Living in an A. Hays Town Home in Lafayette

By Stephanie M. Chambers

A. Hays Town: The Mahtook Residence in  Lafayette, Louisiana

While in Louisiana this spring to study the residential architecture of A. Hays Town, Texas architect Steve Chambers spent several days in Lafayette, Louisiana. Chambers visited the home of Robert and Judy Mahtook, located between the ULL campus and the Oil Center. The home was originally built by the Oil Center contractor, Horace Rickey, for his own family. It was one of the first homes in the city designed by A. Hays Town. The original home of Maurice Heymann, developer of the Oil Center, was also designed by Town and gifted to the university by the family and is incorporated into the campus buildings of ULL. The Heymann home predates the Mahtook home. A comparison of the two homes demonstrates A. Hays Town’s gradual evolution from French Norman with International modern influences (The Heymann Home) to his distinctive embrace of the Louisiana folk vernacular (The Mahtook Home).

Lafayette, The Heart of Acadiana

Lafayette is located in south central Louisiana and serves as an economic center in Louisiana. The region’s legendary joie de vivre and Cajun and Creole cultures create a unique environment for work and play. A recent issue of Southern Business and Development magazine named Lafayette as a Top 10 place in the South for the “creative class,” citing Lafayette’s risk-taking spirit and technological advantages. Lafayette has one of the most robust economic infrastructures in the country: a flourishing petroleum industry, a well-trained workforce, unmatched quality of life, and a favorable environment for their business community. There are many colorful festivals celebrating food, wine, music, and “letting the good times roll.”