Seated in the heart of pine home on St. Paul Street in historic Madisonville, Susan Kierr makes her case.

The sweet fragrance from a narcissus flower blooming out of season in a small vase fills the rustic, wooden room furnished with complimentary antique furniture.

“It was built sometime in the 1830s or ‘40s,” Kierr said of her home, admiring the original lemon yellow walls and warm hardwood floors with 150 years worth of nicks and dents imbedded into the planks. Rich, distinct grains, still visible, wind and loop and pirouette across the floor, disappearing into the walls. Kierr’s historic home is one of many in Madisonville, a town of about 700 people, that dates back 100 years. Other more prestigious structures with historical significance are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Eight Madisonville structures occupy the list, which Kierr said must be the most in the state for such a small town. It’s the most in St. Tammany.

Madisonville is also the home of dozens of artists thanks to its historic and raw beauty, Kierr said admitting its what attracted her, a dance teacher turned creative arts therapist, decades ago.

Kierr and several other residents want to capitalize on the town’s rich culture by spearheading an effort that would designate Madisonville a cultural district.

Lt. Gov. Mitch Landrieu recognized Lacombe, Old Mandeville, Olde Towne Slidell, Abita Springs and downtown Covington as cultural districts in October this year as part of an initiative he proposed last year.

The designation allows original works of art to be sold tax-free in the designated area. It also provides tax breaks on the restoration of structures 50-plus years old. Most of the structures in Madisonville are over 50 years old including the historic library building on Main Street that is closed now, and desperately needs restoring.

Kierr and the others have already filed most of the paperwork with the Lieutenant Governor’s office but the group lacks a resolution signed by town officials, which they are hoping to acquire tonight at the Town Hall meeting at 7:30.

Kierr is urging the artists and residents of Madisonville to attend the meeting and show their support for the cultural district designation.

Once the Lieutenant Governor’s office receives all of the applications, it will likely take several months before they decide to designate Madisonville a cultural district.

“It is what it is,” Pat Ward, creator of the town’s first art association, said. “Madisonville is unique and pretty and quaint.”