Guest column: Signs of progress are showing in Morgan City

According to the Brashear News, “We now have in Brashear, three drug stores, fifty wholesale and retail stores, fifteen coffee houses, five billiard rooms, three bakeries, one hotel, five restaurants, and ten or twelve boarding houses.”
This was written in 1876! Morgan City was once a vibrant, growing town
You may not be aware, but progress is again happening in Morgan City!
There are people working to make improvements around town, and some are visible: street corners have been made handicapped accessible; sidewalks have been added that provide walking or biking to areas of town that were previously inaccessible; even a heated public pool is under construction!
Many of our neighbors are making improvements to their homes with some homes being completely renovated and several older homes being brought back to their former glory.
It may not seem that businesses are doing well, but our larger industries are, in the words of someone more knowledgeable than I, blowing and going!
Take note of the improvements recently completed at the entrance to the dock on Front Street and Freret -- new signage and new landscaping — compliments of Morgan City’s Main Street board. Other beautification projects are in the works!
Empty and curtained windows on Front Street now display some of the many historical stories of what it’s like to live along the Atchafalaya. Soon there will be an audio of these panels on the EXPLORE MORGAN CITY app. Download it free to your phone or computer to listen and watch details of our rich and significant history.
This morning I drove by 600 Front St. Fences surround it for safety while the awning, roof and walls are being demolished.
Although the old mid-century modern building is in Morgan City’s Historic District, the demolition was approved by our Historic District Commission because of its decaying condition.
Located on this corner was the former Leon Kahn Department Store. It was declared to be beautifully modern when it was built in 1957. Ladies and men could buy clothing, undergarments, wedding attire, and the best baby wear in town.
What you may not realize is that this modern structure was preceded by two buildings that existed on that same footprint and were constructed very early in the 20th century.
The building on the corner in the old photo was Leon Kahn’s Dry Goods store and took up only half of the Front Street lot on which today’s building stands.
The two-story building on the left next door to Shannon Hardware was constructed in1901 and contained the First National Bank downstairs and a doctor’s office upstairs.   
The very exciting news is that the current owner of the property has plans to rebuild replicas of these two buildings on this site!
The two-story building next to Shannon’s will become a living space while the one-story building on the corner will house three rentable retail spaces.
Thus, Morgan City’s Front Street façade is being brought back in time to its historic origins. 
More improvements are on their way!