Grado Building

The exact origin of the Grado Building structure is not completely clear. The earliest known record of a building being located at the site is with the sale of the property in 1892, to Crow Girard. Conveyance records prior to that date however, point to a strong possibility that the building was moved from the former estate of August Monnier, located around today’s Café Vermilionville on West Pinhook Road. In 1880, one of Monnier’s six children, Emilie Monnier Falk, wife of Israel Falk, exchanged her inherited tract of land for the lot downtown where the Grado Building now exists. Records suggest that Emilie moved the single-story Victorian cottage from the Monnier estate to downtown sometime around 1890. At the same time, that part of Jefferson Street began to change character from a mixture of residential and commercial buildings to Lafayette’s central business district. By 1915, when Leonardo Grado and his son, Pellegrino, became owners of the property, it was the only dwelling remaining on the block. In 1922, Pellegrino Grado added a brick wing to the right of the original dwelling’s front porch and converted the cottage into a mixed-use building. The front became commercial space, and the rear remained residential. Over the years, the building became fully commercial in use. The Grado building is now most associated with the three latest businesses that have successfully operated there, Paul’s Jewelry, Chris’ Po-Boys, and presently, Pamplona Tapas Restaurant and Bar.