Ooh La La in Lala

While Lafayette's namesake is rooted in the Marquis De Lafayette, one of the most famous French figures in American culture and French history, the city itself lacks any substantial French roots. Prior to the establishment of Lafayette and the state of Indiana, the little outpost of Fort Ouiatenon held a substantial French community of 14 or so permanent families in the 18th century, though it still paled in comparison to the small French city of Vincennes just down the Wabash. However, by the time of the Battle of Tippecanoe the French residents of Fort Ouiatenon had fled to Vincennes and settlements west of the Mississippi in Spanish holdings. The last remnant of the French met the torch when American forces lit Ouiatenon ablaze to discourage natives from returning. It would be several decades of the world turning upside down, empires falling and wars between American settlers and Tecumseh led natives before William Digby would wander into the area in an abandoned patch of half-cultivated wilderness to establish the city of Lafayette in 1825. Lafayette was named not in honor of the region's French heritage, but because the revolutionary war hero, Marquis De Lafayette was on tour in the nation at the time. Whether or not William Digby was even aware that the area was ever under French control is up for debate.

"We established Ouiatenon, not La Fayette!"

Yet, French influence would eventually return to Lafayette in the form of architecture. Americans eagerly mimicked and transformed the latest architectural fashions coming out of England and France. One that took a particular strong hold in the United States and Lafayette by extension was the glorious Second-Empire style. The style, in stark contrast to the austere Greek revival or whimsical Gothic revival, expressed power, wealth, and a powerful appetite for the grandiose architecture of the old world. The Second-Empire style is named for the Second Empire of France, which was the Imperial Bonapartist regime of Napoleon III from 1852 to 1870, between the Second Republic and the Third Republic, in France. Napoleon III was responsible for the reconstruction of Paris in the 19th century that produced its familiar form today, in part by reviving the Mansard roof which was developed during the 1600’s Renaissance by Francois Mansart.


The style is undoubtedly recognizable by one feature; the mansard roof. Architecture.about.com defines the mansard roof as a roof that has two slopes on each of the four sides. The lower slope is so steep that it can look like a vertical wall with dormers. The upper slope has a low pitch and is not easily seen from the ground. A mansard roof has no gables.

Source formfronts.com

Between the 1860's and 1880's, the Second Empire style took off in the bustling and emerging city of Lafayette. Stores, houses, schools, and public buildings alike were thrown up in the grand French style. Was it inspired by the French roots of the region? Unlikely, yet it unwittingly gave a respectful nod to the French world, and by extension, the long since passed French town that preceded Lafayette. The Lafayette residents of the Second-Empire period were likely more inclined by the "cutting edge" look of the Second-Empire style than any reference to what they perceived as a long gone people, if they knew they were there at all.

Lafayette today has an unusually large number of Second Empire structures still standing for a Midwest city. Their popularity dramatically fell in the 20th century and the opulent structures frequently met their end with the wrecking ball. While possessing many Second Empire structures, Lafayette itself suffered several dramatic losses of important Second-Empire buildings in the city.


One of the most famous symbols of both Lafayette history and nostalgia is also one of the best surviving examples of the Second Empire style in Lafayette. The McCord Candies shop at Main and Sixth Street has survived to this day since its construction in 1867. Although it has experienced some alterations to the store front, it remains surprisingly intact despite the alterations and destruction of its neighbors. The tall steep Mansard roof and extravagant architecture make this structure seem more at home in Montreal or a French village than an Indiana town. The McCord's building is protected as part of the Main Street protective district.

Ball Building

Another example, just across the street, stands as a colorful alternative to the more uniform McCord's building. The Ball Building was constructed in 1867, the same year as McCord's. While both are Second-Empire, they reflect two very different approaches to the style within the United States. While the McCord's building is more pure to the French style, the Ball Building is a more colorful, Americanized version of the style.

Just further east on Main Street one can find a "secret" second-empire behind a much larger and more imposing Italianate commercial building at Main and 8th. The "secret" second-empire is very modest in comparison to its more grand counterparts, and looks as if it hopped right out of a backstreet in a modest Quebec neighborhood.

Ce n'est pas mal!

Another one that is a very unique take on the Second-Empire style is the lovely building that houses Kathy's Kandies. The structure is a very rare example of the "1-story" second empire, with the second floor receding into a mansard roof. The general rule of thumb for Second Empire is that there is always a floor separating the ground floor and the Mansard roof floor, but the builder of this whimsical structure took their own direction in its design.



The structure used to be part of a longer stretch of "1 story" second-empires reaching all the way down to a 2-story Second Empire, which, as the photo below makes evident, had already been defaced by the early 20th century.




One by one the Second-Empires fell, until historic preservation came to the rescue of the last remaining "1-story second-empire" that would become Kathy's Kandies.



However, even this old Second Empire was in such rough condition that very little of the original facade remained. This makes it appear as a more modern structure, save for a few details like this original pressed tin ceiling. Unlike the Greek Revival, the Second Empire has to be subject to more dramatic alterations to lose its characteristic style and architectural contribution. This makes it recognizable even after considerable abuse.

    The commercial core of Lafayette itself, while still possessing many historic Second-Empire structures, has experienced significant losses through the years. One example is the St. Nicholas Hotel, a grand hotel that used to stand near Main and 2nd street where the Chase Bank Plaza is today.



The loss of Second Empire architecture in Lafayette was just one symptom of both reckless demolition and poor urban planning that plagued the country in the mid and late 20th century, the damage of which we are still recovering from as a community today. Historic preservation during this period was only beginning to develop, and Main Street was not yet a protected district. Had the district been given protection following World War II, much more of our prized historic architecture would be standing today.

Early Second-Empire structures to meet the wrecking ball included the grandiose bank that stood at the Southwest corner of 3rd and Columbia. Yet, this demolition is different, as the structure was replaced not with a modernist box or a parking lot, but rather a stately neoclassical vault-style bank in the early 20th century.




I can't pick! I love them both!

Other demolitions didn't have such lovely replacements. One such loss exists in the Capitol Hotel. The Capitol Hotel used to stand at South and 2nd street before it was demolished in the mid-20th century after the construction of the South and Columbia Street bridges.



Second Empire was also gained some modest popularity as a housing style in Lafayette, though it never came close to the popularity of Italianate. Examples of this include more opulent structures such as the Ball Mansion, Fitzgerald House and Ward house, though more modest examples exist in middle class homes, apartment structures, and duplexes across the city.


Ball Mansion



Ward House at 1116 Columbia


Left-corner of New York and Seventh-Right-Corner of Tippecanoe and 7th

The Second Empire style has suffered losses in the past, and may suffer more in the future if the community does not act quickly. One of the finest examples of Second Empire in the city, the Fitzgerald House at 717 Columbia, is on Wabash Valley Trust's endangered list. Despite some recent renovation work, the future is still uncertain for this landmark. Open windows expose the interior to the elements, which spells bad news for our historic buildings. Furthermore, the two historic homes located behind the Fitzgerald house were recently demolished by the Central Presbyterian Church, a testimony to the lack of protection in this historic neighborhood. Many of our second-Empire structures remain unprotected to this day due to a severe lack of historic protection in Lafayette's old city.

While Lafayette's French architecture only unwittingly nods to the region's old French heritage, it remains one of downtown Lafayette's key features. The style has been adapted across the city for many different purposes, though unfortunately many of those examples have been lost. The preservation of our remaining Second-Empire buildings is essential to the preservation of the city's historic urban fabric and by extension, our identity as a city and who we are as a people.