Visit Baton Rouge is trading places
The tourism organization will sell a prime downtown spot when it moves around the corner
Baton Rouge’s tourism bureau is weeks away from soliciting bids to transform the shell of a building on Lafayette Street into a new headquarters—and plans to sell its current building on a prime downtown corner, CEO Jill Kidder tells RedEye.
Why it matters: The move signals Visit Baton Rouge’s bet that a more prominent, better-equipped home base can help spark the kind of street-level vitality that can turn downtown into more of a destination.
What’s happening: VBR has outgrown its current 7,500-square-foot office on Third Street and will relocate to a gutted building at 232 Lafayette Street, renovating it into roughly 13,000 square feet of purpose-built space.
The new headquarters will include a pair of small meeting rooms, though it will not compete against private-sector offerings.
Under consideration is a modest retail component selling Baton Rouge-themed goods by local artists and craftspeople. “We want to add retail downtown,” said Kidder.
VBR’s existing building, which sits on the corner of Third and Laurel streets and includes a parking lot, will be put up for sale—though the bureau intends to remain there until the new space is ready, estimated by summer 2027. Offers will be considered now.
A bit of history: The future VBR headquarters was originally a print shop. Architect Trey Trahan purchased it more than a decade ago, but decided to decamp to New Orleans, where he has a thriving practice.
The bottom line: Kidder wants downtown to be a destination, not merely a waypoint. A tourism headquarter that also sells local goods and helps visitors get their bearings is perfectly aligned with that goal.
