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Old Heidelberg Hotel postcard.

An oilman’s penthouse, a secret tunnel for a crafty governor and a Vegas-inspired addition: These elements are part of the history—and lore—of the new Hilton Baton Rouge Capitol Center, known by locals as both the Hotel Heidelberg and the Capitol House.

Built in 1927, the year before Huey Long was elected governor, the city’s first “luxury” hotel has seen nearly 80 years of dealmaking, name changes, glory and decline. Now, after a major preservation effort, the spot will soon be one of only 200 Historic Hotels of America, a special designation by the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

When the Hilton opens this month, Baton Rougeans will recollect plenty about its past life including whose proms were held there and exactly what that underground tunnel was used for.

The not-so-secret tunnel

Heidelberg Hotel bellboys.

After he was elected governor in 1928, Huey Long took over three rooms on the hotel’s fifth floor. That wasn’t unusual. The Standard Oil CEO had made the penthouse his personal apartment. Allegedly, Long used an underground tunnel, which connected the Heidelberg to the Hotel King across Lafayette Street, for shirking the press. But the tunnel was no big secret. Both staff and patrons of the two hotels used the passageway, a so-called peacock alley, to walk between the two buildings.

The Arthur Keesing Band.

What’s in a name?

The name “Heidelberg” gets thrown around in discussions about the new Hilton’s history, but there’s local disagreement about where the old Heidelberg actually is. While the original Heidelberg, built in 1927, is the Hilton’s corner structure, the building across the street was known as the Heidelberg as well. In the late ’50s, when the original Heidelberg was expanded, its furnishings were sent across the street to the less luxurious Hotel King. The King was renamed the Heidelberg, and the Heidelberg was renamed the Capitol House.

Groovy, mama, groovy

Ornate passageways lead to the Hunt Club, the hotel's bar.

Take a glance at the new Hilton and its halves seem incongruous. The original structure at the northwest corner of Lafayette and Convention Street features classic arches and friezes. But move north on Lafayette and you’ll spot 1960s Vegas-inspired lines. The sprawling, glassy addition, which began in the late ’50s, conjures up images of Dean Martin and supper clubs. In its heyday, it was the most in drive-up motor lodges.