Elevated construction costs have led to a setback for a new office for Baton Rouge’s official tourism agency.
Visit Baton Rouge, currently located at 359 Third St., is moving its headquarters to 232 Lafayette St. and taking on a project to renovate the vacant, century-old building. At a special board meeting Tuesday, the organization’s board of directors unanimously voted to reject all contractors’ bids for the project due to their high price tags.
Visit Baton Rouge estimated the renovation of 232 Lafayette St., in shell condition, to cost $5 million, but the four contractors’ estimates range from $1.6 million to $2.6 million more than the estimate. Visit Baton Rouge CEO Jill Kidder said she believes high demand for construction, elevated labor and construction costs, which have burdened many real estate developers, caused the high bids.
Moving forward, architects working on the renovation will work with some of the bidders to figure out ways to reduce the scope of work to help drive down the cost. Kidder said the process will extend the project’s timeline, and she hopes to still move into the new office sometime next year, though she is unsure if that can happen.
Visit Baton Rouge purchased the building in February 2025 for $850,000. The new location is more than double the size of the organization’s Third Street office and will center Visit Baton Rouge in the heart of downtown, just across the street from the future Sports Illustrated Resort.