On April 7, 1999 during a joint press conference of City and Parish leaders, Mayor Hightower announced the City’s decision to relocate City Hall to downtown’s 150,000 sq. ft. N.O. Thomas Plaza. After evaluating all potentially suitable buildings, the choices were narrowed to the now-vacant Joe D. Waggonner Building and N.O. Thomas Plaza. Negotiations with the two property owners resulted in two favorable options for the City. Eventually, the Thomas Building’s attributes tipped the scale. During the press conference, Mayor Hightower pledged to work with downtowners to recruit the state back to downtown.

The move was made more impressive by a dramatic demonstration of intergovernmental cooperation. The Parish bought and occupies 21% of the building while the city takes a 79% share. For a number of years the Parish has been stuggling with a serious space problem. As a result of the move, the Parish Courthouse was cleared of some administrative functions leaving much needed space for additional courtrooms.

The Opportunity

Interestingly, the soft downtown office market created a unique opportunity. Hightower and CAO Ken Antee quickly realized that for the same amount of money, the City could purchase and renovate a substantially larger building in downtown and move the police department into the administration building attached to the existing police headquarters. The Parish’s need for space added to the favorable economics, making the entire project a substantial win for the entire community. The proposed 45,000 sq. ft. police building and campus improvements were scheduled to cost $244.88 per sq. ft. The fully renovated N.O. Thomas building and campus improvements cost the City $92.20 per sq. ft. The city owns 66,000 sq. ft. more than the original plan anticipated, and paid $485,870 less than originally estimated. For months, a grass roots effort led by Downtown Shreveport Unlimited built support for the move. Merchants and property owners displayed bright yellow "We Need City Hall Downtown!" signs and yellow lapel stickers with the same message were distributed. Calls to elected officials and pleas to the public for support came from volunteers and advocates. On April 27, Shreveport City Council voted 7-0 in favor of the move to N.O. Thomas Plaza.

Tale of the Tape: