Started By
Message

When did Tigerland start to fall apart?

Posted on 10/19/26 at 10:25 am
Posted by I-59 Tiger
Vestavia Hills, AL
Member since Sep 2003
37146 posts
Posted on 10/19/26 at 10:25 am
Now, I know 45 years ago is a long time ago. I lived at Tiger Plaza from the fall of 1981 through the Spring of 1983. Then I lived my SR yr (83-84) at I think "The Library" on Jim Taylor. At the time, again almost half a century ago, it was perceived as a top off campus living area. It appears it is not anywhere near that now.

What happened and what is the "go to area" for off-campus living now?
Posted by TBoy
Kalamazoo
Member since Dec 2007
29527 posts
Posted on 10/19/26 at 10:26 am to
In 1984, Tigerland was already well on its way to being a dump.
Posted by Texas Tea 123
Member since Sep 2017
397 posts
Posted on 10/19/26 at 10:26 am to
Late 90s?

Edit: Late 80s??
This post was edited on 10/19/26 at 10:27 am
Posted by TheFonz
Somewhere in Louisiana
Member since Jul 2016
23760 posts
Posted on 10/19/26 at 10:27 am to
I finished LSU in 1999. It was sketchy then but I don't remember any horror stories. It happened whenever Tiger Plaza decided to go with section 8 instead of students.
This post was edited on 10/19/26 at 10:28 am
Posted by SoggyCerealClub
Member since Apr 2026
358 posts
Posted on 10/19/26 at 10:29 am to
This happened sometime after 2008. I had friends that lived in Tigerland. Once development started on Ben Hur, all the students left and went there.
Posted by LazloHollyfeld
Steam Tunnel at UNC-G
Member since Apr 2009
2153 posts
Posted on 10/19/26 at 10:30 am to
When developers started throwing up 1000s of new higher end units all around campus. Those old lower end units become unrentable to college kids so landlords turn to Section 8 and govt voucher programs.

LSU needs to partner with some developers to demolish the existing stock in Tigerland and re-imagine the whole area.

Posted by I-59 Tiger
Vestavia Hills, AL
Member since Sep 2003
37146 posts
Posted on 10/19/26 at 10:30 am to
quote:

In 1984, Tigerland was already well on its way to being a dump.


No,no it wasn't.
Posted by Spankum
The Sip
Member since Jan 2007
63902 posts
Posted on 10/19/26 at 10:31 am to
quote:

When did Tigerland start to fall apart?


Katrina….

It was getting old when I graduated in the mid 90’s, but wasn’t unsafe. The housing crisis of Katrina is when it got unsafe.
Posted by jbgleason
Bailed out of BTR to God's Country
Member since Mar 2012
20652 posts
Posted on 10/19/26 at 10:31 am to
Tigerland was mixed students and ghetto mid-1980’s. That was when Section 8 really became a thing and Gardere went completely sideways.

By 1990, the conversion was complete and anywhere past Sports was a No-Go. The Circle K across from Sports was the DMZ where drunk students, hoodrat gangsters and BRPD all stood around the parking lot looking at each other while eating microwave burritos.

ETA: Spell check does not like "hoodrat" and made it into Hooray somehow.
This post was edited on 10/19/26 at 10:49 am
Posted by SlowFlowPro
With populists, expect populism
Member since Jan 2004
486048 posts
Posted on 10/19/26 at 10:31 am to
I was a freshman in 2001 and it was shitty and Sharlo was rundown but still dominated by students.

The real change happened after Katrina with the Go Zone legislation. This allowed the major expansion of apartment buildings immediately, which led to students leaving Sharlo and Tigerland, and it went Section 8. By the time I graduated law school in 2008 it was unrecognizable.
Posted by Cosmo
glassman's guest house
Member since Oct 2003
133588 posts
Posted on 10/19/26 at 10:32 am to
After Katrina really went to shite

I lived in Sharlo early 2000s and while there were shitty apartments around it still wasnt THAT bad

Its now a complete no go zone and needs to all be bulldozed
Posted by SlowFlowPro
With populists, expect populism
Member since Jan 2004
486048 posts
Posted on 10/19/26 at 10:34 am to
quote:

I lived in Sharlo early 2000s and while there were shitty apartments around it still wasnt THAT bad

Yeah it was your typical poor college apartment experience.

There were only like 2 "nice" apartment complexes (What we called Brightside and I forget the name of the other one). Once more "nice" options were built, students got soft and didn't want your traditional shitty-poor college student experience anymore.
Posted by Loup
Ferriday
Member since Apr 2019
18195 posts
Posted on 10/19/26 at 10:35 am to
When I was at LSU from 2007 to 2011 it was already very sketchy.
Posted by TheDeathValley
Louisiana
Member since Sep 2010
21041 posts
Posted on 10/19/26 at 10:36 am to
When it was built
Posted by BU Bear In BR
NOLA
Member since Apr 2022
703 posts
Posted on 10/19/26 at 10:36 am to
quote:

At the time, again almost half a century ago, it was perceived as a top off campus living area. It appears it is not anywhere near that now.


I'm only 25. It's crazy to think that area was ever considered a good living area at one point in time
This post was edited on 10/19/26 at 10:45 am
Posted by BeachDude022
Premium Elite Platinum TD Member
Member since Dec 2006
36688 posts
Posted on 10/19/26 at 10:37 am to
I graduated in 2002 and it was still pretty nice. I lived at Sharlo Apts, near where Waving Willie would stand everyday all day, just waving to everyone. What ever happened to him? I’m sure he’s passed away by now.
This post was edited on 10/19/26 at 10:39 am
Posted by Y.A. Tittle
Member since Sep 2003
112124 posts
Posted on 10/19/26 at 10:38 am to
quote:

quote:
I lived in Sharlo early 2000s and while there were shitty apartments around it still wasnt THAT bad

Yeah it was your typical poor college apartment experience.


The apartments in Sharlo were the "nice" apartments well into the 90s.

A lot of this likely goes to the quality shelf-life of so many of these builds, but there are clearly other factors at play as well.
Posted by thermal9221
Youngsville
Member since Feb 2005
15514 posts
Posted on 10/19/26 at 10:39 am to
I was there in 99-04; while there were some armed robberies on occasion, the place was still 90 percent students. I drove through tigerland a couple of months ago and i can for sure say that the amount of blight in tigerland now is staggering.
Posted by SlowFlowPro
With populists, expect populism
Member since Jan 2004
486048 posts
Posted on 10/19/26 at 10:39 am to
I mean Sharlo survived a serial killer but couldn't survive legislative tax advantages for initial depreciation amounts
Posted by soccerfüt
Location: A Series of Tubes
Member since May 2013
77011 posts
Posted on 10/19/26 at 10:40 am to
quote:

I'm only 25. It's crazy to think that area was ever considered a good living area at one point in time
You wanna talk about a “good living area” back in the day:

first pageprev pagePage 1 of 2Next pagelast page

Back to top
logoFollow TigerDroppings for LSU Football News
Follow us on X, Facebook and Instagram to get the latest updates on LSU Football and Recruiting.

Facebook•X•Instagram