News

June 27, 2013 Membership Meeting

The June Quarterly Meeting of the Calcasieu Historical Preservation Society will be held on Thursday, June 27, 2013 at the Masonic Temple, 717 Hodges Street, Lake Charles, Louisiana. Social at 6:30 pm, program at 7 pm.

Program Speakers will be Carolyn Thibodeaux of the Cameron Preservation Alliance and architect Lauren Harrell. They will address preservation of the historic 1856 Sabine Pass Lighthouse located in Cameron Parish.

In addition, there will be a memorial presentation to honor the victims and survivors of Hurricane Audrey on the 56th Anniversary of the storm, along with behind the scenes tours of the Masonic Temple, plus information about the Southwest Louisiana Historical Association, upcoming projects of CHPS, a report from the new Lake Charles Historic Preservation Commission, and a recap of the successful 38th Annual Palm Sunday Tour.

2013 Palm Sunday Owners, Sponsors, and Volunteers

The success of the "Windows on the Water" Palm Sunday Tour of homes is due to the following homeowners, house captains, tour hosts, volunteers, the 2013 Tour Committee, our sponsors, and our chairperson, Donna Richard, pictured to the right accepting a token of appreciation by grateful CHPS board members.

Homeowners

Claudia and Jim Boyer

Nancy and Wendell Fontenot

Sherrie and Dr. John Raggio

Ann and David Reinauer

Diane and Frank Walker

House Captains, Docents, and Ticket Sales

Photos of homes below courtesy of Virginia Webb

Photos Palm Sunday Tour of Homes, 2013

The 38th Annual Palm Sunday Tour of Homes was an amazing success.

Photos by Virginia Webb, Melinda Antoon, and Alan Walker are provided below.

Thanks to the homeowners, sponsors, and approximately 100 volunteers who helped to make this another record breaking tour! Volunteer names will be posted soon.

And, of course, congratulations to chairman Donna Richard and the Palm Sunday Tour of Homes committee for their tremendous work to make "Windows on the Water" such an important offering to Southwest Louisiana.

Palm Sunday Tour of Homes, 2013 in the News!

One thing that the Calcasieu Historical Preservation Society can count on at this time of year is the support of much of the local media! The coverage for the 2013 Palm Sunday Tour of Homes is no exception.

As articles and stories appear in Southwest Louisiana's media, they will be listed here along with a link to the corresponding article. If one is missing, please feel free to e-mail the link to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

Pre-tour coverage by the American Press featured photos and information about the 5 homes on the tour as well as ticket information and more. Their post tour coverage included a nice story and photos.
KPLC TV ran this pre-tour story. Thanks to Board Member Adley Cormier for appearing on the Sunrise show on behalf of CHPS.
KPLC also featured the tour as a new item along with several images.
SWLA Convention and Visitors Bureau has been invaluable to the success of the Palm Sunday Tour. Visit the home page at VisitLakeCharles.org for a calendar of events.
Thrive Magazine
Lagniappe Magazine
The Jambalaya News promoted the tour in their lastest edition.
Read more...

Ticket Information for 2013 Tour

On-Line ticket sales are now closed. If you purchased your ticket on-line, bring your receipt to the "Will Call" desk anytime after 12:45 on Sunday. The "will call" desk will be located on the front porch of 823 Shell Beach Drive. Your receipt will be exchanged for a ticket. The tour begins at 1:00.

Tickets can be purchased for $15.00 the day of the tour, Sunday, March 24th, at any of the homes on the tour.

Tickets for the brunch must be purchased directly at 121 Artisan Bistro at 121 Dr. Michael DeBakey Drive.

Sponsors of the 2013 Palm Sunday Tour

One of the reasons for the success of the Palm Sunday Tour of Homes is due to our sponsors. While we acknowledge them in the official program, we list them here as well in thanks and appreciation.

History of the Palm Sunday Tour

Forty-one years ago, the Palm Sunday Tour of Homes was envisioned and begun by three individuals—assisted by many others of course—but essentially the “baby” of Ann Rosteet Hurley, Reid Tyler, and Bill Terry.

Patrons enjoying the 2012 Palm Sunday Tour in Margaret Place. Photo by Cissy Guidry. At Bill Terry’s memorial service, stories were recounted of how the three “conspired” to showcase houses in what was then called “the Garden District”.

Ann and Reid were locally born and bred, Bill was from Houston. The three saw that this area had an immense inventory of older houses that could be wonderful homes for couples and families.

They saw the beauty and charm in real craftsmanship, front porches, mature plantings, and sidewalks.

They also knew the lure of the new subdivisions drawing people away from traditional neighborhoods.

They concocted a tour in spring, on Palm Sunday when the azaleas would be in bloom, to encourage the public to re-think old houses and prove that they had charm and worth.

Suggestions and "Rules of the House" for Palm Sunday

To enhance your tour experience, we offer some suggestions along with the "Rules of the House."

You may start at any of the homes on the tour, and you may choose the order in which you visit the properties.

Rules of the House for Palm Sunday Tour of Homes

Docents will admit and assist you in navigating through the property. Should lines be long at one house, consider visiting another house on the tour until the line is not as long.

Please observe the following "Rules of the House":

Purchase tickets to 2013 Palm Sunday Tour

On-line purchase of tour tickets has closed.

If you purchased your ticket on-line, bring your receipt to the "Will Call" desk anytime after 12:45 on the day of the tour. The "will call" desk will be located on the front porch of 823 Shell Beach Drive. Your receipt will be exchanged for a ticket. The tour begins at 1:00.

Ttickets can be purchased the day of the tour, Sunday, March 24th, for $15.00 at any of the homes on the tour.

38th Annual Palm Sunday Tour of Homes To Be Held Mar 24

Lake Charles, La.—The Calcasieu Historical Preservation Society announces its 38th Annual Palm Sunday Tour of Homes for March 24, 2013. Themed "Windows on the Water" the Tour will feature five distinctive homes with breathtaking lakeshore views on prestigious Shell Beach Drive. The Tour is set for 1 to 5 p.m.

Donna and Rick Richard of The Empire of The Seed presenting check to Matt Young on that Sunday afternoon. A separate Traditional Sunday Brunch will be available by reservation with 121 Artisan Bistro (located at the gates of the historic Margaret Place Historic District) between 10:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.

"The houses on tour display a variety of architectural design and exquisite interiors, and each offers a glimpse of contemporary living in historic properties. The annual Tour of Homes is a much anticipated community event and design resource," said Donna Richard, 2013 Tour chair. "The Tour will also offer patrons a souvenir program with historic images and information about the Shell Beach area."

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