Waters Pierce Oil Company Stable Building

The oldest commercial building in Calcasieu Parish to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places is a stable. Built in 1900 for Waters Pierce Oil Company — a Standard Oil affiliate — it housed horse-drawn wagons used to deliver oil. Lake Charles was incorporated as the town of Charleston in 1861. Six years later, it was reincorporated as the City of Lake Charles. In April 1910, the Great Fire devastated much of the city. Lake Charles rebuilt. During and after World War II, petrochemical refineries arrived, and the city grew into a major industrial center. The stable predates all of it. It was listed on the National Register in 1980. In 2005, Hurricane Rita heavily damaged the city. In 2020, Category 4 Hurricane Laura battered Lake Charles on August 26–27; Hurricane Delta followed on October 9. After the hurricanes, the city was described as if "20 tornadoes came in and wiped the city." The Junior League of Lake Charles operates here now. The building that once stabled working animals for a company that no longer exists serves a volunteer organization in a city that has endured catastrophe and rebuilding across three centuries. It's still standing.