Monday, July 1, 2019

Every Man A King Distillery

Breaking Ground, Reimagining History

The groundbreaking for marks a new future for one of Louisiana’s most endangered historic buildings in Shreveport. The longabandoned Arlington Hotel at the corner of Louisiana and Cotton Streets gives positive momentum to the revitalization of the Shreveport Common area known as Louisiana Cotton Exchange.

Built in 1915 as a railroad hotel, the building and adjacent property will soon become a unique entertainment center with Every Man A King Distillery, the Revenir restaurant, a speakeasy, outdoor patio/courtyard and event space.

The Larson Family LP broke ground on the site at 700 Cotton Street to fanfare, confetti and sparkling lemonade. The dedication of husband-and-wife team Drs. Andrew Larson and Lindsey Pennington to this project is indicative of their commitment to Shreveport. They say the local community has many positives and a potential to build upon.

The 22,000-square-feet building is located in an area that was once the most blighted part of downtown Shreveport. Now it is part of the Shreveport Common revitalization project to transform a nine-block area into a Creative Cultural Community.

It’s been a long process to find a developer willing to take on a project like the Arlington Hotel,” said Shelly Ragle, director of SPAR. “We are lucky to have the Penningtons and others in Shreveport who have vision and are committed to our city. We are excited to be breaking ground here just two blocks from The Common park.”

The chef team of Allison Gras, originally from Shreveport, and Brad Jones will open the Revenir French restaurant on the site. Jones and Gras said, “That is what Revenir means in French – return – and we are hoping this project helps to bring people home to Shreveport. It’s exciting to be a part of an initiative that will bring business back to downtown.”

Plans also include the Cotton Street Club with live music once or twice a month to pay homage to New Orleans and Shreveport’s historic music scene. A 5,000-square-feet event space will flow into a giant courtyard outside the distillery.

More on Every Man A King Distillery and Shreveport Common:

“Every Man a King” refers to a movement started by then-U.S. Senator Huey P. Long.

Shreveport Common is a nine-block revitalization initiative that forms the creative cultural hub for choice neighborhoods and the downtown business district. Since 2011, $50,000,000 has been invested in the nine-block area by over 30 major public/private partners; 70% of that is private investment.

Every Man a King Groundbreaking