Gone With the Sinned: Swaggart Bible College Dorm
The HQ for Jimmy Swaggart Ministries is in Baton Rouge.
It is still occupado. However, not all the buildings on its campus are. This never-completed dorm for the Jimmy Swaggart Bible College has a fence around it, so because I am a law-abiding citizen, these like, other guys named Cosh and Jo supplied me with photos.
Good one, Cosh and Jo, I totally would have taken a picture of that graffiti, too.
Apparently the place has been cleared out recently, and it's a lot cleaner there than you might expect.
The unfinished dorm rooms have robotic faces.
And some afford views of the scenic Mall of Louisiana.
There are holes through the floors where plumbing and heating were supposed to go.
And muy dangeroso elevator shafts with mosquito hatcheries at the bottom.
The graffiti is the only sign of life--there was (according to our sources) only one beer can and several bottle caps on premises.
Other graffiti not pictured covered all the usual bases of illustrations of male genitalia, who to call for a good time, who was a fag , and who you could buy a gram from. One surprising trend in graffiti was references to alternative rock, like a quote attributed to Alice in Chains, the NIN logo, shout-outs to Superchunk as well as Bad Religion (take that, Jimmy S.) and this, from the roof:
Riot Grrrl style! You go, urban explorer grrrl.
Also from the roof:
That last graffiti face was TOTALLY made by Colleen Kane, don't listen to her attempt at innocence! I know "angry Asian face" when I see it.
Posted by: ecs | March 02, 2008 at 10:11 PM
Before the DEQ was in a building downtown, it was house in one of the buildings owned by Jimmy Swaggart Ministries. I was working as a temp there, briefly, during tha time. I don't really have to explain how fucked up that was, but let me just explain that parts of his ministry were still operational, and so on a daily basis I had to interact with people employed by Jimmy Swaggart. That shit was fuckin' weird.
Posted by: Randy | March 03, 2008 at 12:09 AM
yeah... when we "abided the law & viewed the place from afar" it was at like 3am & there was SHIT EVERYWHERE. hoses hanging down, pipes coming from every direction, lumber & metal & cinder blocks & a pepsi can from the 80s littered the "floor"... i wish i had access to those pictures i mentioned on the other blog. but then they'd show what big pussies we were ;)
Posted by: jade b | March 03, 2008 at 01:42 AM
When we were on vacation in SC there was an abandoned mansion that had been wreaked in Hurrican Hugo-and had never been restored...sat empty. I had such a desire to creep around inside it, but I was a big chicken about it and didn't go in. I regret it. I love these pictures. Cosh and Jo got some great ones. And does Buddha know about the Eternal Keg Stand-is that Buddha or Jimmy Swaggart that preached we would find peace there? Who ever it was...Amen-brother.
Posted by: Beth | March 03, 2008 at 12:52 PM
Why do I get the commie building feeling when I look at that dorm? It has the same austere concrete look. It also looks like a giant parking deck from the outside. No fun
Posted by: kartek | March 03, 2008 at 04:50 PM
Great, now I have the pina colada song stuck in my head.
Those photos remind me of what Chernobyl looks like now.
Posted by: Big Daddy | March 03, 2008 at 07:02 PM
The best graffiti ever on the Swaggart place used to be on the I-10 onramp right next to the World Ministry Headquarters which we all called Six Flags Over Jesus: Je$u$ $ave$.
Posted by: Rebecca | March 03, 2008 at 09:18 PM
The best graffiti ever on the Swaggart place used to be on the I-10 onramp right next to the World Ministry Headquarters which we all called Six Flags Over Jesus: Je$u$ $ave$.
Posted by: Rebecca | March 03, 2008 at 09:18 PM
Swaggart recently sold that building to a local developer. Last I heard they were planning on turning it into a hotel.
Posted by: Brad | March 04, 2008 at 08:45 AM
Hello, long time listener, first time caller. The sight was sold to a developer who has a deal to turn it into a Renaissance hotel (supposedly 4 star). Here's a photo of what's it's supposed to look like:
http://media.businessreport.com/media/img/photos/2007/06/12/image_.jpg (might have to cut and paste it)
Not sure what the status on it is, or if it's even still a go.
Posted by: dinner roll | March 04, 2008 at 06:22 PM
Didnt they want to put BRCC
there at one point?
I think they even had a
basketball team that made
the tournament one year?
Posted by: JJLariat74 | March 05, 2008 at 01:05 PM
The area itself isn't all that far from the spot where Pinnacle is going to build their casino/resort...and even before that, there'd been barking about the Bluebonnet/Perkins Rd. area becoming a "new downtown."
Well, certainly there's a lot of development just south of Swaggertville. Personally though, my hopes (and finances) are on the real downtown...
Posted by: Michael | March 05, 2008 at 11:04 PM
pina coladas . . . i love it!
and the goxxip were so awesome at the spanish moon a couple years ago!
Posted by: gorjus | April 07, 2008 at 04:51 PM
pina coladas . . . i love it!
and the goxxip were so awesome at the spanish moon a couple years ago!
Posted by: gorjus | April 07, 2008 at 04:51 PM
I was at LSU in the early 80s when this was all being built. The Ministry was taking over Bluebonnet Road. Haven't been to BR in a while. What does Bluebonnet look like now?
Posted by: Abandoned life | April 09, 2008 at 09:00 AM
This is to Abandoned Life. You would not recognize Bluebonnet now. There is a huge mall down the street from Swaggarts. There is also a development on Bluebonnet called Perkins Rowe. This place has condos for sale and is building a walking style neighborhood around the condos. Bluebonnet is 4-6 lanes now. It starts from Airline Hwy and ends at Nicholson. The road is just booming along.
Posted by: Kitcat | May 05, 2008 at 08:39 AM