The old McCrory Department Store building is now Jefferson Street Market, with over 20 small specialty shops, including art and photography galleries, home furnishings, arts and crafts, and interior designers. Other vintage buildings are getting facelifts or complete renovations. For a community the size of Lafayette we have great diversity and that s what s particularly unique about Lafayette, says Acadiana Arts Council Director Buddy Palmer. We have a wide range of quality art opportunities. There was a period of stagnation in the late 80s, however, after the oil bust in Lafayette.
Some organizations didn t make it.
Others squeaked by. But now our symphony orchestra was named one of the top 10 growing orchestras nationally based on budgets, and its artistic director, Xiao-Lu Li, was recently nominated for the Leonard Bernstein Award. Some of their buildings have been renovated into shops and apartments. We like downtown, Martha says. I was born and raised here, and my husband has been here 20 years.