NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — One historic nightclub famous for launching local music icons to stardom will once again open its doors to the public.
Cyril Neville and Mardi Gras Indians joined Mayor LaToya Cantrell and State Representative Tanner Magee for a special groundbreaking ceremony of the iconic Dew Drop Inn in Central City on Thursday.
“It was a place that was famous for folks like Ray Charles living here, Little Richard spent time here. Our local greats–Irma Thomas, Allen Toussaint, Deacon John, and so many others performed here,” Curtis Doucette, Developer of Dew Drop Inn said.
The historic Dew Drop Inn had its heyday back in the 1950s and 1960s.
“This place is iconic and it is a shame to see it in this condition. It brought so much notoriety and so many great things to the city and so many great things to music in general,” he said.
Doucette went on to say, “It was also a hotel, restaurant and it was listed in the Green Book, a safe haven for black people during segregation.”
It will be a $10-million renovation and restoration. The newly restored Dew Drop Inn will be a 17-room boutique hotel with a pool that will allow daily passes and memberships, but first and foremost it’ll be a music venue.
“That’s what brought it to fame, and it’ll be that again,” Doucette said.
The Dew Drop Inn is set to open in late summer or early fall of 2023.
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“It is great to have this opportunity to bring it back to celebrate what it used to be and hopefully create a future that’s worthy of what its past was,” Doucette said.
In addition to the restoration of the Dew Drop Inn, the State of Louisiana has decided to build a Louisiana Music Museum near the Dew Drop Inn in this neighborhood. The Museum will celebrate the advent of Rock-n-Roll in New Orleans.