Places We’d Like to See Renovated and Reopened in Downtown Shreveport

I recently traveled around downtown Shreveport to take a look at some of the changes along Texas Street and other areas. It is nice to see all the activity on Texas Street. I'm a big fan of Parish Taceaux. I love the Robinson Film Center. I'm also looking forward to stopping in at Missing Link (the new hot dog joint) at Texas and Marshall.

In my drive, it does strike me how beautiful that stretch of downtown is.

But I do wish for more development downtown. I get sad seeing the Millennium Studios building vacant. It is such a beautiful building and was so active for a few years.  Millennium began operating in Shreveport in 2007. They moved into the new building in 2011. But the production company went dark in November of 2015.

Film makers flooded to our area when New Orleans was hit by Hurricane Katrina. The state tax incentives also helped. But that all changed when Governor Bobby Jindal signed a measure to cut $250 million in tax incentives for film makers to $180 million.

Another spot I'd like to see with a new life is the old Joe D. Waggoner Federal Building on Fannin Street. It has been vacant for several years. It was in line to become a Law School for Louisiana College, but that deal fell through. The college did spend millions renovating the building, but the costs continued rising and that was one of the reasons that deal fell through. Could this building be a good alternative for the State Office Building? A buyer could get a great deal on the property, but it will take lots of money to get it ready for occupancy.

Another property that I'd like to see repurposed is the old Greyhound Bus Station on Fannin. When I say this, I also would like to see something done with the old Sportran Main Terminal downtown (the big white tents) at the corner of Marshall and Crockett streets. Greyhound and Sportran moved to the new bus terminal at Murphy and Texas Streets late last year.

There are several downtown buildings for sale. These are just a few I'd like to see find a new life. One is the historical building that houses the Spring Street Museum at 513 Spring Street. It's 14,000 square feet and is priced at $790,000. Another building on the long list of properties up for grabs is the old Rubensteins Department Store on Milam. It's more than 24,000 square feet.