Boutique Hotel in Downtown Opelousas?
BOBBY ARDOIN
St. Landry Now.com Editor
A former Opelousas downtown post office and federal building that has remained unoccupied for over a decade, could become a boutique hotel destination that sparks further commercial interest in the heart of the city, according to historical architect Stephen Ortego, who now owns the property.
Ortego told members of the Opelousas Downtown Development District several months ago that he has purchased the historic building, which is located across from the St. Landry Parish Courthouse at the intersection of Court and Landry streets.
Since then Ortego and his architectural team have begun drawing design plans, while seeking funding and tax credits for a 22-room, 19,000 square-foot hotel inside a downtown area that has been starved for economic development for nearly 35 years.
The vision Ortego currently has for the building includes a ballroom, restaurant and bar, amenities that Ortego thinks will also serve as an attraction for small business conference gatherings.
Ortego, whose previous reclamation projects include restoring the former Klaus mercantile building in Washington into a hotel, bar and restaurant and rebuilding the former Sunset High School into a charter school campus, appears optimistic about his attempts to bring the 135-year-old brick building in Opelousas back into commerce.
In addition to serving as a federal court building and post office, the tract that Ortego now owns has a significant historical imprint for Opelousas.
Manon Baldwin, a free woman of color and a successful businesswoman, once operated a popular tavern and boarding house at the site during the early 19th century.
Over the past four months Ortego has been busy stabilizing leaks, securing windows and cleaning the three-story building, which due to numerous open windows, provided a nesting place for the downtown pigeon population.
Evicting the pigeons from their adopted homes proved difficult, says Ortego.
Ortego placed screens around the windows to prevent the pigeons from returning, but even then the persistent birds sought methods of entrance before relinquishing the effort and flying away,
The boutique hotel concept, Ortego thinks, is an emerging commercial industry that caters to tourists who are interested in smaller venues positioned amid historic locations and unique designs.
Ortego isn’t deterred by complaints that there might not be enough available downtown parking to support the hotel guests.
“I’m not worried. By 4 pm when people will begin checking in, the parking spaces around the courthouse are available,” Ortego points out.
Other prospective buyers once interested in redeveloping the building have thought that it should be converted into office space or perhaps provide more room for either parish or municipal government.
Ortego however prefers his concept.
“The building wants to be a hotel. I think by doing that, you create more development around it. You can bring in more visitors who are perhaps interested in spending money,” Ortego adds.
