After sitting vacant for nearly 20 years, the Dew Drop Inn is back.
As we move into the time to come , nostalgia still reign . From the monoculture ofBarbieto an increase interest in old - school locomotion likescenic route tripsandbucolic small-scale town , the past is capturing the zeitgeist like never before . So it only create common sense that one of the hottest newfangled hotel in New Orleans is one off the National Register of Historic Places .
The Dew Drop Innreopened this month after seat vacant for nearly 20 years . Originally open up by Samuel Barber Frank G. Painia in 1939 , this spot was a fixity in the Central City region for decades , hailed as “ the South ’s swankiest club ” byLouisiana Weekly . Far more than a standard New Orleans hotel , it was a ethnical cornerstone that doubled as a resilient medicine venue , a barbershop , a nightclub , and a stomping ground on theChitlin ’ Circuitfor vaunted voices like Aretha Franklin , Ray Charles , Etta James , and Little Richard , who came up with “ Tutti Frutti ” at the Inn .
prosper during the Civil Rights movement , the Dew Drop earned a office in theGreen Bookas a safe haven for travelers before the springy music locus shut in 1970 , just two years before Frank Painia ’s death . Painia ’s family continued to launch the lodging part of the Dew Drop until 2005 , when Hurricane Katrina seal its fortune .
The bar at the revamped Dew Drop Inn in New Orleans.|Photo by Rush Jagoe
Fast ahead to the present , when an enterprising New Orleans indigene , Curtis Doucette Jr. , acquired the dormant legend . Spurred by a love for music and passion for preserve Black culture , the material land developer spend three class bring it back to its rhythmic glory . Today , the 17 - way boutique feel at once old and Modern — a swank homage to yesteryear , paired with top - of - the - line innovation details , agreeableness , and a 410 - person medicine locale that will be home to be music most nights of the calendar week .
“ The matter about the Inn that have people come in making love is that history , that musical invention , ” says Doucette . “ You have common people like Ray Charles , who became like a syndicate appendage , and performed there . Little Richard would n’t be who he is today if it were n’t for his interactions there . ” The Inn ’s base , both as a haven and as a wellspring of inhalation , made it a bastion for liberal star and local alike . It was also run by an unabashed rabble - rouser , as Painia was harass and arrested for race mixture . Also an early resort for the LGBTQ+ community , the Dew Drop hosted female impersonators and annual gay gala , both of which the new proprietor direct to bring back .
By Painia ’s last in 1972 , after segregation was ban in line of work like hotels and theaters , the Inn was no longer the of the essence sanctuary it once was . “ Eventually , it got to the gunpoint where it was an hourly rip motel , ” adds Doucette . “ Hurricane Katrina dealt the last blow . ”
The Dew Drop was born-again with help from blueprint firmStudio Kiroand design cooperativeCivic Studio , giving the property an Art Deco and mid - century modernistic aesthetic to harken back to its heyday , along withRyan Gootee General Contractorsensuring twist adhere tohistoric saving requirements(Dew Drop Inn was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2022 ) .
“ Our act one goal [ was ] to restore it as close as possible to what it used to be , ” Doucette explain , repurposing as many original materials as possible while interchange superannuated morphological item with of - the - era refurbished features , turning the original two - anatomical structure coordination compound into one cohesive Inn , and work out with a historical adviser to keep in pace with the original motif .
Every stride of the way , anything interchange had to meet the commendation of the Louisiana State Historic Preservation Office . “ We ’re returning as a hotel , medicine venue , taproom , restaurant , and a kitty plus — not just for patrons , but for anyone in New Orleans who wants to relish the resort - like atmosphere . ”
Allen Toussaint room at the Dew Drop Inn.|Photo by Rush Jagoe
foreground its melodic roots , each room pay off homage to a cultural ikon with connective to the Inn . “ Each of the rooms are designed to be like a museum exhibit , ” enounce Doucette . “ Each one celebrates someone special who spend time there , limited to folks who had an intimate connection with the Inn , like Little Richard , Ray Charles , and Allen Toussaint . ” Meanwhile , suite like the Groove Room and the Nite Cap offer views of the main stagecoach .
A raw add-on , the aptly dub Haven Pool Bar look to be another anchor for the property , both with guests and local anaesthetic ( anyone not continue at the Inn can purchase a day-by-day pond pass ) . Still to come , the Dew Dropplans a eatery with authentic Creole cuisine .
Much has changed since the Dew Drop Inn ’s mid - century peak , but the superpower of residential district and euphony — at a historic hotel in a historical neck of the woods — are eternal .
Each room at the Dew Drop Inn is steeped in music history.|Photo by Rush Jagoe
How to Book:
Rooms at the Dew Drop Inn can be booked via the hotel’swebsite . ensure the locale ’s schedule and grievance tickets to a showonline .
Barber shop at the Dew Drop Inn.|Photo by Rush Jagoe
Music venue at the newly renovated Dew Drop Inn.|Photo by Rush Jagoe
