I love American culture, I study American culture, and I cherish monuments, symbols and places that celebrate our past. A poignant moment in my past was walking through Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond, Va., visiting the grave sites of James Madison and John Marshall, and the monument to the Confederate war dead.

In April, downtown Shreveport’s highest-profile rehab in recent memory – the Lofts at 624 – began welcoming apartment dwellers. The moves come none too soon for people who see the development as an important step forward in the revitalization of Shreveport’s historic downtown.