About
New Iberia’s downtown revitalization achievements exemplify the Main Street approach to commercial district revitalization and preservation of historic structures. Charm and commerce blend well on New Iberia’s Main Street. Nearly 80% of the buildings located within the downtown Commercial Historic District have been completely renovated and restored, while retaining the integrity of their original construction. Many of them date back to the late 1890s. In 2005, New Iberia Main Street received the nationally acclaimed “Great American Main Street Award®” by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, National Main Street Center®, a first in Louisiana for successful re-vitalization efforts. In 2009 Lt. Mitch Landrieu presented New Iberia Main Street with an award for “Outstanding Main Street Initiative.” Most recently “CNN International GO” on the world-wide web acknowledged New Iberia Main Street in their article, “12 Timely Reasons to Hit the United States in 2012.” “The revitalization of downtown New Iberia is the direct result of the community’s unified goal to re-establish this historic commercial district,” said Richard Moe, past-president of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. “Today’s downtown New Iberia is an extension of its status as an antebellum center of culture, commerce, and tourism in the state of Louisiana.
