2017 Enrollment

[LaCajunsFan]

FYI,
Last night my wife and I were invited to "An Evening for Wisdom", the "kickoff" fundraiser for a new Catholic Student Center on the Louisiana campus.
Cardinal Dolan, the Archbishop of New York was the keynote speaker and he did not let the faithful down.
Huge crowd at La Pavillion. A short film indicated a new building (a very impressive structure) will be constructed across the street of the existing Wisdom Chapel Complex (Home of the Ragin Cajun Catholics). This is on the corner of St. Mary and Girard Park Drive.
They did quick auction at the end of the dinner to cut Father Michael Champagne's beard and at a grand a pop, $50,000 was raised very quickly.

Here are the renderings for that project.

[cajun_lannister]

Here are the renderings for that project.

So it will be built next door / in the Ek long parking lot?

[LaCajunsFan]

So it will be built next door / in the Ek long parking lot?

Yes, that is what is being proposed.
The gossip I heard was that this will be part of a deal to help acquire the office buildings on the old OLOL campus, on St Mary, that belong to the diocese....not OLOL.
Also, the present location of Wisdom will revert back to ul, who will demolish the current structures and build additional academic space in its place.

[ULGrad@HOU]

Yes, that is what is being proposed.
The gossip I heard was that this will be part of a deal to help acquire the office buildings on the old OLOL campus, on St Mary, that belong to the diocese....not OLOL.
Also, the present location of Wisdom will revert back to ul, who will demolish the current structures and build additional academic space in its place.

That's awesome.

[cajun_lannister]

Yes, that is what is being proposed.
The gossip I heard was that this will be part of a deal to help acquire the office buildings on the old OLOL campus, on St Mary, that belong to the diocese....not OLOL.
Also, the present location of Wisdom will revert back to ul, who will demolish the current structures and build additional academic space in its place.

maybe they can knock down EK long by mistake

[LaCajunsFan]

maybe they can knock down EK long by mistake

Now, I know you didn't just say that. EKL is a fantastic building: structurally, aesthetically and historically.
I think the proposed church complex is waaaay to big and overpowering for that corner, but that's just IMHO.

[CajunAmos]

No I know you didn't just say that. EKL is a fantastic building: structurally, aesthetically and historically.
I think the proposed church complex is waaaay to big and overpowering for that corner, but that's just my HO.

That was my thought as well. When you're landlocked and are actively looking for space I don't see how you give up property in the center of your campus when there are two catholic churches relatively close to campus already. JMO

[Boomer]

That was my thought as well. When you're landlocked and are actively looking for space I don't see how you give up property in the center of your campus when there are two catholic churches relatively close to campus already. JMO

....Some thoughts.....with the growing enrollment, it can be of great use for so many Catholic students.....the swap of stuff,especially if the medical property can be worked into the mix would be fabulous....who owns the former hospital land... Dioceses,no lol, or others???

[Turbine]

....Some thoughts.....with the growing enrollment, it can be of great use for so many Catholic students.....the swap of stuff,especially if the medical property can be worked into the mix would be fabulous....who owns the former hospital land... Dioceses,no lol, or others???

I hope they do something good with that land.

I was born there.

[cb089]

Is there any future chance we can acquire and build on Girard Park? If Moncus becomes the grand central park they envision, it kind of lessens the need for a park like Girard. When were as land locked as we are, it's hard not to look at a big piece of undeveloped land next to our campus and start thinking.

Or is the St Mary corridor our best bet for future expansion? There would be a few more existing structures to deal with going that route but going thay way does eventually tie us into available lands toward the athletics campus and research park.

[LaCajunsFan]

That was my thought as well. When you're landlocked and are actively looking for space I don't see how you give up property in the center of your campus when there are two catholic churches relatively close to campus already. JMO

Actually, about 5 years ago, while working on the Master Plan, Steve Oubre had been interviewed by the Alum rag where he explained some of the basics of what they hoped the MP would correct: parking towers -vs- parking lots and turning those lots into green spaces, etc.
He used the area we are discussing today as an example, and included a rendering to illustrate his point: adding buildings to Olivier, and making another Quad, putting an academic building next to EKL, forming another green space between it and Billieaud Hall, etc. I have that rendering attached below.
I guess my question is, which is the one you are asking, is how/why did we go from an Academic (residential?) building to a church?

[Turbine]

Is there any future chance we can acquire and build on Girard Park? If Moncus becomes the grand central park they envision, it kind of lessens the need for a park like Girard. When were as land locked as we are, it's hard not to look at a big piece of undeveloped land next to our campus and start thinking.

Or is the St Mary corridor our best bet for future expansion? There would be a few more existing structures to deal with going that route but going thay way does eventually tie us into available lands toward the athletics campus and research park.

I am pretty sure in the original donation of park land it stipulated a return of property if used for anything else.