What’s Next? The Future of Shreveport’s Former Libbey Glass Site

SHREVEPORT, LA

The twin brothers from Twin Blends: Northwest Louisiana History Hunters, Mike and Mark Mangham, recently took a tour inside the empty Libbey Glass Factory on Jewella Ave in Shreveport.  They shared their experience on KEEL News on Friday. 

 One thing that struck the brothers was the 'eerieness' of the offices.  "It was like they got up and left one day and just never came back.  There were papers and files on the desks, calanders still said 2020... it was kind of eerie."

A Century of Glassmaking: Libbey's Shreveport Legacy 

The history of Libbey Glass in Shreveport dates back to 1922 when the Libbey-Owens sheet glass plant opened, quickly becoming the city's largest manufacturer and employer. Initially producing flat glass, the Shreveport plant transitioned between 1972 and 1974 to focus on Libbey Glass table-glassware manufacturing.  

Over the decades, Libbey, headquartered in Toledo, Ohio, remained a significant presence in Shreveport, with investments in modernization, such as a $20 million plan in 2013 for new technology and research and development, which aimed to create 70 new jobs and retain 511 existing ones. 

The End of an Era: Plant Closure and Its Causes 

However, in 2020, Libbey Inc. announced a tentative plan to close its Shreveport manufacturing facility. This decision was a result of declining demand in core markets, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to overcapacity.

The company had filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in June 2020 to reduce costs and align manufacturing capacity with lower projected demand. Despite negotiations with unions representing the 450 employees, the Shreveport plant and its accompanying factory outlet store officially closed on December 30, 2020, after 98 years of operation. The closure was part of a broader strategy to consolidate operations, with some equipment being moved to other facilities, including the Toledo plant. 

What Lies Ahead: Redevelopment Prospects for the Shreveport Site 

Rumors recently circulated on social media that the entire facility was going to be torn down, but for now at least, that doesn't seem to be the case.  As for the future of the former Libbey Glass site in Shreveport, there is ongoing interest in redevelopment.

As of late April 2025, the site near I-20 is reported to be in the "final due diligence phase for a potential redevelopment." The current plan is for the property to be purchased by the North Louisiana Economic Partnership, (NLEP), who will then market the facility to potential buyers. 

The hope is to be able to keep this historic plant and as many of the existing structures from being demolished into another page of forgotten Shreveport history. 

Its advantageous location and existing infrastructure make it an ideal candidate for industrial reuse, suggesting that the site could once again become a hub for manufacturing or other industrial operations, similar to how the former GM plant in Shreveport has been successfully redeveloped into a multi-business park. Read more about that success HERE