The city has begun looking for ideas to eliminate the ongoing expense of owning the 1830-vintage Duchamp Opera House. At the September 18 city council meeting, Dist.1 councilman Mike Fuselier said the time has come to rethink the city’s involvement with the historic building.
In the 1800’s, the location became the cultural center of St. Martinville. Traveling opera companies, dance troupes and acting groups from all parts of the world performed there.
In 1918, the opera house was reconfigured into The Bienvenu Brothers Department Store which was in successful operation for 76 years. When the building was donated to the city by the Reuben-Willie-Zerben Bienvenu family in 1998, a grant was secured to restore it to its 19th-century form.
After the restoration, the Evangeline Players staged theater productions there for more than a decade. But the troupe has disbanded and there are no performances on the old stage and the gift shop on the ground floor is not operating at a profit.
Fuselier said it is costing the city more than $50,000 per year to own the building and operate the gift shop. The time, he said, has come to make decisions about the city’s involvement.
A proposal was made to task the St. Martinville Main Street Association with developing ideas for the building. Dist. 3 councilman Dennis Paul Williams said he is opposed to any move that would involve selling the iconic property, suggesting it might be better used as a dedicated art space to highlight local talent. Others suggested the building would be ideal for a museum.
With two council members absent, there was no second offered to Fuselier’s proposal to seek input from the Main Street Assn. He said he will bring the matter up at the next meeting.