| The Pastime Restaurant started out as a grocery store on the Corner of South Blvd and a gravel road that later became Nicholson Drive, in the early 1920s. It operated as Alesce's Grocery on the south side of downtown Baton Rouge in an area designated as Beauguard town. Surrounded by a rice mill, a brickyard, a lumberyard and a furrier, the Pastime eventually grew into a restaurant and lounge in 1945. Due to the one-mile exclusion law from the LSU campus for any business selling alcohol, the Pastime, being one of the closest places to celebrate LSU sports, became a familiar and popular hangout for students, faculty and fans alike. As the times changed, the laws were lifted, but the tradition was started and remains today. |
