Rush Jagoe
The historic Dew Drop Inn, New Orleans.
In the heart of New Orleans’s Central City neighborhood, on an otherwise dimly-lit Lasalle Street, a red, white, and black sign illuminates the side of a standalone building: The Dew Drop Inn. Hotel. Lounge. Restaurant. A red arrow with glowing amber lights signals that the place is, in fact, open. But what a casual passerby might not fully realize is that this opening has been almost twenty years in the making. Though, the history goes back much further than that.
The year was 1939. Frank G. Painia was selling ice cold refreshments out of his barber shop at 2836 Lasalle Street to those within earshot at the nearby Magnolia Housing Project, which provided shelter to low-income individuals and families post-World War II. Organically, the barber shop expanded, and the Dew Drop Inn developed around it. The sound of brass instruments, familiar notes of jazz and rhythm and blues, flowed from the building’s doors and out into the streets. By 1945, a proper dancehall had taken shape. With local musicians Edgar Blanchard and Dave Bartholomew holding residency at his venue, Painia began booking acts with cash deals and comped rooms in exchange for entertainment in the hotel’s lounge. Along with its evolution, a nickname developed: “The Groove Room.” In October of the same year, the Louisiana Weekly dubbed it, “New Orleans’s swankiest nightclub.” The Dew Drop Inn had taken on a life of its own, transforming into a must-stop destination for Black musicians and music lovers—demonstrably featured in the Negro Motorist Green Book, an invaluable resource for African Americans that identified friendly places of businesses and services, published from 1936 to 1966 by Victor Hugo Green.
The Groove Room became a mainstay, and, for the most part, remained unbothered, until seven years later, in 1952, when Painia and associates were placed under arrest for serving Black and white people together, which was prohibited by law at the time. The complaint was submitted via an anonymous tip to the New Orleans Police Department. Ultimately, the charges were dropped and Painia filed suit against the city.
Rush Jagoe
The historic Dew Drop Inn, New Orleans.
Even so, the 1950s and 1960s were the heyday at the Dew Drop Inn. A one-of-a-kind establishment at the forefront of music in the days of segregation, the Inn hosted artists the likes of James Brown, Tina Turner, Little Richard, and Ray Charles, who provided otherworldly, unrepeatable performances that attracted audiences across racial lines.
When segregation laws were repealed, the Inn’s popularity dropped as other such clubs began popping up all over the city—many of which were replicating the Inn’s success. Painia’s health declined with age, and once regular musical acts turned irregular, then nonexistent, the Dew Drop Inn fell into disrepair. Years later, it was Hurricane Katrina, though, that brought the death knell—flooding the club and forcing closure. The Dew Drop would remain abandoned for almost twenty years, despite multiple attempts to save it.
Rush Jagoe
Patsy Vidalia Room at the Dew Drop Inn
Finally, in 2021, Kenneth Jackson, Painia’s grandson, with the assistance of real estate developer Curtis Doucette Jr., secured the nearly $8 million necessary to restore and redevelop the Dew Drop Inn—a three-year project dead set on respectfully and accurately revitalizing what is now a designated New Orleans Historic Landmark. Emphasis was placed on architectural preservation, and the design included maintaining the building’s original street-facing balconies, arched entrance, and lunette windows— while readjusting the floor plan to create seventeen larger rooms, including three suites.
Almost a year ago, in March 2024, they accomplished just that. And once again, lights flickered to life and music filled the rooms at the Dew Drop Inn.
Today, guests at the club find themselves in a small but cozy, well-lit lobby. Art and signage adorn the tan-colored walls. An “All are welcome” sign greets you once you’ve entered the double doors. Nestled between the messaging, there is a quote from Irma Thomas, the Soul Queen of New Orleans: “A lot of Black businesses became a safe haven from the perils of segregation. Because that’s where we could enjoy ourselves and be who we were, Black people. Human Black people. Having a good time. Entertaining each other. And going on with our lives as they were at the time.”
Rush Jagoe
The historic Dew Drop Inn, New Orleans.
Staying at the hotel is an immersive experience. Walk up the Wes Anderson-esque, sunset-hued staircase, its purple railing illuminated by three large, glowing orbs, and step onto a narrow hallway with a funky patterned carpet and red lipstick colored doors. Each room is dedicated to an individual who played a part in the Dew Drop’s history. Patsy Vidalia, longtime hostess and entertainer at the Inn, is immediately to your left. Down the hall, there is local R&B singer and songwriter Tommy Ridgley. And so on. The homage extends into the rooms themselves, with art and memorabilia decorating the walls amongst the modern furnishings.
Adjacent to the hotel is, of course, the music venue. Odds are, your ears will guide you right to it. A number of tables and chairs half-occupy the spacious, wooden room, leaving appropriate space for dancing. The room is complete with a sizable stage, sleek bar, and full kitchen from Chef Marilyn Doucette of Meals From the Heart Café—serving up late night bar bites, pool snacks for the Haven Pool Club located out back, a daily lunch, and a prix fixe Sunday buffet brunch. Well-made, traditional New Orleans fare is at the center of it all: French toast with house-made sweet mascarpone, Creole breakfast potatoes with sautéed peppers and onions, piping hot grits & grillades, and other classics.
Rush Jagoe
The Groove Suite Room at the Dew Drop Inn
But what really steals the show is the room situated to the left of the venue’s entrance: Frank Painia’s meticulously revamped barber shop-turned-museum. And while a cut and a shave is not made readily available, you can stand, walk through, and peruse the storied history in the very spot the Dew Drop Inn was founded in 1939.
A symbol of Black entrepreneurship and culture, a reprieve and a safe haven, a shining beacon amid darker times—eighty-six years later, the Dew Drop shines brighter than ever in the heart of New Orleans’s Central City neighborhood, on an otherwise dimly-lit Lasalle Street. And as everyone there would eagerly tell you, all are welcome. Ladies & Gentleman, it’s showtime at the Dew Drop.
