One of Downtown Crowley’s most historic attractions, The Egan Hotel is undergoing repairs. Lazar Gielen, Owner of The Egan Hotel said the exterior of the building is being worked on, but he hopes it will one day become a boutique hotel. “It opened around 1913 and it rented rooms until about 1960,” Gielen said. “It was one of the premier hotels in Crowley and I’d like to see it one day come back that way.”
The hotel received a 55-thousand-dollar state grant for restoration from the Louisiana Office of Cultural Development last year. The 38-room hotel is known for its character and unique floor design in each room. Gielen said many affluent people have stayed in The Egan. “Many governors of the state stayed here,” Gielen said. “Huey Long was one of them. The New York Yankees when they came to Crowley in 1921 to play the Indianapolis Hoosiers, they stayed here.” While the building holds a lot of history Gielen said it will costs millions of dollars in repairs to fix it properly. Some contractors from Marsh Waterproofing have started the exterior repairs. “Right now, I’m working on painting,” Mike McDowell, a Contractor from Marsh Waterproofing said. ” [I’m] painting the windows and the walls on the outside.” There’s been a conspiracy surrounding the hotel. Some say The Egan Hotel is haunted by spirits.
“I enjoy that because I never believed in spirits,” Geilen said. “But between The Opera House and this hotel, we’ve had our eventful times, let me put it that way.” Benjamin Doughty is the Manager of Rice City Designs, right next to The Egan Hotel. Doughty said if the building is fully remodeled, it may drive more consumers to Crowley’s Historic District.
