OPELOUSAS, LA- The former New Drug Store building (Lacombe Building) on Court Street in downtown Opelousas has been selected as one of the grant recipients of the Paul Bruhn Historic Revitalization Grant administered through Louisiana Main Street. The $55-thousand-dollar grant award will go towards rehabilitation work for the two-story brick building located across the St. Landry Parish Courthouse. The grant also requires a $10-thousand-dollar match toward project costs. The priority of the grant program is to return currently vacant or under-utilized historic buildings into productive use.
Constructed by A. L. Lacombe in the early 1900s, its early occupants included Fontenot & Ardoin Saloon and the Opelousas Social Club. Later, the building served as commercial space for a variety of businesses including the Opelousas Motor Company, the St. Landry National Farm Loan Association, Bailey and Garland Law Firm and C.P. Dunbar & Brothers Real Estate.
The New Drug Store, owned by Charles B. Genin and A. J. Boudreaux, opened in 1923 on the first floor of the building. During the 1930s, the drug store employed Opelousas culinary seasoning icon and chef, Tony Chachere, as a pharmacist. In the 1940s, the building transformed into a newsstand and a popular soda shop. In 1941, L. L. McCarthy purchased the building, and later, his son William took over operations of the New Drug Store. The New Drug Store closed its doors in the mid-1990s.
In 1989, the New Drug Store building was included as a contributing element for the Opelousas National Historic District. The Historic Revitalization Subgrant Program (HRSP) provides funds to encourage the revitalization of historic downtown commercial properties located in designated Louisiana Main Street districts in communities with less than 50,000 population. The HRSP serves to promote community revitalization and stimulate economic growth and vitality, in addition to enriching cultural tourism. Grant funds are made possible through the National Park Service through the Historic Revitalization Subgrant Program, administered by Louisiana Main Street.
Last modified: February 17, 2025
