The newly renovated J. Arthur Roy House, the only University of Louisiana at Lafayette structure on the National Register of Historic Places, is now open to the public.
Joshua C. Caffery, director of the Center for Louisiana Studies, and staff members hosted a steady flow of visitors recently, most of whom gathered in research rooms and in the University of Louisiana Press bookstore.
“It’s an iconic building for Lafayette,” Caffery said of the Roy House. “People are curious about the house.”
Caffery said the 5,000-square-foot former residence, located across from the first live oak trees planted on campus, welcomed well-wishers and customers who bought books — some on deep discount — and admired the fruits of the $1.4 million renovation.
Although a few private events were held at the new Center for Louisiana Studies at 1204 Johnston St. prior to the public opening Aug. 16 — a ribbon-cutting, book talk and donor appreciation gathering — the open house opened the doors to everyone, as they will every week from 10-3, Monday through Thursday.
Renovation on the home was accomplished by JB Mouton LLC, of Lafayette, project contractor. The initial goal was to raise $800,000 for the renovation. The home was built in 1901, the same year the UL Lafayette opened.
Much of the Center staff has relocated to the Roy House from the third floor of the Edith Dupre Library, where the Center will retain storage space. The open house gave people glances at furnishings that include Louisiana maps, including some from Robert Martin of Asheville, North Carolina, who is in the family line of the legislator who was most responsible for creating the university, which opened to students as Southwestern Louisiana Industrial Institute in 1901.
Some furniture was built by Dr. Whitney Gonsoulin. Julaine Roy Gray, a distant relative of the Roys, who originally owned the home, donated an etagere. UL Lafayette professor emeritus Barry Ancelet donated a book collection; displayed in a research room. A collection of books from the late Pat Rickels, professor emeritus and former director of the Honors Program, was also displayed.
The house was home for J. Arthur Roy, Lafayette businessman, and his family, which included his wife, Cornelia, who was the daughter of William B. Bailey, Lafayette’s first mayor, and the couple’s eight children. Among the children was J. Maxime Roy, who was Lafayette mayor from 1936-44.
Arthur Van Dyke designed the two-story, wood-frame home in the Queen Anne and Stick-Eastlake style; George Knapp was the contractor. Knapp also built the Gordon Hotel in downtown Lafayette in 1904.
The home was built at what was then considered the edge of Lafayette; nowadays, traffic flow pasts the home at one of the busiest intersections in the city. The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development said daily traffic counts at the intersection exceed 43,000 vehicles. Among the goals for the renovated home was to beautify the corridor from Interstate 10 to the university; the Roy House is the first building travelers from I-10 see, Caffery said.
About 70% of the project fundraising was done during the pandemic, he said. Donors included a “diversity of people” that included longtime Lafayette families, organizations and friends of the humanities. Some $400,000 came from a foundation in Washington state that is operated by a former visitor to Lafayette who is a Cajun music fan.
“People are interested in the house for different reasons,” Caffery said. “Fundraising for us was great during the pandemic and people wanted to do things that were philanthropic. Philanthropy did well around the country during the pandemic.”
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