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Located at 123 Baronne Street in
New Orleans, The Fairmont Hotel (previously the Roosevelt Hotel) originally
opened in 1893 as "The Grunewald". After a few years of operation,
it was purchased by a group of New Orleans investors and renamed "The
Roosevelt Hotel" (in honor of late former president Theodore Roosevelt).
The long time manager in this era was Seymour Weiss. Weiss continued to
reside in the penthouse of the Roosevelt even after the sale of the hotel
to the Fairmont Hotels and Resorts chain in 1965, and his holdings included
many famous works or art..
"The Blue Room" at the hotel was one of
the country's outstanding venues for dance bands and musical acts.. The
hotel also formerly hosted "The Cave", considered by some the
first nightclub in the United States, as well as the Sazerac Bar, the
Fountain Lounge, Bailey's Restaurant, and other notable eateries and lounges.
The Fairmont New Orleans was severely damaged in Hurricane
Katrina in 2005. While some repair work was done, work was suspended in
an incomplete state in March of 2007 after the scope of the damage was
found to be greater than originally estimated.
On August 24, 2007, an announcement was made to the
effect that Dimension Development Company of Natchitoches, Louisiana had
purchased the property and that the hotel would be renovated and reopened
as a Waldorf Astoria Hotel. Speculation is that the hotel will be renamed
"the Roosevelt". |
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The Roosevelt was originally built as the GRUNEWALD HOTEl. Photo above is from the LOUIS Digital Library, shows the hotel's exterior at the time it opened. |
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An early photo of a typical guest room at the Roosevelt. |
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For those of us who remember and miss the grandeur
of the Roosevelt / Fairmont, we offer these pre-Katrina photos of the
hotel taken during Christmas season. |
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The Roosevelt main lobby |
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On e of the Roosevelt's ornate brass elevator doors |
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| At the Roosevelt, it was possible to mail a letter
on any floor. Letters placed into the mail chute collected in this ornate
brass mailbox. |
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The Fairmont Court Lounge |
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| Entrance to the Sazarac Bar. Prior to World War II, the Sazerac admitted
men only. Ladies were not allowed to drink at the bar. |
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The famous Sazerac Bar of the Roosevelt Hotel |
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The Blue Room. This famous room rivaled top echelon
hotel entertainment spots in New York and Chicago. Bands from the Jazz
and "Swing Era" performed here including Louis Armstrong, Castro
Carazo, Ralph Flannigan, Tommy Reed, Jan Garber, and later Leon Kelner. |
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Each Christmas, the hotel lobby became a fantasy
fairy land of angel hair and Christmas trees stretching a full city block. |
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Throughout the years, the Roosevelt's Teddy Bear Teas, at Christmas time, have been extremely popular with area children and their parents. |
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If anyone out there has
photos of the Roosevelt that you would like to display on this page, please
contact me and I will be happy to include them. Photo credit will
be gladly included. |
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If you enjoy photos of historic hotels, be sure to visit our site highlighting the historic Jefferson Hotel in Richmond, VA. CLICK HERE |
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© 2020, The Museum Of Yesterday, Richmond, VA.USA- All rights reserved. |
