By: Concerned Citizens
(A paid advertisement)
Traveling through downtown Opelousas, one will surely notice the building on the corner of North and Court streets. That building is an important part of the historic fabric of downtown Opelousas. This month’s Sorry State of Estates highlights the historic Dardeau building.
Dardeau Building – Built 1903
At the end of the 19th century, in about 1895, Oscar Dardeau (1846-1927) and his family moved from Ville Platte to Opelousas. The family lived in a beautiful home on Court Street in downtown Opelousas.
Oscar opened the Dardeau grocery business near his home in about 1897, in an existing building on the corner of Court and North streets, one that hosted another business for several decades.
Oscar ran a prosperous business in the old building where he sold staple items and fancy groceries. As the business grew and became very successful, Oscar had the old building demolished and built a new one on the same corner property in 1903.
The Dardeau business continued to thrive for many years in that building. When Oscar died in 1927 his partner at that time Mr. Roberts continued to operate the business for a while in the same building until it was sold.
Majestic Hotel
By the later part of the 1930s, the Dardeau building housed the Majestic Hotel. Mrs. Dora Fontenot Weem operated the hotel in 1939 and until her death at age 55 on November 21, 1944. Soon after her death, the hotel closed.
Over the years that followed the Dardeau building was used by different businesses including as the office for National Supply Company, and later Runion Reeds. It eventually was vacated and today remains on that corner, neglected for years. Such a sorry state.
Watch for another look at the Sorry State of Estates in Opelousas in our August article.
-Concerned Citizens for a BETTER OPELOUSAS
