No plans to tear down rice mill in Abbeville says owner

Abbeville residents have been expressing their concerns lately about the old Riviana Rice Mill.
The mill has been standing for over a century and contractors have been seen removing tin from the main buildings next to the railroad track.
This has left some residents worried that once the tin is removed, the entire structure will be torn down, leaving Abbeville with a large cement slab. One resident even compared the situation to what happened to the Palms Hospital in Abbeville - despite its historical significance, the hospital was demolished for a new, larger one.
However, the new owner of the rice mill, Earl Landry, who is an Erath resident, has assured Vermilion Parish residents that there is nothing to fear.
He explains that no part of the mill will be demolished. In fact, the contractors are only removing the corroded tin material which is in poor condition and needs to be replaced. Landry says that the removal process will take around 45 days.
Once the removal process is complete, the contractors will start repairing the brick building along the Vermilion River.
Part of the roof has caved in and needs to be fixed. Landry estimates that the entire process of repairing the rice mill buildings will take at least two years.
During this time, he will apply for grants to help transform the old rice mill into something new, although he has not yet disclosed what that will be.
Landry purchased the old rice mill from Riviana in December of 2023 and renamed it “The Rice Quarter, LLC.”