Mission advancement associate director and archivist (respectively), St. Joseph’s Academy
3015 Broussard St.
In Mid City since: 1941
St. Joseph’s Academy is one of the oldest schools in the area. Schools like these have been critical to attracting families with children to the surrounding neighborhoods.
St. Joseph’s Academy is celebrating its 150th anniversary this year. Can you tell me a little bit about the school’s history and how the school ended up in Mid City?
Fairbanks: The Sisters of St. Joseph came here in 1868 to take over an orphanage, moving into a little four-room house on Seventh Street. Two weeks after they arrived, they opened a school. Then in 1890, they moved to a bigger house on Church Street (Fourth Street), where they stayed until they built the first building of this 15-acre Mid City campus in 1941. Where the academy was on Church Street was becoming commercialized, so that was one of the reasons for the move. There was no room [downtown] for expansion, which they needed, and the area that is now Mid City was starting to be developed.
What is the role of St. Joseph’s Academy in the Mid City neighborhood today?
Laplace: I would say we have an important role that we’ve played for our neighbors with children that came to school here. But the sisters have also made an effort to be a part of the neighborhood associations and attend zoning meetings. We like to relate positively with the commercial establishments.
What are your favorite things about Mid City as a community?
Fairbanks: When I was in school at SJA, we would ride bikes because this neighborhood was just so lovely, and the kids here still do that. Thinking about Government Street, I hope that the redevelopment isn’t a drawback and that it functions well, because it’s so important to the vitality of the companies and restaurants that are on Government Street. And that’s important to the community because [those businesses] are part of the the convenience of living in this area.
Laplace: I think there’s a vibrancy about the commercial area here, whether it’s the old businesses that continually improve or the new ones that are coming in. There’s a good mix of restaurants serving the really expensive meals and also those that are the kind where you pop in and get something for $3. And I think there’s a vibrancy in the kind of people that are in this neighborhood. We have some people that have been here forever, but we also have new people moving in and appreciating what this neighborhood is.
Read more on Mid City’s rapid growth in Baton Rouge from our October 2018 cover story.
