It is with great honor and humility to announce that Studio West has been selected as architect for the upcoming Louisiana Music & Heritage Experience (LMHE), a new museum dedicated to preserving, celebrating, and sharing Louisiana’s extraordinary and historic musical legacy in a formal museum exhibition. In a joint venture, Studio West partnered with Mathes Brierre to design the museum’s new construction experience choreographed by the rhythms and movement of Louisiana’s deeply layered musical history.

A project of remarkable scale and ambition, planned as a 115,000-square-foot museum and cultural facility, the Louisiana Music & Heritage Experience will serve as a new cultural institution for New Orleans and an epicenter for the many sounds, legacies, stories, and people that have shaped Louisiana and, in turn, influenced American culture for decades.

Bringing together immersive exhibition galleries, live performance venues, storytelling, and education, the museum will trace these histories across generations and traditions, exploring the diverse influences behind Louisiana’s cultural landscape and the many genres that continue to emerge from the state today.

With design well underway and construction anticipated to begin in Summer of 2027, Studio West builds upon their knowledge and deep seated passion for working with the community and across various groups and agencies, demonstrated through their work with Second Line and the Sky and their commitment to sharing with the greater public the unique spirit that defines Louisiana.

For Studio West, the project represents an exciting opportunity to contribute to a place so deeply rooted in the identity of New Orleans. Following years of restoring Karnofsky’s Tailor Shop and the ongoing development along Rampart Street, the studio sees this as a natural continuation of its work supporting the appreciation of music’s contribution to New Orleans culture, arriving at a particularly fortuitous moment.

Photo Credit: Michael P. Smith, Jazzfest, April 1970