The Oldest Commercial Building in New Iberia’s Historic District
For nearly 170 years, the structure at 210 East Main St. has stood at the center of Downtown New Iberia — adapting, evolving, and welcoming people through its doors. The Bazus isn’t a recreation of history, it’s the real thing… A venue unlike any other.
Here a mature Laurent Bazus (left) and his assistant Fernand Seigneur (right) await customers at the Main Street establishment. The empty wine barrels suggest a happy story of their own.
The Bazus Hotel & Restaurant
Laurent Bazus purchased this property in the early 1880s, when the building was already decades old. In 1885, he opened the hotel and restaurant that quickly became a downtown landmark.
For thirty years, it served travelers passing through and townspeople looking for a good meal or a place to gather. The restaurant was known well enough that out-of-towners made it a destination; the rooms upstairs hosted visitors from across the region.
When the hotel closed in 1915, the building entered its next chapter — but it never left the family.
Still Standing
After nearly 170 Years
1860
The Beginning
1885–1915
The Bazus Hotel
1917
After a major renovation in 1917, the building’s exterior changed—the front balcony came down, the interior was reconfigured—but its role as a downtown gathering place continued.
1920
1977
2018
2022
Building Occupants through the Years
1860–1885
Unknown
1885–1915
Original Bazus Hotel & Restaurant
1917–1932
I.A. Martin’s photography studio, Arrigo Tailoring, and L.V. Drago Tailoring — businesses that served New Iberians marking life’s occasions with portraits and fine clothes.
1932–1958
Betar’s Café, Betar’s Men’s Wear, Betar’s Liquor & Newsstand, and the Bamboo Lounge — the building became a social hub where locals gathered for coffee, cocktails, and conversation.
1960–2018
Frances Maumus Compton and Aline Compton Porter (Laurent’s granddaughter and great-granddaughter) saw an opportunity. They converted the ground floor into air-conditioned office space, and for nearly sixty years a variety of tenants occupied the building, local professionals including Congressional secretaries, mechanical engineers, and hearing aid specialists who conducted business from the same rooms that once served hotel guests and café patrons.
2022–Today
The Bazus Event Venue
Your Occasion. Our History.
This building has hosted celebrations for nearly 150 years. Yours could be next.
210 E. Main Street, New Iberia, LA 70560
(337) 519-4001 · TheBazus@gmail.com