The Bellemont, Part Three
Welcome back to the show. Please start with Parts One and Two, if you haven't already seen them.
Back at the main entryway, we took that left, which looks like this (not our car):
And the wedge between the 9 o'clock and noon views from the entryway looks like this:
Back at the main entryway, we took that left, which looks like this (not our car):
And the wedge between the 9 o'clock and noon views from the entryway looks like this:
Here, there were more trees growing out of the roof.
A fountain, with a lesson for landscape architects: that purple stuff doesn't die.
Neither do Styrofoam containers or plastic bags.
Now, having gone in a few hundred feet, we look to the right. (Not our cars.)
This, to me, is the creepiest sight of this section of the complex.
Notice above what looks like a peep hole and what is definitely barbed wire.
Did we look inside the ice machine? Hell-to-the-nooooo. How much do you want to bet there's an animal in there?
And then: the pool area and lounge.
Not pictured: ubiquitous abandoned-site shopping cart, off to the left. Why someone went to the trouble to get it in that locked area remains a mystery.
The folded-down awning says "PAN AMERICAN." There is no record online of what the purpose of this space was. Fine dining? A dance club? A training facility for the ill-fated Pan Am airlines?
Either way, looks like something went horribly wrong on the upper floor here.
The view 180 degrees from PAN AMERICAN (not our car).
Now we know those columns are not weight-bearing.
Co-exploring companion Rachel called this "a stop sign for no one. "
I really enjoyed the use of conifers in the landscape in this courtyard.
And, turning back to where we came from, here's a stairway going to nowhere.
This was our final view before departing, as a man walked toward us, eating out of a takeout container.
From co-explorer Rachel: her 70-year-old neighbor recently described the Bellemont in its heyday as "magnificent." Rachel also reports, "My grandmother, Eva, worked there during the early 1960s and she has always said the same thing." Rachel disclosed that, for the era, Eva earned quite a respectable wage there.
R.I.P., The Bellemont, You remain magnificent...to us morbid people.
A fountain, with a lesson for landscape architects: that purple stuff doesn't die.
Neither do Styrofoam containers or plastic bags.
Now, having gone in a few hundred feet, we look to the right. (Not our cars.)
This, to me, is the creepiest sight of this section of the complex.
Notice above what looks like a peep hole and what is definitely barbed wire.
Did we look inside the ice machine? Hell-to-the-nooooo. How much do you want to bet there's an animal in there?
And then: the pool area and lounge.
Not pictured: ubiquitous abandoned-site shopping cart, off to the left. Why someone went to the trouble to get it in that locked area remains a mystery.
The folded-down awning says "PAN AMERICAN." There is no record online of what the purpose of this space was. Fine dining? A dance club? A training facility for the ill-fated Pan Am airlines?
Either way, looks like something went horribly wrong on the upper floor here.
The view 180 degrees from PAN AMERICAN (not our car).
Now we know those columns are not weight-bearing.
Co-exploring companion Rachel called this "a stop sign for no one. "
I really enjoyed the use of conifers in the landscape in this courtyard.
And, turning back to where we came from, here's a stairway going to nowhere.
This was our final view before departing, as a man walked toward us, eating out of a takeout container.
From co-explorer Rachel: her 70-year-old neighbor recently described the Bellemont in its heyday as "magnificent." Rachel also reports, "My grandmother, Eva, worked there during the early 1960s and she has always said the same thing." Rachel disclosed that, for the era, Eva earned quite a respectable wage there.
R.I.P., The Bellemont, You remain magnificent...to us morbid people.
I went with my best friend to his senior prom at the Bellemont. That was near the end of its finest hours when the neighborhood had already turned into a post-industrial wasteland. We decided that the hotel was like an Orwellien British colonialist who still hadn't heard about independence hanging on in a remote Indian outpost. Then at the afterparty, we had to kick out some freshmen who crashed and were attempting to snort crushed aspirin in the bathroom. I was, obviously, much nerdier than my sister who did mind-altering drugs there.
Posted by: Sanrda Day O'Killer | June 02, 2008 at 11:20 PM
This is my favorite thing on the internet right now.
Posted by: Professor Fury | June 03, 2008 at 05:28 PM
Good discovery! Sometimes i like to visit small places like this, but i love big places! ;)
Posted by: Oleg aka Xtraboy | June 07, 2008 at 06:39 AM
The Pan-American was a near-palatial suite at one time. The best rooms in the house as I recall.
Posted by: Lamar | June 11, 2008 at 10:44 AM
Went to many a dance at the Bellemont !!
Posted by: Sue-Sue | June 11, 2008 at 12:26 PM
Hello, all,
I am a new commenter and resident of Baton Rouge. Colleen, I love this site, and I think you had better be prepared for a lot of new fans after that article in The Advocate. I can't believe how many of my friends and family separately told me "You have got to see this blog!" I know you've been here a while now, but welcome to B.R.
Oh, and the big roaches are tree roaches and are solitary, so you never really have to worry about infestation with those guys. They like cool spaces in the summer.
Posted by: rabbit | June 12, 2008 at 12:04 PM
towards the end of the 90's we used to go to raves and record shows there.
Posted by: ricky | June 12, 2008 at 04:12 PM
These pics and descriptions are awesome, it reminds me of the Bearingstein Bears book "the spooky old tree", "Do they dare go inside the spooky old tree? Yes they dare!" The peep hole reminds me of when my BFF was sitting on the tiolet in the LSU library and looked over to see an eyeball staring through a hole at him. Peepholes are popular in repressed cultures where certain orientations are not accepted.
Loved seeing you in the advocate too :)
Posted by: Leslie @ the oko box | June 16, 2008 at 09:03 PM
Thanks for the tour. However, I prefer to remember the Bellemont as the best place to go on a Friday or Saturday night, with or without a date. I'm referring to the 1970's. They had a great lounge/dance area where a prominent local band would play most every weekend. I still have fond memories of going there with my buddies from school, yea, we were barely 18, that was legal back then. In fact, in 1974, I married a young lady that I met at The Bellemont Lounge.
I still recognize some of my memories in your photos. The marriage lasted 20 years. Oh well, nothing but the memories last forever, right!
Posted by: Larry Easley | June 22, 2008 at 02:43 PM
I'm so glad I actually listened to wrkf this morning and found your blog. When I was 12 (13 years ago) I went to a huge party at the Bellemont with my dad for an LSU game.
I remember it being so nice and fun and just plain out awesome. It's amazing, and saddening, how quickly things change in Baton Rouge which is something you'll notice if you stay here long enough.
Posted by: gibby | July 07, 2008 at 09:55 AM