case study
French House at LSU Baton Rouge
The French House at Louisiana State University holds one of the most distinctive settings on the Baton Rouge campus. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the building carries architectural, cultural, and institutional significance that demanded a landscape installation equal to its role at LSU.
Historic Campus
Landscape Installation
Flora Landscape Contractors delivered the full softscape and irrigation scope for the French House, creating a finished campus landscape that frames the building and defines the pedestrian approaches to reinforce the property’s presence as the home of the Roger Hadfield Ogden Honors College.
A Landscape Designed Around Place
A Native Planting Strategy for a Historic LSU Landmark
Flora installed a complete planting package using a palette selected in keeping with LSU’s native plant philosophy. The plant material reflects Louisiana’s regional landscape character while supporting long-term performance in a high-visibility campus environment.
The installation uses layered foundation planting, broad green lawn panels, ornamental grasses, and defined bed lines to complement the French House without competing with its architecture. Around the building, planting softens the base of the structure and gives the historic façade a maintained, established setting. Along the walks and plaza areas, mass plantings guide movement through the site and strengthen the building’s formal campus presence.
Irrigation Built Into the Plan
Zoned Irrigation for a High-Visibility Campus Landscape
Flora designed and installed a fully zoned irrigation system covering all planted areas. Each zone was planned around plant material, sun exposure, bed layout, and site conditions to give the new landscape reliable coverage across the property.
For an institutional site with daily traffic from students, faculty, alumni, and visitors, dependable irrigation is essential. The system supports healthy establishment, consistent growth, and efficient grounds maintenance across the French House landscape.
A Building With Rare Historical Weight
A National Register Landmark at the Heart of LSU
The French House opened in 1935 as a Romance languages immersion dormitory and was dedicated during LSU’s Diamond Jubilee. Its cornerstone was laid by Senator Huey P. Long and French Ambassador André de Laboulaye. Enclosed inside the cornerstone is a piece of red cypress wood taken from Fort de la Boulaye, one of the earliest French settlements in Louisiana, founded in 1700.
Architecturally, the French House stands apart from the rest of LSU’s campus. Designed by Weiss, Dreyfous & Seiferth, the New Orleans firm behind the Louisiana State Capitol, the building was modeled after a chateau in the Calvados region of Normandy. Its French chateau style differs from the Italian Renaissance and Mission Revival language that defines much of the university’s historic campus.
Since 1999, the building has served as the headquarters of the Roger Hadfield Ogden Honors College. The property has undergone several renovations over its lifetime, including a $5 million interior renovation completed in 2016. Flora’s landscape installation contributes to the continued stewardship of this landmark and strengthens the way the building is presented within the LSU campus environment.
Commercial Landscape Work With Institutional Visibility
A Landmark Landscape for One of LSU’s Most Recognizable Buildings
The French House required landscape work with restraint and respect for historic context. Flora’s scope had to serve a working campus while presenting a National Register property with the level of care expected for one of LSU’s most important buildings.
The completed landscape gives the French House a clear, refined exterior setting. Curved walks, formal planting beds, foundation shrubs, lawn areas, and massed plantings work together to frame the architecture and guide movement through the site. The result is a campus landscape that supports daily use while honoring the building’s history and stature.
YOU CAN HAVE IT ALL
YOU CAN HAVE IT ALL
YOU CAN HAVE IT ALL YOU CAN HAVE IT ALL
South Louisiana Landscape Expertise for Landmark Properties
Flora Landscape Contractors designs and installs commercial landscapes for universities, institutions, developers, property managers, and public-facing properties across South Louisiana. The French House at LSU reflects Flora’s ability to execute landscape work on sites where visibility and historical context matter.
For LSU’s landmark property, Flora delivered planting and irrigation work that supports the native plant direction and strengthens the building’s campus presence. The result is a landscape setting worthy of the Ogden Honors College and its history.
