Halfway House

Status: Closed

Parish: Orleans

Location: New Orleans

Photo from vjm.biz

102 City Park Avenue, New Orleans

From http://www.vjm.biz/new_page_19.htm: ” The Halfway House was a kind of roadhouse. It was conveniently located halfway between the City of New Orleans and Lake Pontchartrain, along the New Basin Canal, at Pontchartrain Boulevard and City Park Avenue. It opened around 1915 and was run by the brothers Chris, Gus and Oscar Rabinsteiner. Chris was the club’s manager, Gus stood behind the bar and Oscar handled the car service at night (selling sandwiches, ice, etc. and giving spots to park). Some people even called the club ‘Chris’s’ in stead of ‘Halfway House’. When Chris and Oscar would have an argument and Oscar would lose, the latter would throw whatever he had at hand into the New Basin Canal and quit. The canalÕs bottom must have been paved with souvenirs. There was hardly a dull moment at the Halfway House and sometimes the band members even had to double as bouncers. Sunday always was a busy day at Halfway House. By the end of the afternoon, on their return from the resorts at Lake Pontchartrain, like Bucktown, West End and Milneberg the young people would drop in to have a drink or have a dance because the Halfway House always featured good hot dance music. With the Depression, business at the club decreased and it closed as a dance hall around 1930. But it remained a popular spot as an ice cream parlour.”

Gallery:

• 

Photo Credit: vjm.biz