A couple of years ago, I became intrigued with an abandoned hotel in Baton Rouge. I would pass it on my way to and from (then new) workplace. The hotel was built in 1927, but had stood abandoned for decades. It is an imposing ghostly presence smack in the middle of downtown Baton Rouge, facing the Mississippi River. A local developer had bought it in 1998 for $3 million with the intention of renovating it, but was then (in 2003) trying to sell it. I saw it listed for $10.5 million.
At the time, I emailed Mr. Lisa with the history and ghost stories of the place – a spectral Huey Long has been spotted more than once on the 10th floor – and jokingly asked, “Hey, if we win the lottery, can we buy this?”
He replied, “Yes, but you have to get 4 houses first.”