Landmark Coast restaurant is closed. What’s next for the historic downtown building?

Mary Perez
·1 min read
2

The doors are locked at one of the most historic buildings in downtown Biloxi after the restaurant that operated there for the last six years closed.

Le Cafe Beignet served beignets and meals on the second floor of the former Biloxi Library on Lameuse Street, near City Hall, and also had tables for outdoor dining.

“We are currently closed for relocation,” owner Sita La’Cap posted online in April, and said she would provide updates as she finds a new location.

La’Cap had gone to the Biloxi Council a few years ago asking for a reduction in the rent. She wasn’t able to keep payments current and her lease with the city was terminated.

CB’s Jamaican Jerk restaurant on the ground floor of the old library remains open, and now has a food truck to take their menu on the road, said owner owner Clearance CB Brown.

The historic old Biloxi library, in a prime location in downtown, was a restaurant for six years. CB’s Jamaican restaurant is still open on the ground level but another tenant or purpose will be sought for upstairs.
The historic old Biloxi library, in a prime location in downtown, was a restaurant for six years. CB’s Jamaican restaurant is still open on the ground level but another tenant or purpose will be sought for upstairs.

The library, a Spanish Colonial revival building, was designed by architect Carl Emil Matthes of Biloxi. It was built in 1924-25 and is on the National Register of Historic Places and is a Mississippi Landmark.

The ornate library served as city offices before being advertised for rent in 2018.

The historic building could be rented again or serve another purpose

“The city does want to do something with it,” said Cecilia Dobbs Walton, public affairs manager for Biloxi, but officials haven’t yet decided what is the best purpose.

Made-to-order beignets at Le Cafe Beignet in Biloxi.
Made-to-order beignets at Le Cafe Beignet in Biloxi.
Mary Teske and Matt Hudson of Minneapolis, MN., and their dogs, Dixie and Chip, sit outside Le Cafe Beignet on Monday, March 5, 2018, as they explore South Mississippi.
Mary Teske and Matt Hudson of Minneapolis, MN., and their dogs, Dixie and Chip, sit outside Le Cafe Beignet on Monday, March 5, 2018, as they explore South Mississippi.