By Amanda Capritto
The future of the downtown Capitol Park Welcome Center has been in limbo in recent months. The state considered selling it off for a quick buck before a backlash started in May over the site’s historical significance.
We’ve been wondering what would happen to the full-scale model of downtown Baton Rouge that’s housed inside.
The impressive 10-by-12-foot model focuses on the state buildings, capitol grounds, parts of Spanish Town and other landmarks in that area. It was meant to be interactive, with buttons for audio explanations, but staff say those functions have rarely worked.
As of press time, the state was emptying items from the Welcome Center, though the oversized model still stands.
Jacques Berry, communications director for the Lieutenant Governor’s Office, says the administration would likely send the model to state museum professionals for an appraisal.
“We’d get our museum curators to find out what it’s worth and what’s the best use for it, and from there we’d find the best place to keep it,” Berry says.
The facility, first opened in 2007, will still be available to book for events, Berry says, while tourists will be directed to the welcome desk in the Memorial Hall on the first floor of the capitol building for information and brochures.
