Herman Fuselier

hfuselier@theadvertiser.com

St. Landry Parish lost its second entertainment landmark in a week when fire destroyed the Charcoal Lounge in Opelousas early Wednesday morning. The city’s fire department arrived at 1:14 a.m. to find the second floor of the Academy Street lounge’s engulfed in flames.

The department and Louisiana State Fire Marshal’s office are investigating. The fire follows an April 26 blaze that destroyed Miller’s Zydeco Hall of Fame in Lawtell, which was built in 1947 as Richard’s Club.

Opelousas Fire Chief Charles Mason said firefighters controlled the blaze after an hour. Mason said an upstairs apartment and balcony sustained heavy fire damage.

“The club and Rose Room sustained heat and water damage,” said Mason. “It’s a total loss upstairs.”

The building is historically known as Mason’s, a popular lounge, restaurant and hotel that dates back to the 1940s. In an area locals call “The Hill,” Mason’s came to prominence during racial segregation, when African Americans were restricted from many businesses and public places.

Located across the street from the Charcoal Lounge, Williams Progressive Life Insurance is among the businesses established on “The Hill” following World War II. Patrick Fontenot, president of the company, was disappointed by the news of the Charcoal’s fire.

No plans to rebuild Zydeco Hall of Fame

“It looks like we’re losing all our history,” said Fontenot. “The Charcoal has been there since our company started in ’47.

“Mason’s had a place there because that’s where everybody used to go eat lunch. It’s part of our history and definitely part of the history of what they call ‘The Hill.’

“That’s where I cut my teeth as far as going to a night club. This was a shock.”

Paul Scott, who grew up on Jefferson Street on “The Hill,” also lamented the fire at the neighborhood icon.

“We’re losing a lot of our institutions, even though a lot of our institutions are closed,” said Scott. “We’re losing them without documenting what used to be here.

“The Hill, from I-49 to Union Street, was a city on its own. You had night clubs, barber shops, funeral homes, banks, lawyers, cleaners, midwives, hotels, restaurants. You could make a living on ‘The Hill’ and never had to leave.

“Most people that live there now don’t know the history of ‘The Hill’.”