For generations of Black students in Acadiana, Holy Rosary meant opportunity. The school on Louisiana Avenue in north Lafayette closed in 1993. Now, new construction is coming to the campus.
On Tuesday, Oct. 13, the Lafayette Economic Development Authority broke ground on its Small Business Success Center at the Holy Rosary campus, at the corner of Louisiana Avenue and Carmel Drive. According to Acadiana News First, LEDA is investing $5.9 million in the center, funded through LEDA and state capital outlay money.
"We're going to provide education training, workshops, one-on-one business coaching and counseling, and youth entrepreneurship programming for the people of Lafayette and really for the people of Acadiana," said Mandi Mitchell, president and CEO of LEDA.
What's being built
The 8,600-square-foot center will include training rooms, private counseling offices and space for LEDA's small business team. It will also house upLFT Capital Access, a nonprofit partner that helps connect businesses with capital.
According to Developing Lafayette, upLFT Capital Access, also known as the Lafayette Community Development Fund, is one of the center's planned anchor tenants. It's working to become a Community Development Financial Institution, which would let it expand financing for small businesses that may struggle to get traditional bank loans.
The center will serve a wide range of businesses, including small businesses, sole proprietors and people running side businesses or doing gig work, Developing Lafayette reported. The center is expected to add youth entrepreneurship programming, building on LEDA's summer entrepreneurship boot camps.
Developing Lafayette reported that construction is expected to begin in December 2026 or January 2027 and take about 12 months, putting completion around late 2027 or early 2028. No contractor has been named publicly.
A campus with deep roots
Holy Rosary was home to a Black Catholic school founded in 1913. The Holy Rosary Institute provided vocational and technical education to Black students before it closed in 1993. Developing Lafayette noted the institute is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is one of the few remaining historic Black Catholic high school buildings in the country.
The Small Business Success Center is the first major new construction project to break ground on the roughly 40-acre property as part of its redevelopment, according to Developing Lafayette.
"Unfortunately, the school closed and when you lose an asset, when you lose a cultural asset, an education asset, it really ripples throughout the entire community. So, it's exciting to play a role and for LEDA to be a part of bringing this campus and this entire corridor back to life," Mitchell said.
Dustin Cravins, president of the Holy Rosary Redevelopment board, said the history makes the project especially meaningful.
"Rosary was founded in the heart of the Jim Crow era, and so for them to have that kind of vision back then, if we can once again return this soil back to the community so that it produces and bears fruit once again, we understand that it will absolutely serve all of us," Cravins said.
The center isn't the only project planned for the area. The Lafayette Parish Public Library's planned Northeast Regional Branch is expected to bring more activity to the corridor. Developing Lafayette listed other planned campus developments, including the Norman C. Francis Public Library, a new Head Start facility and improved pedestrian connections.
State Sen. Gerald Boudreaux helped secure state funding for the project over several legislative sessions, according to Developing Lafayette. "This is the most transformative project that we will have in this community for a long time," Boudreaux said at the ceremony.
"We don't want to leave anyone behind," Mitchell said. "We want everyone to take part in the economic opportunities afforded to us throughout Lafayette and throughout Acadiana."
Why it matters for Contractors
An 8,600-square-foot, $5.9 million building funded with LEDA and state capital outlay money is a solid public job for Lafayette-area general contractors and their subs, from site work and concrete to framing, roofing, MEP, drywall and finishes. Training rooms and counseling offices mean a good amount of interior build-out. With LEDA and state capital outlay money involved, contractors should be ready for the paperwork that comes with public funding. No contractor has been named, and construction is expected to begin in December 2026 or January 2027, so contractors should watch for bid notices. And with a library, a Head Start facility and other projects planned for the corridor, the Holy Rosary campus could be a source of work in north Lafayette for years.