Bringing Back the Blue Room

History

The Roosevelt Hotel opened as The Grunewald in 1893, and operated as such until it was renamed to honor President Theodore Roosevelt in 1923 (“A Storied History.”€ Times-Picayune. June 7, 2008). Along with the name-change came the opening of the Blue Room in the hotel lobby. It attracted people from many different places across the country who wanted a taste of the rapidly growing culture of New Orleans.

The Roosevelt Hotel offered many fine restaurants and dining, but the Blue Room was the most popular and sought-after venue there. The hotel itself was located near many other nearby attractions and also close to Royal Street which was where the city’s first banks were located (Tulane University Louisiana Collection).

From Roosevelt to Fairmont

In 1965, the Fairmont Hotel took control of the Roosevelt. Everything remained very much the same, and the Blue Room continued to operate as a high-class venue for entertainment. The Fairmont Hotel experienced numerous changes in management, though, which negatively impacted the Blue Room’s performance. In the mid-70’s, the club stopped making money on shows, and instead began to focus on a profit from the food service. This led to experimentation with music acts that were brought in, leading to the booking of more local and lesser-known acts.

Klaus Kelterborn, former general manager of the Blue Room, said, “We can’t have big names all the time. Take Lou Rawls for instance. He was in our price range at one time. Then, one hit record and he’s out of our reach” (New Orleans Magazine. Oct. 1978, p. 58-59).

The Fairmont Hotel closed in 2005 following serious damage caused by Katrina. The hurricane flooded the basement with over 10 feet of water, destroying all of the mechanical equipment, while the rain caused most guest floors to be soaked (“Grand Old Hotel Hold Happy Memories; Recalling the stars, the friends, the flirting.” Times-Picayune. July 1, 2009).

Appearance

Throughout its operation, the Blue Room has had a distinctly upscale appearance: white table cloths, flowers, and tuxedo-clad waiters. It has been known for its creole dishes, Jax beer, and ramos fizzes. Pictures in the Roosevelt Review portray rich and/or famous people dining in The Blue Room: New Orleans mayors, Broadway dancer June Preissier, manager of Ford, V. F. Cooper, composers Mack Gordon and Harry Revel writing lyrics, etc. The photos are of privileged white socialites wearing dresses and ties (Roosevelt Review).

Dress attire was very fancy for occasions held at the Blue Room. Women were expected to wear glamorous dresses, fur, white gloves, nice hats and high heels. Men as well were to be seen in their finest attire. The Blue Room had dozens of menus for various occasions filled with the finest food and drink possibilities in New Orleans (LA Collection, Vertical Files). In the late summer of 1984, the Fairmont Hotel extensively remodeled the Blue Room, painting much of its walls gold. It was a way of “easing up” on the extremely formal atmosphere of the club.

In January 1985, Irma Thomas said, “When you step into the Blue Room, you feel like you have to act so dignified! It’s hard to get loose in the Blue Room. But we’re going to turn all that around in ’85 because we must remember that the Blue Room belongs to the people of New Orleans!” (New Orleans Magazine. March 1985, p. 80-81).

Entertainment

The Blue Room hosted internationally famous dance teams,as well as singing stars from famous Broadway musicals all the way from New York city. Any entertainment that was high in demand would end up being hosted by the Blue Room, It hosted world-famous acts such as Lena Horne, Joel Gray, Tony Bennett, Ray Charles, Tina Turner, and Bette Midler. The Blue Room also hosted a live radio station called the WWL. (LA Collection; “A Look Back at the Blue Room.” Times-Picayune. December 5, 1993).

Throughout the 1930’s, booking agent Seymour Weiss brought many acts to The Roosevelt. These acts included Don Bestor, radio and television star; Dolly Arden, dancer; Neil Buckley, baritone soloist of Bestor; Jane Moore and Billy Revel, “international famous royal jesters of dance”; and Dorothy Blaine, “mistress of song.” The Review praises Weiss, “Bringing Don Bestor has been a master stroke of Seymour Weiss.” The talent he hired was national rather than local scale. (Roosevelt Review).

Opportunity Nights

The Blue Room would have “Opportunity Nights” every two weeks, and on the week in between they would hold auditions for the upcoming opportunity night. One winner of an “Opportunity Night,” Emille Parra, was signed on to Bill Bardo’s orchestra. Another winner, Andree Faye, from Chicago performed for two weeks at the Roosevelt (Roosevelt Review).

Hawaiian Night

The Blue Room would host different themed parties for various occasions. For example, one night a year the club would host something called “Hawaiian Night” where the entire room was decorated with luaus and coconuts. The menu was changed entirely, and featured a signature pina colada served out of an actual coconut (LA Collection, Vertical Files).

Patrons

The Blue Room was aimed at the wealthy socialite society of New Orleans. Under the management of Pat O’ Shaughnessy, the club’s purpose was to “cater to the elite and discriminating” (New Orleans Review. Dec. 1937, p. 15). Patrons could choose between two time slots for meals and entertainment: supper from 6 to 8:45 PM, with a show at 7:15 PM, or dinner from 9:30 to 11:45 PM, with a show at 10 PM (Roosevelt Review. March 1945).

Roosevelt Review

While it operated as The Roosevelt, the hotel published a monthly magazine called The Roosevelt Review. Each issue generally chronicled the major events and activities of the hotel in the past month, including numerous full-page spreads patrons at the Blue Room dining and dancing. The magazine was aimed at the upper-class and wealthy denizens. One article’s purpose, “Treasure Parade,” was to show rich people’s collections of fine furniture and furs (“Treasure Parade.” Roosevelt Review. July 1938. pg. 23). There was a small amount of text accompanied by detailed photos of people’s treasures. A separate picture towards the back of a 1938 Roosevelt Review showed a white man and woman each buying a doll from an older black lady, and the text read “a typical French Quarter scene, buying a mammy doll from an old negress” (Roosevelt Review. July 1938. pg. 23).

Reopening

The newly refurbished Blue Room, hours before it reopened to the public in 2009. Photo by Infrogmation of New Orleans, used with permissions under the Creative Commons.

In early July, 2009, the hotel on 123 Baronne St. reopened as The Roosevelt Hotel again, following a $145 million refurbishing (“Roosevelt Redux; Refurbished hotel returns with its former name and glamour.”€ Times-Picayune. March 31, 2009). The Blue Room itself reopened on August 4, 2009, along with a large banquet that included a jazz big band fronted by Pete Fountain and Tim Laughlin. Tickets were $195 a person, with a menu of lobster, caviar, filet mignon, crab cakes, truffle mashed potatoes, and baked Alaska flambe (“Fountain of youth; The Blue Room reopens with Pete Fountain and renews New Orleanians’ romance with their past.” Times-Picayune. August 4, 2009).