When Lisa Condrey Ward reopened the dormant Southern Hotel in downtown Covington in 2014, the refurbished building quickly became a magnet for locals and tourists alike. Visitors found a place to enjoy a post-work old fashioned in the lobby bar or use as a hub for a few days of northshore restaurant and bar hopping.
But reopening the 48-room, circa-1907 hotel didn’t just provide much-needed lodging or a nice place to pass a midweek happy hour. It also reinvigorated the whole downtown area, northshore political and tourism officials say.
Now, as the reopened hotel enters its 10th year, it is prepping for a significant expansion that Ward pegs in the $11 million to $12 million range. Construction on that expansion, called “Summer House,” could begin as soon as next month.
The hotel expansion and another project expected to begin soon in the 300 block of New Hampshire Street—a building at the site of the old Star Theater that will house a high-end restaurant, rooftop bar, and office space—will provide a boost for entertainment and tourism in downtown Covington, officials say.
“It’s really something—downtown Covington seems to reinvent itself every hundred years,” Covington Mayor Mark Johnson said.
Johnson explained that in 1813, Covington was a “port city,” with much of the commerce located near the Bogue Falaya River. A century later, the center of commerce had moved toward the railroad lines in the center of town.
“Looks like New Hampshire Street might be the new place now,” Johnson said.
The hotel project will include retail space on the first floor, featuring a clothing store and a bakery run by Lola, a Covington restaurant, 25 new hotel rooms on the second floor, and seven condominiums on the third floor. A parking lot will be in the back.
A row of 1940s-era buildings on the west side of New Hampshire Street came down last year to make way for the expansion. Test piles are being driven at the site now as engineers prepare for the start of the work, Ward said. Construction should take 13-14 months, but Ward added that details are still being hashed out. “It would be great to think we can start in May—that’s the goal,” Ward said.
She said a market study commissioned by the hotel shows promising results for the expansion. One St. Tammany tourism leader thinks it’s a good bet.
“What’s really clear is that downtown Covington has become the place where people want to be,” said Donna O’Daniels, who heads the St. Tammany Tourist Commission.
Kenny Lacour agrees. Lacour’s restaurant, Dakota, was a mainstay on busy U.S. 190 near Covington for decades before closing in 2022. The restaurant reopened on Boston Street in downtown Covington last October.
“Covington’s always had a charm to it,” said Lacour, who also lives downtown. “But the Southern Hotel really reinvigorated it.” Business, Lacour said, has been very good.
On the east side of New Hampshire Street, across from the hotel expansion, the 81-year-old Star Theater was demolished last summer to make way for a posh new building that will house a high-end French restaurant, a rooftop lounge, and commercial space.
Developers Patrick McMath, who is also a state senator, and Andrew McIver put their project in the $4 million to $5 million range. They had hoped to refurbish the old movie theater, but the building had too many problems to make saving it feasible, the developers said.
The new restaurant will be operated by BRG Hospitality, the New Orleans company that runs multiple restaurants, including Domenica, Shaya, and August. BRG also runs Tavi, the restaurant next door to the new building that opened in 2023.
“In the downtown, it frankly amazes me the amount of investment,” said Covington City Council member Mark Verret. “There’s this renaissance. People are excited.”
As the Southern Hotel gears up for its expansion and new projects take shape, downtown Covington continues its transformation, drawing more visitors and enhancing the community’s charm and vibrancy.
