Andrew Fitzgerald, Katie Pryor and John Kirby are the poster faces of downtown living in Baton Rouge. That’s nothing official. But as Business Report details in its new cover story, they certainly fit the profile: Young professionals with promising careers living at the swanky Commerce Building apartments, located within walking distance of their offices in the heart of the arts and entertainment district.
Outside of work, they hang out at the pool on the rooftop of the Commerce Building overlooking the Mississippi River. On Sunday nights, they walk over to the Draft House across Third Street to watch “Game of Thrones.” They frequent downtown events, they dine together and they have a message group on the GroupMe app to chat with their other downtown-dwelling friends.
It’s the quintessential live-work-play lifestyle downtown Baton Rouge has been trying to create for more than 20 years.
“The Commerce Building is such a community,” Pryor tells Business Report. “I don’t know what camaraderie is like in other buildings, but for us it isn’t unusual to hang out. I’ll cook and invite people over. When all else fails, someone’s on the rooftop grilling. You’re never bored.”
Inside Magpie Cafe after work, Pryor and Fitzgerald laugh about how downtown living is somewhat reminiscent of a college campus, with a community of like-minded people who have all they need—entertainment, amenities and good company—“on campus.”
“It’s a big deal when we go off campus,” Fitzgerald jokes. “Eventually it’s like, ‘All right, let’s go back to the dorm.’”
Fitzgerald, who moved here from Chicago in 2015, is the director of business intelligence at the Baton Rouge Area Chamber. Pryor, an Alabama native, is the director of the Baton Rouge Film Commission. Both are 33 years old.
Kirby slips into Magpie after a meeting and joins Fitzgerald and Pryor. The 23-year-old South Carolina transplant moved here last August to work at IBM. It wasn’t long before he met the Commerce crew at the rooftop pool.
“One day I asked, ‘What are ya’ll doing later?’—and the rest is history,” Kirby says. “Moving down here I didn’t know anyone. But I’m really having a good time.”
Such is life in downtown Baton Rouge. Ask almost any resident, and they’ll say they love where they live—which explains the growing supply and demand for residential space. Apartment units in the Central Business District have multiplied six-fold since 2015, and occupancy rates hover above 90%, while new developments seem to go up overnight.
Read the full Business Report cover story. Send your comments to editors@businessreport.com.
