Developer Richard Carmouche is restoring the historic Kleinpeter House, a 200-year-old farmhouse located in the center of his traditional neighborhood development, The Settlement at Willow Grove.
Though Carmouche doesn’t own the house, which still belongs to the Kleinpeter family, he has an agreement with the family to restore it.
“This was always part of the plan,” says Carmouche, who acquired the land on Perkins Road from the Kleinpeters for Willow Grove and began developing the TND in the mid-2000s. “It just took a little longer than planned.”
Once completed, the approximately 3,000-square-foot, two-story house will be used as a venue for events and gatherings in Willow Grove. It is surrounded by green space that will be landscaped into a common area for TND residents.
Carmouche estimates the cost of the restoration will be around $1 million and should be completed by the end of the year. Work to the interior of the house began several months ago, but the project has only recently begun to attract attention, as exterior work has gotten underway.
Carmouche says he will apply for state and federal historic building tax credits to help defray the cost of the renovation.
The Kleinpeter House, which was built in 1820, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is one of just five examples of the Creole architectural style in East Baton Rouge Parish. It retains many original details, including Federal mantels, beaded ceiling beams, two-story full length galleries, Bousillage walls, and an exterior staircase.
—Stephanie Riegel
