LSU John M. Parker Agricultural Center

The John M. Parker Agricultural Center, home of the LSU livestock shows, rodeo and other activities on the LSU Campus, is one of the largest and most beautiful of its kind to be found anywhere. The center was named for then Governor John M. Parker. Oval and constructed of brick, hollow tile, concrete and structural steel, the building measures 360 feet long and 220 feet wide.  It was constructed during a $10,000,000 building program at the Louisiana State University between 1930 and 1938. The original cost of the Agricultural Center Coliseum was $1,333,871.02 and it was completed in 1937. The roof is of sheet copper, dome shaped. It has an arena measuring 250 feet long and 125 feet wide, which is surrounded by a reinforced concrete amphitheater that provides individual seats for 6,756 people. At the time of its construction it was 6 feet bigger than Madison Square Garden, which made it the biggest coliseum in the United States.  The building also provides 52,040 square feet of floor space for laboratories and offices of the United States Department of Agriculture, Louisiana Agricultural Experiment Station, World Aquaculture Society along with other LSU Agricultural Center personnel.  For many years the building provided a place for the LSU Tigers Basketball Team to play as well as graduation and other activities.

Directly adjoining the east end of the Agricultural Center is the Livestock Exhibit building - a barn for housing livestock exhibits. The original barn was 268 feet long and 300 feet wide, covering an area of over two acres at a cost of approximately $260,000. In 1948 another barn was constructed adjoining the original barn measuring 276 feet long and 300 feet wide at a cost of $182,000. At the same time, a Quonset type of building was erected on the south side of the Agricultural Center for use as a restaurant for exhibitors during shows. The cost of the project was $22,000.  In 1979 this building was converted into a Mini farm and, in 1980 approximately 30,000 children and adults toured the Mini Farm.

In 1952, a third addition was added to the existing livestock barn, measuring 80 feet long and 300 feet wide at a cost of $85,000. 

There originally were 1,578 permanent tie spaces made of steel pipes mounted in concrete, sufficient space for 1,500 head of livestock, 87 horses, and 3,000 birds in the poultry division. There was a permanent sales arena with bleachers. The barn was constructed to make it easily converted into a horse show barn suitable for housing 500 to 600 additional horses in portable stalls when needed.

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