Lafayette Cemetery No. 1 remains closed to the public.
At this time, only permitted workers and families burying loved ones
or visiting and tending their graves are allowed into the cemetery.
At this time, only permitted workers and families burying loved ones
or visiting and tending their graves are allowed into the cemetery.
FAQs about Cemetery Closure
Notice Spring, 2024: Significant changes recently in several city administration departments have resulted in further delays in cemetery plans. Contact information for questions about proposed repairs, a reopening timeline or any other concerns remains the same as posted in the Spring, 2022 notice below.
Notice Spring, 2023: Please contact the number posted in the 2022 notice below with any questions regarding the cemetery's closure, current work within it or its anticipated reopening date.
Notice Spring, 2022: For all questions about the city's proposed timeline for re-opening Lafayette No. 1 to the public, call the cemetery office at 504-658-3781.
Update Spring, 2020: Closures and protocols during the Covid-19 pandemic have delayed the city's repair plans at Lafayette No. 1 and its projected re-open date. The situation remains in flux at this time.
Note: Some information on this page may be outdated.
Q1) When will the cemetery re-open?
A) The planned re-opening of Lafayette Cemetery No. 1 in Spring, 2020, has been unavoidably delayed due to the pandemic and other factors. (See Covid note above.) The city hired a new Superintendent of Cemeteries in late 2019 to oversee all city cemeteries including Lafayette No. 1. The Cemetery Division office can be reached at 504-658-3781. (Note: As of 2024, there is a new interim Cemetery Division Superintendent and a new Property Management Director. Both departments are conscientiously working to handle all cemetery needs across the city as well as to continue working on specific improvements in Lafayette No. 1.)
Q2) What work is being done?
A) The city is working with Parks and Parkways and other professionals, including arborists, to make informed decisions about the magnolia trees that line the main cemetery aisles and their root systems that are impacting tombs and walkways. This work has included cleaning accumulated vegetative debris (mostly oak and magnolia leaves) and mud from walkways and around tombs and trimming branches overhanging cemetery walls and tombs. Weed and "trash tree" removal continues on an on-going basis.
Other professionals have been called in and consulted on the more difficult and extensive repair work needed. Addressing root damage to tombs and walkways, water line repair, exterior wall repair, securing tombs desecrated by the ghoulishly motivated and a complete rebuild of the sexton's cottage constitute just some of the on-going work involved. A much-needed walkway reconstruction is currently in process to make the cemetery's main aisles safer to traverse.
There are still on-going repairs to vandalized and damaged tombs (some by the city and some contracted privately by owners) with others still to be scheduled. Fragile cemetery infrastructure deteriorated severely in recent years due to a sharp increase in unsupervised traffic and abuses. (See Gallery page.) City officials assure us they are determined to take the necessary steps now to repair it and to protect it in the future as the city budget allows.
Q3) Who is allowed in the cemetery during its closure?
A) While the extensive repairs are in progress, only family members with loved ones interred in Lafayette No. 1, workers hired by the city for repairs and cemetery professionals hired to work directly on individual tombs or copings are allowed into the cemetery. Each of these must request specific permission from the city for access and is held accountable for what happens while they are there. Neither workers nor family members are allowed to let anyone else in, including other family members with plots in the cemetery. Each must request individual permission from the cemetery office. See Question # 4 below.
City officials say their main interest is to provide limited access to those with legitimate reasons to enter the cemetery (such as family members visiting loved ones’ graves and professional cemetery workers) while assuring protection and safety and preventing abuses during its closure. The city has declared Lafayette No. 1 an unsafe environment for general visitation.
Q4) How does a family member request access to the cemetery during its closure?
A) This process has changed a couple of times during the closure. The city first requested day and time blocks for families to be allowed entrance during specified hours. This proved difficult for the limited staff to manage, so they now ask family members of loved ones interred in Lafayette No. 1 who need to enter to contact them individually for entrance at least a couple of days in advance. They will vet all requests through their data base and official records. Cemetery office hours are Mondays – Fridays from 7 am to 3 pm. The cemetery office number is 504-658-3781. Please note, cemetery staff are limited in number and are not available after 3 pm on weekdays or all day on weekends except as pre-arranged for a burial or in an emergency. Direct family members of those interred in Lafayette No. 1 can also contact LCTC with questions through the Contact Us portal on this website.
Q5) Will non-family visitors be allowed in the cemetery once it re-opens?
A) The current plan is to allow guests into Lafayette No. 1 in a way that does not disrespect those interred there or further damage or desecrate this sacred and historic place. As the legal steward of those buried in Lafayette No. 1 and of their resting places (as well as of those in all city cemeteries), the city has stated that it is committed to maintaining the cemetery's purpose as a burial place for the dead to rest in peace and that future guests will be expected to honor this. Planned signage on cemetery grounds will also inform any guests that all tombs and graves in Lafayette No. 1 are private property and that trespassing of any kind is not permitted. The city plans for any public reopening to coincide with budgeting for on-site security and effective enforcement of regulations. Specifics on guest visitation once the cemetery re-opens are still in the planning stages.
NOTE: All procedures above are evolving as city officials work through long-neglected policies and processes. There may still be additional changes. They ask that family members please be patient as this process unfolds. LCTC will notify its associates of any changes affecting families and post public city notices regarding Lafayette No. 1 on its website.