BATON ROUGE - Last month, a Baton Rouge resident who played a key role in revitalizing the capital city's downtown district passed away, and Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome wants to memorialize this citizen's life and efforts by renaming City Hall Plaza in his honor. 

Davis Rhorer served as the head of Baton Rouge's Downtown Development District (DDD) for over three decades.

By tapping into his training in architecture and urban planning and his innate ability to inspire, Rhorer was able to breathe new life into the city's once relatively deserted downtown district. Over the last 20 years, he assisted in raising more than $2.4 billion in investments. 

The energetic and widely popular 65-year-old businessman likely would have continued to serve in this capacity, but a deadly battle with COVID-19 cut his life short and led to the loss of one Baton Rouge's most beloved figures.

Mayor Broome issued a recent statement regarding Rhorer's legacy, touching on her aim to ensure that his efforts are remembered for generations to come, saying, "Davis Rhorer had an immeasurable impact on Baton Rouge, particularly in the effort to revitalize downtown. His dedicated work brought major economic and cultural advances to our community. Naming City Hall Plaza in his honor will recognize his many years of public service as he led the Downtown Development District."

City Hall Plaza, one of the Central Green spaces that link downtown's attractions through pedestrian promenades and lawns for recreation, is often used for downtown outdoor events.

If approved by the Metro Council, the urban green space will be renamed "Davis S. Rhorer Plaza."

The Council is expected to discuss the Mayor's proposal during its Wednesday, April 14 meeting at 4 p.m. 

In addition to this meeting, the DDD will meet Tuesday and discuss the possible renaming of City Hall Plaza as one of several items on the meeting's agenda.

This 8 a.m. meeting will be held virtually on Zoom and available for viewing by the general public on Zoom by clicking here. 

The DDD adds that public comments can be submitted via email to ddd@brla.gov.