It was elegant, it was grand, and in 1974, they knocked it down. New Orleans has been second-guessing that decision ever since.
The LaSalle Hotel stood on the corner of St. Charles Avenue and Common Street, a stately presence in the Central Business District that served as one of New Orleans' premier hotels for over half a century. Its demolition in 1974 — at a time when preservation awareness was still developing in the city — removed one of the finest hotel buildings in downtown New Orleans and left a gap in the urban fabric that speaks to the losses a city suffers when it tears things down faster than it learns to value them.
A Grand Hotel
The LaSalle Hotel opened in 1927, part of the building boom of the Roaring Twenties that reshaped downtowns across America. Designed in the Beaux-Arts style that was popular for grand hotels of the era, the LaSalle was built to be a first-class establishment — the kind of hotel where traveling businessmen, convention delegates, and well-heeled tourists would feel appropriately pampered.
The hotel's location at St. Charles and Common put it in the heart of the business district, steps from Canal Street's department stores and theaters, and along the route of the St. Charles streetcar. It was the kind of address that communicated status — telling visitors that they were staying in the right part of town, at the right kind of establishment.
Inside, the LaSalle offered the amenities expected of a major city hotel in the mid-20th century: handsomely appointed rooms, a lobby designed for lingering, dining facilities, banquet rooms, and the attentive service that distinguished a proper hotel from a mere place to sleep. The hotel hosted business meetings, social events, civic gatherings, and the daily comings and goings of a downtown that was still the commercial and social center of the region.
The Hotel District
The LaSalle was part of a cluster of hotels in the Central Business District that made New Orleans one of the great convention and tourism cities in America. Together with the Roosevelt (now the Waldorf Astoria), the Monteleone in the French Quarter, the Jung, and other establishments, the LaSalle helped create the infrastructure that supported the city's convention and tourism economy.
Each hotel had its own character and clientele, but together they formed a network that could accommodate the crowds that flocked to New Orleans for Mardi Gras, conventions, Sugar Bowl games, and the general allure of a city unlike any other in America. The LaSalle held its own in this competitive landscape, offering a reliable, quality experience for guests who valued comfort and location.
The Decline
By the 1960s and early 1970s, the LaSalle Hotel was struggling with the same forces that were reshaping the American hotel industry. Newer hotels with modern amenities — air conditioning, updated plumbing, contemporary design — were drawing guests away from older establishments. The cost of modernizing a 1920s building to compete with purpose-built modern hotels was prohibitive, and the LaSalle found itself caught between the expense of renovation and the reality of declining bookings.
The neighborhood was changing too. The Central Business District was in a period of transition, with some blocks thriving and others showing signs of neglect. The department stores on Canal Street were beginning their long decline. The energy that had sustained downtown as the city's social center was shifting to the suburbs, and hotels like the LaSalle felt the effects.
The Demolition
In 1974, the LaSalle Hotel was demolished. The decision reflected the prevailing attitude of the era: that old buildings were impediments to progress, that modern development required clearing the slate, and that the highest and best use of a prime downtown lot was whatever could be built new on it. Historic preservation, while gaining strength in the French Quarter, had not yet developed the political and legal tools to protect buildings outside the Vieux Carré.
The demolition was not accompanied by the kind of public outcry that would later greet the loss of buildings like the Rivergate. In 1974, tearing down a 47-year-old hotel to make way for something new seemed like a reasonable business decision. The preservation movement that would later make such demolitions politically difficult was still finding its voice, and buildings like the LaSalle — handsome but not yet old enough to be considered historic by the standards of the time — fell through the cracks.
What Was Lost
With the benefit of hindsight, the LaSalle's demolition looks different than it did in 1974. The Beaux-Arts architecture that seemed dated at the time is now prized. The craftsmanship that went into a 1920s hotel — the stonework, the plasterwork, the proportions — is the kind of detail that modern construction rarely matches. The LaSalle would be a boutique hotel goldmine today, the kind of character-rich building that developers pay premiums for and guests seek out specifically because of its history and charm.
Cities that preserved their grand old hotels — think the Peabody in Memphis, the Palmer House in Chicago — now reap enormous economic and cultural benefits from those buildings. New Orleans kept many of its great hotels (the Roosevelt, the Monteleone), but the LaSalle wasn't among the survivors. Its loss is a reminder that preservation decisions are permanent: once a building is gone, no amount of regret brings it back.
The Lesson
The LaSalle Hotel's story is quietly instructive. It didn't go out with the drama of the Rivergate demolition or the heartbreak of a Katrina loss. It simply disappeared one day in 1974, replaced by whatever was built on its footprint, which nobody remembers with anything like the affection they hold for the hotel that stood there before.
New Orleans has gotten better at preservation since 1974. The city has stronger laws, more engaged advocacy groups, and a broader public understanding that old buildings are assets, not liabilities. But the LaSalle's ghost lingers as a cautionary tale: not every important building looks important at the time, and the definition of "historic" keeps expanding to include things we once thought were just old.
The corner of St. Charles and Common moves on, as corners do. But somewhere in the city's memory, the LaSalle Hotel is still standing — its lobby still lit, its doorman still waiting, its rooms still ready for the next guest who will never arrive.
Frequently Asked Questions
When was the LaSalle Hotel built and demolished?
The LaSalle Hotel opened in 1927 and was demolished in 1974, after 47 years of operation. It was torn down during an era when historic preservation protections outside the French Quarter were minimal.
Where was the LaSalle Hotel located?
The LaSalle Hotel stood at the corner of St. Charles Avenue and Common Street in the Central Business District of New Orleans, along the St. Charles streetcar line and near Canal Street.
Why was the LaSalle Hotel demolished?
The hotel was demolished due to declining business, the high cost of modernizing a 1920s building, and the prevailing attitude of the era that favored new construction over preservation. Historic preservation protections for buildings outside the French Quarter were not yet well established in 1974.
What style of architecture was the LaSalle Hotel?
The LaSalle was built in the Beaux-Arts style, which was popular for grand hotels during the 1920s building boom. The style emphasizes classical details, ornamental stonework, and formal proportions — qualities that are now highly prized in adaptive reuse and boutique hotel conversions.
What is on the LaSalle Hotel site now?
The original LaSalle Hotel site at St. Charles Avenue and Common Street has been redeveloped since the 1974 demolition. The replacement structure lacks the architectural distinction and historic character of the original hotel.
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