The Arcade Theatre and Miller Building, the Paramount and the Weber Building
Four important landmarks once stood here, part of an unbroken line of buildings from Railroad Avenue to Clarence Street.
The Weber Building housed professional offices and was the center of Western Union communications for this region. The offices were part of the regionally based Kelly Weber companies, which included lumber, wholesale trade, agriculture, and even maritime shipping. The six story tower was demolished for parking.
Named for the public passage that connected the working auditorium at the rear of the property to Ryan Street, the Arcade Theatre was the premier-venue for concerts, plays, vaudeville, and other performances. Onstage were such top- flight acts as Houdini, the 'St. Louis Symphony, and the Barrymores in addition to many community events
The passage ran through the Miller Building a three-story structure that housed offices and shops. In 1978 the entire complex was listed on the National Register; however, a fire gutted the facility beyond salvation in 1985.
Just north of the Miller Building was the Paramount Theater, one of the opulent movie palaces of that chain. The Paramount was the grandest of Lake Charles movie houses, one of over twenty now demolished, which included the Lyric, the Pitt, the Delta, the Ritz, and the Palace.