Woman's enterprise., 1922-07-03
THIRD STREET
AS IT HAS BEEN
and IS TODAY
(By Capt. John McGrath.)

1907 predlcted that in years to com
a massive seven story building woul
crown the site at the corner Of Thir
and Florida streets he would 500
find himself in the asylum at jackson
and yet the writer has lived to wit
ness Third street converted from
place of gardens, yes and a peacl
orchard, to its present condition o
fine buildings with no open spaces
Every one of the present building
from Boulevard to North street, will
the single exception of the old house
at the corner Of Third and Conven
ton, has been erected or remodeleC
and modernized since 1852 and only
one or two have been remodeled, one
at the corner of Third and North anC
it has yet | believe some of the orig.
inal timber used in its construction
The original house was the house OF
Governor Walker during his occu,
pancy Of the Executive office.
Now let me present picture OF
Third street when | first knew it. Be
ginning at Boulevard there was on
the west side at the corner of the
first block an old building of two
stories and with wide galleries front
and rear. This building must have
been constructed during the reign of
the Spaniards and as | have been
told, was the quarters of the first
United States troops to arrive in this
territory who came before the penta-
gon buildings of the barracks now
L. S. U. were constructed. The old
property was purchased by the late
Abe Abramson who caused it to be
demolished to make way for the
present building.
The next house on that side of the
street was the home of Judge Sher-
burne who was lost when the Prin-
cess, on which he had taken passage,
was destroyed by fire. This residence
sat back some distance from the
street and was surrounded by flowers
and shrubbery. No other buildings
were on that side of the street.
On the opposite side where the
Boulevard building stands was a va
cant lot but the remainder of that
side Of the street was fairly we'll
covered with small houses.
On the west side of Third and
Convention was a residence and this
with one about the center of the
block, now covered by the southern
end Of the Raymond building, was all.
The last named was a boarding house
owned by the first Philip Burg. Op-
posite the east side of Third street |
the entire block was vacant and was
the ground upon which every circus
arriving spread it's tents and gave
exhibitions.
On the next block north there were
but few buildings of any kind. |
Pixies Bank, afterwards and until |
quite recently known as the Hausey
House, and long wooden building at |
the corner of Laurel, the store of Mr..
Samuel Isett were all.
On the west side of that block
where Elks Theatre now stands was
an old building and about the middle
of the square peach orchard with a
small brick house on the rear of the
lot.
On the square between Laurel and
Main, on the east side, nothing but a
one story at the corner of Main and
wooden box house about the GEN.
ter. On the west side garden filled
with flowers and shrubbery at one
corner, stable where the Knox
building opposite the Bank of Baton
Rouge is located and two story
brick on the corner of Third and
Main.
The square between Main and
North was fairly we'll covered, the
principal residences being those of
DR.. Harvey on the river side and
Governor Walker on the east side.
Front and Lafayette streets, as
we'll as the side streets, were so con-
gested that it became imperative to
seek quarters elsewhere or 20 out
of business. With such conditions
staring HIM IN the face one Fielding
Musselman, a confectioner, purchased
a site at the corner of Third and
Laurel and had erected thereon the
small two story just torn down to
permit Mr.. Robert Hart to have it re-
placed by one more in keeping with
the present surroundings.
Mr.. Musselman was quickly follow
ed by Frenchman named Dupuy
who had constructed the two story