NEW ORLEANS — The Warbler Hotel, a six-story boutique property planned for 1923 St. Charles Avenue, will mark a new chapter for the prominent corner once home to the Trolley Stop Café which closed in 2021. The hotel is expected to open in late 2026 and will add 58 guest rooms, two food and beverage concepts and a rooftop poolside lounge to one of the city’s most recognizable corridors.
The 42,000-square-foot hotel is designed to function as a neighborhood gathering place as well as a draw for visitors. Plans call for Mildred’s, a martini bar and restaurant on the main level, and Upstairs, a lounge overlooking the live oak canopy along St. Charles Avenue.
The project is being developed by Verdad Real Estate Development through its single-purpose entity VRE 1923 St. Charles, LLC, marking the firm’s first hotel venture in New Orleans. Led by principal Joe Mann, Verdad expects to complete the development in late 2026.
EskewDumezRipple is providing architecture and interior design services in collaboration with Los Angeles–based Jamie Bush + Co., which is overseeing furniture, fixtures, equipment and artwork. The design draws from Streamline Moderne influences, with interiors meant to evoke the social clubs and hospitality culture of early twentieth-century New Orleans. Guest rooms are planned as contemporary spaces with historic references.
EskewDumezRipple said the building is intended to complement the architectural rhythm of St. Charles Avenue while adding new activity to the site.
Several local and national firms are supporting the project:
- Salas O’Brien is serving as MEP and structural engineer as well as lighting designer;
- Marais Consultants is the civil engineer and stormwater management lead;
- Batture LLC is designing the landscape architecture;
- The Kitchen Guys are consulting on food service; and
- Commercial Acoustics is advising on acoustic performance.
Once complete, The Warbler will add a new hospitality option to the Lower Garden District and contribute to a wave of redevelopment along St. Charles Avenue where several historic structures and commercial sites have been repositioned in recent years.
Lark Hospitality, an independent hotel management and development company based in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, has been selected as the operator/hotel management company for The Warbler. It operates a national portfolio of boutique and lifestyle hotels focusing on managing and scaling design-forward, locally oriented properties.
About EskewDumezRipple
EskewDumezRipple is a New Orleans–based architecture, urban design and planning firm founded in 1989 and nationally recognized for its work in civic, cultural, higher education and mixed-use projects. The firm is known for designs that respond to local context, climate and culture, with a portfolio spanning Louisiana and major cities across the United States.
