Today’s Photo from the Past, taken in 1948, shows the Waldorf Service Station and Massard Tire Supply located at 235 South Court Street in downtown Opelousas. It was close to the Court Street entrance to the Waldorf Hotel.
The old Waldorf Hotel and all the buildings connected to it are no longer with us. But the memories of that place that served Opelousas for over half a century remain with some who live here today.
What started in about 1912 as the Waldorf Bar on West Landry Street, owned and operated by R. B. Christman, was eventually connected in 1920 to the Waldorf Café/Restaurant, started by Adelie Durio in 1916. In 1922, Mr. Christman bought the restaurant from Durio, and in 1923 he built the three-story hotel next to it, and connected the buildings together.
In about 1933, the Waldorf Service Station, with the Massard Tire Supply, was added on Court Street, close to the Court Street side entrance to the hotel. It operated until about 1955.
The Waldorf Hotel operated until sometime in the mid to late 1950s. The building was later used by different businesses for a few years, even as the first location for American Bank and Trust Company. It was demolished in the early 1980s so that the property could be used as a parking lot. For those who park there today, please notice what remains of the old tile floor that was once part of the old Waldorf Hotel.
