your homes.”

The park broke ground in April of this year, but according to Jeff Kudla of Kudla Architecture, the project was conceived before COVID-19.

“In the midst of repairing roofs and ceiling tiles and hurricane damage, the mayor asked us to get going on producing the final drawings for this project so that it would get built. It was refreshing for my office during that time … to deal with something bright and new and fancy and pretty.”

Keith DuRousseau, chief operating officer, Keiland Construction, said that he and his team were “thrilled” to participate in the project, as they always consider a project’s “impact on our community for our current and future generations” when selecting them.

“That weighs heavily upon if we are going to pursue that particular project. … When this project came up, we knew that it had intricate details. It wasn’t one of the larger projects that were out at that time. However, it was the most meaningful project, and we knew it would take resources of our highest level to make sure that those details were delivered.”

He said that he believes the park is a sign of revitalization in the area.

“This is one of the cornerstones that people will be able to enjoy for years and years.”

Hunter said that the area along the I-10 corridor serves as a “major artery” for SWLA, and noted other historic buildings in the area, including the Cash and Carry Building, Lake Charles Boston Academy, Lake Charles Little Theater and Sacred Heart Catholic Church.

Additionally, the new Mardi Gras museum will be adjacent to the park, and he First Ave. walking trail – with a bike path – connects I-10 and 12th St. and will lead to the park.

The Inaugural Nellie Lutcher Festival is planned for the spring of 2024, which be held at the Nellie Lutcher Memorial Park. Hunter said more details will be given in the coming weeks.

The Nellie Lutcher Memorial Park was funded by the City and Community Development Block Grant Funds.

Those interested in hosting a community event at the park can contact the Lake Charles Recreation and Parks Department at 337.491.1280.