The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1880-01-11
THE ST. CHARLES.
Its Hi,tory Since Its Opening,
Nearly Half Il Century Ago.
Some "reminiscences of Old Times
Hotel Life i'm the "Flush Times"
OF New Orleans-The I'm
provements That Have
Been Made in the
Building.

and ten 10 one you would christen 1t q col.
lege; tn London, and 1t would marvelfously
remind you Of an exchange, In New Or
leans ID IL all three" Thus wrote of the st
Charles Hotel, more than thirty years ago, q
visitor from New York, q man who after.
wards became mayor Of that city. during the
epoch of it, greatest prosperity; who at that
time had enjoyed every opportunity OF seeing
and studying The public and private buildings
of Manhattan, but who found down here, In
the young city OF New Orleans tho First
District Was then q mere infant In point OF
years-something far grander than anything
New York could then boast Of.
Nor Was Oakley Hail-for II Ia HIM we
quote-the only visitor who broke out into
such warm, enthusiastic and rapturous admi
ration of the st. Charles Lady Wortley, an
English lady who had "done' Europe thor
oughiy, and was In search OF something new
and startling Ia America. pronounced the St.
Charles superb edifict, very similar to St.
Peters at Rome, and praises Its Immense
piece OF architecture she had seen anywhere
In the New World.
THE OLD ST. CHARLES.
Such praise as this sounds somewhat ex-
aggerated and h, periodical to us to-day. We
have seen tho st. Charles so often, become SO
familiar with H. that we have actually be-
come careless and unconscious of its
beauty. Nor should 1t be forgotten that
the st. Charles Of to-day differs some
what from It's predecessor building
which Oakley Hall and Lady Wortiey
xnx adn nd hn h,s
ing stood OH the same site as the present one,
It is true, and presented the same Grecian
front-not quite as high, however-but was
capped by tall, snow-whlte cupola, second
only In size and magniHcence to the dome of
the Capitol at Washington. This cupola was
favonte haunt for visitors, who, from
to summit. could see the entire busy
city, lying spread out, like map, at their
feet. The traveller journeying this way.
whether ht9ainiD9 up the Mississippi or
whirled o.tyward from Lake Pontchartrain,
could distinguish this dome from atar, resplen-
dent under The rays OF q Southern sun, like
Henry Of NaVarre's famous white plume ut
Ivry. III was visible indeed fully forty miles
away was the first view the traveller got OF
the Crescent City, the last object that faded
away In the dim horizon when cars or steam
boats babe New Orleans adieu.
Ia every town there is some representative
building whose career is In itslf a history OF
the city It adofns and beauties. Such Is
the Parthenoa to Athens, Notre Dame to
Paris ana ST. Marks TO Venice. The repre-
sentative building Of old New Orleans, the
city OF Bienviile and Carondelet, Is the Ca
fhedrai, undoubtedly; but Of the modern or
American city, the st. Charles Hotel. 1t was
one or the first large buildings erected above
Canal street. ana from the day of Its founda-
ti0n it has shared the fortunes OF the city,
good and bad; prospered when 1t prospared
suffered when It suffered. Within its walls
half the business OF the city was once trans
acted, aud half the history OF Louisiana
made,
PLUSH TIMES"
'The flush times" or New Orleans began
about 1890, and continued with n few inter- |
rupttons, la the way Of panics, crises, ETC.. un-
I'll the beginning Ut the late war. IL was dur |
Ing the early part OF this period that the Fau-
bourg st. Marie blossomed into the First Dis |
trict, the wealthlest portion OF the city. The |
splendid buildings erected at that time were
built by banking companies. VINO
obtained charters from the Legislature and
The right to issue money In return for the i'm
1ouble advantage OF rapidly building up the
My and increasing It's banking capital. This |
capital amounted at one time TO $40 010, 900,
when New York did not boast OF haIf this
AMOUNT.
Among the banks SO created were the In
,rovements Bank, which erected the st.
Louis Hotel, anu the Exchange Bank, which
built the ST. Charles.
These two buildings were erected about the
,ame time, aud their erection grew out OF |
he jealousy then existing between the city
proper, occupied chit Fly by the Creoles. and
he Faubour9 st. Marie, or First Munich
,ality, peopled by the Americans.
THE ST. LOUIS HOTEL.
The design of the st. Louis, at the head OF
which enterprise stood that eminent states
Dl..r- "a Il1A M
Tally In this affair." was undoubtedly the
'rander OF the two. This hotel. as originally /
designed, was to cover the entire square
'ounded by Charities, Royal, Toulouse and
It. Louis, ana to cost 81, 100000. The mate
ials for the building were brought from
france, and the abltst French architects ,
ecured to perform the work This design.
owever, was never fully carried out The |
risis OF 1887 came before the building was {
ompleted and the plan had to be modified. s
q 1s41, o short time after the completion or /
he building, an accidental fire burned 1t to !
be ground. A new building, the one that :
ow temporarily plays she part Of State- l
louise, was Immediately erected on Its site,
truction, the magnificent editice whose place :
tried to supply. =
BUILDING OF THE ST. CHARLES. 8
Its rival. the st. Charles Jared better This +
ulldipg was designed by Messrs. Dakin ~ (
.allier (architects of the City Hall, the State
louise at Baton Rouge and the new Opera /
Lousel and cost nearly SS00o00 much 9
lrger amount, It must be remembered, tnan 9
nat sum represents to-day. It was com y
leted at the beginning OF 1897, and formally q
oened on Wasnipglon's birthday with q q
rand ball given by the Washington Guards, II
le crack military organization of the city q
len, under the command of 9. f. Hozey, 4
leriff OF the parish. a
The st. Charles at once entered upon an era a
prosperity. l. Is true that the first man
gers, Messrs. Gioyd a. Mcdonald, failed
nc they were soon succeeded by E. r. NJ
Judge Watrus, who made the hotel al y
noe q success. Mr.. Nudge, who Is now :,
aiding citizen OF Boston and one of the most p
comment men in the political, social and :,
anufaeturing circles OF New England, 4
I'D out IN 1876 to his brother, Col. s. Ill, :,
Judge, who ran the hotel in partnership y
18th Wilson, an old clerk Of the establish Z
ent. until the great lire Of 1851 destroyed it. :,
The new hotel created quite a Sensation ,
roughout the country. aud New Orleans =
IS given the credit OF being the most enter
ising-it was already recognized as th.
ost aristocrAtic- In the United States 81
must be remembered that this was before C