Shreveport's New State Building Downtown: What Will it Look Like?

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There has been some exciting news for downtown Shreveport recently with the announcement of the state building moving from Jordan Street & Fairfield Avenue to the old Joe D. Waggonner building in downtown Shreveport.

The Current Joe D. Waggonner Building/Photo Courtesy of the DDA

State Representative Cedric Glover recently held a meeting at ArtSpace downtown to share the latest details on the project. And it seems to be moving right along. The Joe D. Waggonner Building, previously home to the Federal Courthouse, has been vacant for years. At one time, there were plans to turn the building into a law school, but the deal never materialized.

DDA

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Newman Marchive Inc. has been retained for building demolition and asbestos abatement. They will also be in charge of removing the building's facade as well as all interior components, including concrete, piping and mechanical systems. Work is expected to begin as early as this summer, with this part of the project taking up to 200-300 days.

Architectural Rendering of Construction/Photo Courtesy of the DDA

Architectural firm Coe/Architectronica are expected to provide drawings by this Christmas. Once received, the state will begin soliciting bids on construction, with the goal of employees being in the new location by 2025.

Exciting News Will Have a Huge Impact on Downtown Shreveport

An architectural rendering of the new state building

At the recent meeting, Coe said the ability to be able to use portions of the existing building will add up to significant savings. He said concrete and steel are some of the biggest and most expensive components in the project. "Adaptive reuse allows us to use what's already there," creating more sustainability, and lower costs.

Architectural rendering of the new state office building with entrance oriented to Marshall Street instead of McNeil.

This is exciting news not only for downtown, but the project will open opportunities for many local jobs as bids are made available to local construction professionals, designers, landscapers and artists during the construction.

Officials expect at least 350 employees will be moving into the new building, with the possibility of even more being added in the future. The state is in the process of interviewing each division to determine their individual space, technical, and storage needs.