On a recent trip to Shreveport, we headed Downtown to indulge in two of my favorite hobbies; photography and looking at architecture..

While much of downtown Shreveport is like downtown segments of many cities across the United States, with some run-down areas; there are several lovely buildings from by-gone areas.

Downtown Shreveport (and other images of Shreveport)

The Strand

Most notably among these buildings is the Strand theater.  Originally built in 1925, (according to a local press clipping from the time), the Strand was originally conceived almost 18 years earlier.  It cost one million dollars to complete and opened its doors to the public for its first performance on July 3, 1925.  The first show at the Strand was “The Chocolate Soldier,” a comedic operetta first written in 1860, and popularized on Broadway in 1909.

Despite it’s illustrious opening, by the 1970’s the Strand had closed and fallen into disrepair.  It wasn’t until 1984 that the Strand re-opened, after several years of painstaking and meticulous restoration.

While we were wandering downtown and taking pictures – we noticed that the marquee was advertising a show that evening – for a Queen tribute band, “One Night of Queen”.  Who could pass that up??  so off we went..

A Night of Queen with Gary Mullen

Low light, and constantly changing light conditions, using my long lens (200mm), no flash, subjects with rapid movement.. Some of the pictures are terrible – but it sure was fun!  As you can see – the photos are a riot of color and noise, but it was great practice while rocking out to some great music..

Thank you to everyone at the Strand for allowing us to take pictures.  (They usually restrict photography, but immediately before the show, several ushers stated that photography would be permitted.)

The Riverwalk –

The River Boardwalk is a modern creation, devised to attract tourists to the areas surrounding the waterfront casinos.  On one side of the river lies a park and trails, along with a small string of businesses (that were almost all closed when we strolled by) and on the other side of the river, a huge shopping complex (and more casinos.)

We strolled down to the River Boardwalk after walking around downtown.  While most of it is pretty typical and kind of generic looking, I did enjoy some of the art designed to highlight Shreveport and its history.

The panel above is my favorite – in a string of decorated panels on the underside of the Neon Bridge.  There is a performance stage, several preserved handprints as well as a lonely little Mexican restaurant.  (All the other storefronts were vacant.)

More Shreveport: 

While I always fall in love with the big things; bridges, skyscrapers and massive landscapes – along with their rich details, there is so much more to Shreveport.

While looking for more information about Shreveport architecture, I found another great photography blog called Southern Lagniappe.  If you want to better know Shreveport, and architecture, this is a good place to start.

Now, if you love home architecture, especially the ‘Painted Ladies’ – Gerald Massey has written a nice article about some of the Victorian homes in the city. (As the proud owner of my own historic home, in my native Virginia, these homes always make me just a tad wistful.)