Blind men and women learning how to walk through a busy intersection controlled by a traffic light

Maison De Lemaire

Maison De Lemaire's History

In 2001, the Affiliated Blind of Louisiana Training Center's board of directors elected to sponsor and pursue funding for subsidized housing for people with physical disabilities. Later that year, funding was awarded for a complex with 23 1-bedroom units and 1 manager's unit. Construction began during the summer of 2003, and was completed in the summer of 2004.

Scott Crawford serves as President of the Board for Maison De Lemaire, Inc. which is the owner corporation for the facility. Neill Edwards served as the grant consultant and did a wonderful job of making all the necessary arrangements to assist with the grant administration. Due to the considerable expertise in developing apartments for special need populations, Gaudet & Tolson, Ltd. served as architects for the complex. $1,392,600 was used to develop the 24 apartments to serve the physically disabled blind with a permanent place to live which is safe, sanitary, secure, affordable, and available.

The property is named in memory of Mr. John Lemaire, who was the founder and first Executive Director of the Affiliated Blind of Louisiana Training Center. Mr. John was an advocate for the blind and visually impaired in Acadiana and throughout the state. This was the last project he initiated prior to his death on March 30, 2001.

We would like to thank all who were involved with this project.
This was truly a community effort and many in state and local government helped to make this possible. We are very proud of this project.

Information About Maison De Lemaire:
Maison De Lemaire is located at
1345 West Willow Street in Lafayette, Louisiana
and is managed by Scalisi Properties.

For more information, you may contact
Cindy Dore at (337) 269-4050.

Maison De Lemaire interior view

Each of our one-bedroom apartments is 540 square feet and has the following amenities:

  • Each unit is fully handicapped accessible and has special accommodations to serve the blind.
  • There is a private entrance to each apartment.
  • Each apartment has a doorbell with two-way communication and a paging system.
  • There is an emergency call system and fire alarm system connected to a digital communicator and monitoring station.
  • There is emergency lighting in the building.
  • The building also contains a sprinkler system.
  • Each apartment consists of a kitchen, dining area, living area and coat closet, bedroom with large closet space, and a fully handicapped accessible bathroom with tub and shower combinations.
  • Each unit contains a rough-in for a washer and dryer.
  • There is also a common laundry area for those tenants who do not have washers or dryers.
  • A one-hour fire rated wall for safety of the tenants separates each apartment.

The building also houses a reception lobby, office, multipurpose activity area, warming kitchen, living area, and an outdoor sitting area. Service areas such as janitor, public restrooms, storage, utility building, and a small repair shop are located on the property as well.

How Can You Help?

To help in any way, please contact us here at the ABL Training Center by giving us a call, making a donation, or just stopping by.