A school building that opened in New Roads, Louisiana more than a century ago is still drawing people through its doors, just not for class. The old Poydras High School, named for Julien Poydras, now operates as the Julien Poydras Museum and Arts Center, where exhibits trace the people, agriculture and industry that shaped Pointe Coupee Parish.
From Classrooms to Community Hub
The transformation is the work of the Pointe Coupee Historical Society, which according to WBRZ converted the old school into an educational space that now teaches parish history and culture to visitors. The society is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded by a group of interested local citizens in 1975, according to the Pointe Coupee Historical Society. The building itself dates to 1924, when it was built as Julien Poydras High School, and it operated as a public school until 1981, per the society's own account.
Mindy LaCour, executive director of the Pointe Coupee Historical Society, told WBRZ that children should know what their parish provides for Louisiana. She said she wants visitors to leave with a deeper knowledge of the parish's history, agriculture, art and artists, and the society hopes guests walk away with an appreciation for New Roads and the surrounding area's roots, the station reports.
Ownership Timeline Has Some Gaps
Exactly when the society took possession of the shuttered school isn't entirely settled in its own records. One page on the organization's site states that in 1992 the society purchased the shuttered 1924 Poydras High School, while another page on the same site says the historical society has owned the building since 1991. Either way, the society has held the property for more than three decades, using it as what the station describes as an educational space anchoring the town's history.
The building's historic status is better documented. In 1996 the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places, according to Explore Louisiana. The society later won an award from the Louisiana Trust for Historic Preservation in 2011, recognizing its work preserving and restoring the historic school, per the society's own account.
Museum, Auditorium and Rotating Art on Display
Today the Julien Poydras Museum and Arts Center includes an auditorium, museum and art center under one roof, WBRZ reports. The 200-seat auditorium is used for concerts, school performances, meetings and other community events, Explore Louisiana notes. The art center hosts rotating local artists with new works every few months, according to the station's report, a program Explore Louisiana traces to a pop-up exhibit that began in 2023 and changes out three times a year.
The building also houses several businesses and organizations, including the Pointe Coupee Historical Society, Tourism and the Chamber of Commerce on the second floor, per the same account. Over the years the museum has also been used as a rental facility, according to Explore Louisiana, adding another revenue stream to a site that otherwise depends on community support.
Keeping the Doors Open
Running a century-old building isn't cheap, and the historical society leans on several sources to keep it open. WBRZ reports the society relies on donations, society members, grant dollars and rent paid by building tenants. The society's own materials describe similar funding through the generosity of members, local businesses, and grants from local and state cultural organizations, along with revenues from rental of the Poydras building itself.
Beyond exhibits and rentals, the society has broadened how the community uses the site over the years, presenting history talks, exhibits, roundtable discussions, educational programs for students and teachers, concerts, plays and films, according to the Pointe Coupee Historical Society. For a town working to hold onto its past while still filling seats in a 200-seat auditorium, the old Poydras schoolhouse has found a second act.
