The Charleston Hotel is an historic
hotel
A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a ref ...
in the
City of Lake Charles in the
U.S. state
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...
of
Louisiana
Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...
. It is located at 900 Ryan Street, at the corner with West Pujo Street.
The building was added to the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
May 27, 1982.
History
The hotel initial proposal contained eight stories but when work began in 1928 this was increased to ten floors. The estimated cost increased $50,000 to $600,000, and the hotel was completed in 1929, during the administration of Mayor Henry J. Geary.
When completed the building was the city's first skyscraper. The bottom two stories were faced with cement molded to resemble cut stone blocks and the upper eight stories were faced with tan brick in the Neo-Classical
Beaux Arts style. It is topped by a stone cornice and some windows on the top story are surrounded by pilasters and elaborate spandrel panels. The interior of the building has a two-story lobby, elaborate tile work, and balconies on the upper level. The Charleston Ballroom, located on the second floor, has Corinthian
pilasters
In classical architecture, a pilaster is an architectural element used to give the appearance of a supporting column and to articulate an extent of wall, with only an ornamental function. It consists of a flat surface raised from the main wall ...
and weekly dances were held on the open roof garden.
[ With .][ (wit]
two photos and two maps
)
Current
As of 2014, the structure has undergone extensive renovation with rooms converted into shops with event space throughout the building.
See also
*
*
Lake Charles, Louisiana
Lake Charles (French: ''Lac Charles'') is the fifth-largest incorporated city in the U.S. state of Louisiana, and the parish seat of Calcasieu Parish, located on Lake Charles, Prien Lake, and the Calcasieu River. Founded in 1861 in Calcasieu ...
References
{{Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana
Hotel buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Louisiana
Hotel buildings completed in 1929
Buildings and structures in Lake Charles, Louisiana
National Register of Historic Places in Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana
1929 establishments in Louisiana
Beaux-Arts architecture in Louisiana