Fig. 37. 1920’s church on the plantation (Bldg. 98).
A commercial establishment which was necessary in the delta was the commissary. It served the same function as the general store previously described for the hill lands west of the river. The commissary depicted in [figure 36] has double doors flanked by large display windows. High windows on the side walls provide light and cross ventilation. This, too, would be a place for exchange of conversation as well as purchase of goods.
The community church would serve the plantation workers and their families. The buildings were generally composed of one large assembly room and classrooms as appendages to the main building. A porch protected the double entry doors. A mark of individuality might have been created in the treatment of the belfry. The church illustrated in [figure 37] has a single small belfry, but often twin towers were constructed. In addition to this function as a summons to worship, the bell was often used as a community signal of momentous events such as a birth or death on the plantation.
MONROE AND WEST MONROE,
THE TWIN CITIES ON THE OUACHITA...
THE ARCHITECTURE OF THE TWIN CITIES
Field research of the buildings of Ouachita Parish has revealed that there are three distinct characteristic types of architecture. In the western hilly region of the parish is the small farm type, and in the eastern river delta region the rural plantation type prevailed. Both of these have been previously described. The third category of architecture is the urban type, found within the environs of Monroe and West Monroe.
Whereas the rural architecture, with the exception of the plantation owner’s house, tended to be utilitarian and unconcerned with stylistic trends, the urban architecture very often was reflective of the currently popular national architectural styles. The styles most evident in extant residences in Monroe and West Monroe include Greek Revival, Queen Anne, Colonial Revival and California Bungalow.
Styles found in ecclesiastical, civic and commercial buildings include Victorian Gothic and the Classic Revivals of the twentieth century.
Following is a sampling of the various folk and styled architecture found within the city limits of Monroe and West Monroe.