Preserving

Researchers have use our archives to gain a wealth of insight into Cajun and Creole folklore.

Just as important, professional musicians have benefited from hearing Cajun and Creole field recordings from the 1930s to the present.

Enhancing

The Center for Louisiana Studies maintains active ties to several local, regional and state organizations as part of its mission to foster scholarly inquiry and preservation of Louisiana traditions and folkways.

Publishing

The UL Press began publishing in the late 1960s, before the formal establishment of the Center for Louisiana Studies.

To date, the UL Press has produced over 200 titles in its 40+ years.

Center for Louisiana Studies

PUBLIC NOTICE

Regarding the National Endowment for the Humanities’ Section 106 Review of
A New Home for the Center for Louisiana Studies in the Historic J. Arthur Roy House

The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) has awarded the University of Louisiana at Lafayette an Infrastructure and Capacity Building Challenge Grant, CHA-268807-20, to renovate and restore the historic J. Arthur Roy House to create a new site for the Center for Louisiana Studies. NEH is an independent grant-making agency of the United States government dedicated to supporting research, education, preservation, and public programs in the humanities.  This public notice is issued as part of NEH’s responsibilities under 36 C.F.R. Part 800, the regulations which implement Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) of 1966, as amended, 16 U.S.C. § 470. NEH, a funding agency, is required by regulation to identify and assess the effects of any proposed actions on historic properties. If any proposed action will have an adverse effect on historic resources, NEH works with the appropriate parties to seek ways to avoid, minimize, or mitigate any adverse effects. Additionally, the Section 106 regulations require NEH to consider the views of the public on preservation issues when making final decisions that affect historic properties.

In its grant application, the University of Louisiana at Lafayette proposes to undertake restoration and renovation of the currently dilapidated J. Arthur Roy House located at 1204 Johnston Street in Lafayette, Louisiana, 70502, so that it may serve as the University’s Center for Louisiana Studies. Work will restore historically significant architectural features with particular care to their original historic condition, in compliance with the Secretary of the Interior’s standards and guidelines for the treatment of historic property. The scope of work is in Attachment I.

J. Arthur Roy House, an individually listed structure on the National Register of Historic Places (Ref# 84001314).  Constructed in 1901, the two-story frame Queen Anne Revival-Eastlake residence is locally significant in the area of architecture because it is a landmark in Lafayette’s heritage of late nineteenth-early twentieth century residences.

In a letter dated February 9, 2021, Kristin Sanders, State Historic Preservation Officer for the Louisiana State Historic Preservation Office concurred that the proposed project will have no adverse effect, with the recommendation that when the cleaning of the exterior of the building, the use of sufficient pressure should be at a low psi as stated in the Secretary of Interior’s Standards to ensure that historic material is not lost or damaged.
As required by Section 106, NEH is providing the public with information about this project, as well as an opportunity to comment on any knowledge of, or concerns with, historic properties in the proposed project area, and issues relating to the project’s potential effects on historic properties.  Comments may be submitted to the NEH by e-mail to FPO@neh.gov.  The deadline for submitting comments is (10 full business days).

ABOUT THE CENTER

The Center for Louisiana Studies is dedicated to researching, publicizing, promoting, and preserving Louisiana’s cultures and history. Since 1973, the Center has worked not only to preserve the state’s rich heritage, but also to make it accessible to scholars, students, and the general public.

The Center is composed of three divisions: the University of Louisiana at Lafayette Press, the Research Division, and the Programming and Special Projects Division.

The Center is currently housed on the 3rd floor of Edith Garland Dupré Library, but is raising funds to renovate the J. Arthur Roy House, a historic home owned by the University. As soon as the rehabilitation of the Roy House is complete, the Center’s headquarters will relocate there.