La Maison Française & The Honors House

The French House--La Maison Française--is a Renaissance-style Normandy château built in 1935 as a center for intense study of French language, culture and literature. On April 15, 1935, French Ambassador André de Laboulaye laid the structure's cornerstone, which included a piece of wood from the first French settlement in Louisiana, Fort de la Boulaye. The French House is on the National Register of Historic Places and currently houses the LSU Honors College.

LSU's East and West Laville residence halls are named in honor of Corporal Germaine Laville, the first female LSU graduate to die in the service of her country. Corporal Laville, an aerial gunnery instructor, graduated in 1942 and died two years later while rescuing Marines trapped inside a burning building. LSU's Honors College students live in the Honors House, composed of the newly renovated East and West Laville halls.