Historic Pavilion is 'the center of life for town': Abita Springs Town Talk

The Historic Pavilion, circa 1884, serves as a modern gathering point just as it did in decades past. (Photo by Kara Martinez Bachman)
"It got it up to where people could see it…It’s now the center of life for town."

Many towns have a social nexus…a center…a core. In the case of Abita Springs, that town square is generally considered to be Abita Park. And within that locus—almost as a jewel set in a crown—stands the Historic Pavilion.

22wt1abita1The illuminated Abita Springs Historic Pavilion, 2013. (Photo by Kara Martinez Bachman)

When visitors come to town, the first thing many are attracted to is the antique white pavilion. In a place often resistant to any change that would diminish local “personality,” the Pavilion stands as an icon, telling outsiders that history is alive and well in what was once a premiere resort town for wealthy New Orleanians. The Historic Pavilion stands as a monument to a local emphasis on preserving the small-town past.

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Pavilion is one of the oldest buildings in St. Tammany Parish. The two-story open air structure has a history that reaches back to the Victorian era. Old photographs of early visitors show the Pavilion as a cover for those who had come to the north shore to enjoy the “healing” waters of the spring. But the history of this old building actually dates back to 1880s New Orleans.

Ron Blitch, chairman of the Abita Springs Historic Commission, clearly enjoys telling the story of the Pavilion. “This was in Audubon Park for the 1884 World’s Fair…and this was moved to the river, on top of the original Abita Springs,” Said Blitch, while sitting on the second story of the Pavilion at a recent fundraising event. The Pavilion was taken apart, moved across Lake Pontchartrain, and then reassembled near the Abita River.

In the old photos, you can see benches surrounding the spring access. You can see glass windows angled over the well. There are ladies in hats and bustles enjoying their day and—no doubt—cool drinks of the water that is today used to make Abita Beer. One of these images appears on an antique postcard, and the text beneath it reads: “Entrance to Natural Springs, Abita Springs, LA. The land of fresh air, pure water, and pines.”

Photos like these show that the present use is no more than an echo of something that has withstood the generations.

Even the nearsighted wrath of Katrina in 2005 could not end the Pavilion’s historical reign over the Abita landscape. In fact, it actually aided in the old structure’s survival.

“I proposed the idea of moving this Pavilion 10 years ago, before Katrina, and everybody said, ‘You’re out of your mind, it won’t happen in your lifetime,’” explained Blitch. The proposal, if enacted, would have moved the Pavilion away from the flood-prone river and given it more prominence as a focal point.

“Then Katrina happened, a tree went through the middle of it, and FEMA said, ‘We’ll restore it, but we won’t move it.’ So they restored it down by the river, and we picked it up and moved it here, put it on a new foundation, and here it is,” said Blitch.

The present site paints a significant portrait for visitors as they enter town. Positioned behind lighted gates with a turn-of-the-century aesthetic, the Pavilion is visible to those heading in on Highway 59 and rounding the traffic circle. It is also an obvious and not-to-be-missed historic site for those touring by way of the Tammany Trace.

In the post-Katrina relocation, the Pavilion became even more of a centerpiece—a jewel—in the architectural crown of a town that is serious about preserving historic architecture.

Blitch is pleased with the current prominence of this landmark. “It got it up to where people could see it…it’s now the center of life for town.”

The Historic Pavilion now hosts various events and festivals and is managed by the Town of Abita Springs. For information, contact Kathy at 985.892.0711.

Columnist Kara Martinez Bachman can be reached at