Middle Ground

Mid City Baton Rouge's cultural transformation

by

Update: We regret that an earlier version of this article gave the impression that Aladdin's Lamp Antiques had closed down. The shop has merely relocated to 5201B Government Street. 

From Nashville to Asheville, the South’s mid-sized cities are experiencing unprecedented growth, and Baton Rouge is no exception. The rebirth of America’s mid-size city, researchers argue, was brought about by millennials breaking with the 20th-century tradition of migrating to the suburbs. Those seeking the benefits of city life sweetened by shorter commutes are chastened only by the cost. The high price of downtown dwelling drives young professionals and artists to more cost-effective parts of town.

In Baton Rouge, locals are seeing this pattern play out in Mid City, a state-recognized cultural district nestled between the Government Street and Florida Boulevard corridors from downtown to Lobdell Avenue. In recent years, as residents have moved into the once-nondescript commuting stretch of Baton Rouge, business in the area has boomed. In fact, it seems every week a new development or venture is cropping up in the area, from White Star Market to Mid City Ballroom, a joint venture by Steve Levine and James Fogle, a Baton Rouge based musician and realtor.

When Fogle noticed an abandoned church on South Acadian a block from Time Warp Boutique, he couldn’t resist. He already owned and operated Baton Rouge Music Exchange on Perkins, but he said that the lack of foot traffic in the area made him consider Mid City for his next venture: Mid City Ballroom, a music store and concert space with a projected opening date in mid-June. “I would never consider anywhere else but the arts community in Baton Rouge,” Fogle said.

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Anne Milneck, owner of Red Stick Spice Company, has a similar appreciation for the area. When she purchased the business in 2012, there were a few years left on the lease at the store’s original Jefferson Highway location. But after a pop-up at White Light Night, Mid City’s annual winter art crawl, the LSU alum knew Mid City was the right move for the store. “We get to connect on a neighborhood level,” Milneck said. “People want to support local.” With more families moving to the area, small local businesses can thrive. “It’s a little pocket of small town mentality in a big city,” Milneck said. “Folks want to raise their families in an area like that.”

William Doran might be the closest thing to a Mid City expert there is. A Professional in Residence in LSU’s School of Architecture for the past seven years, Doran’s research is focused on understanding cities and communities. In his work with Mid City Studio, a non-profit organization he founded in 2016, he explores the intersections between architecture and community. Mid City Studio is the result of the community design work the New Orleans native began to help foster community engagement and education about the area in 2012. 

As for Mid City’s recent boom, Doran remains cautiously optimistic. “When something starts to appear cool, other people come in,” Doran said, “and we try to advocate for the people already there.” Doran predicts an influx in people and businesses moving into the area in the near future, especially folks who prioritize building community in one of Baton Rouge’s most diverse areas, and those who want to avoid worsening Baton Rouge traffic. He also sees established businesses in other cities eyeing the area (Dat Dog and District Donuts of New Orleans, for example), and is committed to making sure locals don’t get elbowed out by bigger business. 

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Another avenue for change coming to the area is the highly-debated proposed “road diet” that will narrow Government Street down to one lane going each direction and add a center turning lane as well as bicycle lanes with the end goal of reducing accidents and making the area more pedestrian-friendly, which would bode well for area businesses. However, the plan continues to change shape and has yet to start, with projected completion dates ranging from 2016 to 2019. “I’m always optimistic, but Baton Rouge is Baton Rouge,” Fogle said. “If it goes through, it’ll be a nice shot in the arm for Baton Rouge.”

Road diet or not, Mid City's storefronts are in flux. You can find Aladdin's Lamp, formerly across from Baton Rouge High, further down Government Street in a large warehouse behind Oriental Pearl Restaurant. In its old location, passersby will note The Pink Elephant Antiques, the city’s largest antiques dealer, Elsie’s Plate and Pie is opening where Honeymoon Bungalow used to be, following the thrift store's mourned closing, and word on the street is that investors have purchased the building that formerly housed Sarki’s Oriental Rugs and Antique Gallery, with no hint to its future intended purpose.

With an increasing population of creatives and interested investors at the ready, Mid City has the potential to grow into a thriving community for transplanted artists and businesses, and hopefully local residents as well. 

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