Charleston Hotel - Lake Charles, LA
Posted by: 
JimmyEv
N 30° 13.663 W 093° 13.953
15R E 477622 N 3344041
A 1929, 10-story Beaux Arts hotel designed by Joseph Finger and Livesay Williams, this building, Lake Charles’s first skyscraper, was an important center of social activity for decades.
Waymark Code: WM14NQ
Location: Louisiana, United States
Date Posted: 01/13/2007
Views: 30
Lake Charles’s first skyscraper at ten-stories, this 1929 hotel was designed by prolific Houston architect Joseph Finger and Livesay Williams. Finger is most noted for his art-deco buildings, but this building is traditional Beaux Arts. The lower two stories are faced with cement molded to resemble rusticated stone. The upper eight stories are faced with brick. Classical Beaux Arts molding, including shields bearing the hotel’s monogram ‘CH,’ ornaments the exterior. The interior consists of a two-story lobby with elaborate tile work and balconies on the upper level. A ballroom, with Corinthian pilasters, is located on the second floor.
As the first skyscraper in town, this building created quite a stir when opened. The city’s only paper, The Lake Charles American Press, put out a special edition commemorating the opening of the Charleston. The formal opening was the most important social event of the year. The hotel served as the social nexus for Lake Charles during the next several decades, with weekly dances held on the open roof garden, and social events, both large and small, taking place within the walls of the hotel.
