Opened in 1960, it became known as Atlanta's "jazz mecca" as it featured top-name artists such as Aretha Franklin, Dizzy Gillespie, Gladys Knight, and Jimmy Smith.

[8][9] The restaurant often hosted Martin Luther King Jr. and his associates during the Civil Rights Movement, and was noted for being a place that whites and blacks could both visit, as well as being tolerant of homosexuals.

[7] In 1967, the Paschal brothers expanded the property further with a 125-room motel,[12] fulfilling their vision of providing "food, drink, merriment, entertainment, and a place to rest up for more all within the confines of one complex".

[13] The restaurant, lounge, and motel were closed in 1996 and the property was sold for $3 million to Clark Atlanta University, which converted it into a student dormitory and conference centre.

[2] Top-name performers who appeared at La Carrousel Lounge included: Cannonball Adderley, Aretha Franklin, Erroll Garner, Dizzy Gillespie, Herbie Hancock, Ahmad Jamal, Quincy Jones, Gladys Knight, Ramsey Lewis, Russell Malone, Wes Montgomery, Lou Rawls, Horace Silver, Jimmy Smith, The Three Sounds, Stanley Turrentine, and Joe Williams.