The Great Days of the Garden District, and the Old City of Lafayette

BRYAN BELL HOUSE
1331 Third Street

Iron lace, delicate but dramatic, casting lovely shadows across the façade of the Bell house, has made this a favorite “shot” for photographers, both amateur and professional. These cast iron galleries, often called the finest in the city, make the house eye-catching, but locally it is also famous for its associations with the New Orleans family of the French painter Edgar Degas.

In 1850 Michel Musson, a prominent cotton merchant and postmaster of New Orleans from 1849 to 1853, purchased the site and is said to have commissioned James Gallier, Sr., to design his dwelling. Construction was soon completed on this interpretation in wood of a formal Italian villa, as its style has been defined by Samuel Wilson, Jr., local architectural historian. Certainly in those days the designation would have been more appropriate than now, the famous ironwork having been added in 1884. The original Gallier plan had two bay windows on the front, similar to one on the garden side of the house, with canopies such as are on the Coliseum Street side protecting the upper windows. The bracketed overhang of the roof on both sides is Italianate in feeling.

In 1869 the house was sold to James Buckner, who in turn sold it in 1884 to Charles M. Whitney. In addition to altering the front of the house, Whitney also added the Victorian stables which are still preserved complete with brass name plates on the former stalls of his favorite horses, Momus, Comus and Twenty-one. The last was named for a favorite riverboat gambling game. At the rear of the property is a garçonnière (literally “house of the boys”) which is original, as is the ornamental iron fence.

The house is now the property of Mr. and Mrs. Bryan Bell who have furnished it with an excellent collection of antiques and paintings.

As a visitor enters the house, he is at once captivated by the graceful curved stairs, typical of Gallier’s work. This is of the unsupported or free-hanging type. Throughout the house, woodwork of door and window frames is of the famous neo-classic design, popularly called the “keyhole design”, which owes its inspiration to the vogue for Egyptian styles which followed Napoleon’s campaigns in that country. The lovely living room cornices are of plaster, set out from the wall at a slight angle with an openwork design which gives them the local name of “double transparencies”. The wide board floors are heart of pine, sun-cured instead of kiln-dried which gave great durability to the wood.

Lovers of the unusual are always fascinated by the handcarved teakwood mantel in the living room. Added by the Whitneys, it has a secret compartment on either side.

An unusual feature of the house is the huge dining room, which, despite its twin mantels, was always a single room. The large Musson family and the many friends they entertained dictated a dining room of tremendous proportions. The identical bronze chandeliers were originally for gas but later were wired for electricity. Mrs. Whitney, however, not fully trusting the new-fangled electricity, prudently had only half the arms wired. The rest she kept for gas “just in case”.

The spacious side garden of the Bell home uses many typical Southern materials bordering a wide sweep of green lawn. The towering palm is a species of date palm tree. On the trellises by the house are Carolina jasmine (Gelsemium sempervirens) vines. At the corner of the house is a large golden dewdrop (Duranta repens), a showy shrub which has bright yellow berries and racemes of small lilac flowers, frequently at the same time. Near this spot is a Lady Banksia rose (Rosa Banksiae), for many years a New Orleans springtime favorite. In summer the famous “Whitney pink” oleanders are especially striking. This variety was propagated by Mrs. Whitney’s gardener and is now one of the most popular in the Crescent City.

ADELAIDE L. BRENNAN HOUSE
2507 Prytania Street

Nearly a century after it was built, this vast mansion, a newspaper editor’s dream house, almost made the front page when a raging fire gutted the interior and threatened destruction. Fortunately the house withstood good times and bad, hurricanes and fire, and stands today lovingly restored.

The quarter square of land at the corner of Prytania and Second Streets was purchased in June, 1852, by Joseph H. Maddox, owner of the New Orleans Daily Crescent, a prominent newspaper of the period. Plans for his new residence were made by a local architect, John Barnett, and in August of that year a contract for construction was signed with John R. Eichelberger. As was often the case in those days, a different architect was employed to supervise the construction. Edward Gotthiel was selected for this job.

Unfortunately, soon after its completion, Maddox became embroiled in a ruinous law suit which resulted in the house’s being seized by the sheriff and sold to John Coleman. Subsequent owners have been F. W. Kirchoff, Alfred Moulton, S. P. Walmsley, C. D. Cecil, Walter S. Simpson, and now Mrs. Brennan.

As envisioned by Barnett and brought to fruition by Gotthiel and Eichelberger, the house emerged as one recognized for its exceptionally fine proportions. A strict scale was adhered to so that all rooms, both upstairs and down, are 22 feet square with the exception of the entrance hall which measures 11 by 44 and the gold ballroom which is 22 by 44 feet.

Viewed from the street the front elevation of broad front galleries with superimposed Ionic and Corinthian columns impresses even the casual observer. A more practiced eye will detect refinements of scale and detail which make it notable.

In 1954, soon after the Simpsons acquired the property and began restoration, a major fire destroyed a large part of the interior. Heartsore but undaunted by the monumental task they now faced, the Simpsons were determined that the house should be restored as closely as possible to its original state. Months went into the search for proper materials and workmen who could execute in the style of a past century. Today this beautiful home, with recent restoration by Mrs. Brennan, is again the object of much admiration.

In the entrance hall the molded cornices around the ceiling are prized “double transparency” style. The rosette was made directly upon the ceiling at the time of the restoration. Others in the house were molded separately and then applied. Following the popular neo-classic trend, the doorframes were made in the “keyhole design”, enhanced by handmade hinges of silver over solid brass.

Many different woods are used to advantage in the house. Hall floors are of pine, but cypress is the flooring for living and dining rooms. Diagonally laid oak boards were placed over the old pine in the ballroom to give a better surface for dancing. The magnificent stairway combines cypress treads with walnut spindles topped with a mahogany rail. Especially beautiful in the living room are the sliding doors made of burl walnut. They complement the handcarved mantel, also of burl walnut, with brass trim and Italian tile hearth.

In the dining room the fire blistered off layers of paint on the mantel tiles and revealed beneath the original design of the tiles. This Louisiana bayou scene is unique.

Most elegant room in the house is the gold ballroom, looking today much as it did in 1870, when the Moulton family commissioned a Viennese artist to decorate it. At that time the ceiling of the coved area was done in tapestry. Since the fire, it has been hand painted in colors as close as possible to the original. The birds are done on canvas, and the field paper is a companion to that on the walls. In this room is a pair of mantels, dark Italian marble rimmed with silver plated brass, with hearths of Italian tiles. When the fireplaces are in use, fascinating designs embossed on the iron firebacks glow and stand out in relief. At the far end of this spacious chamber is a small room, now converted into a bar, which was once the room where musicians sat while furnishing music for soirées.

FRANK G. STRACHAN HOUSE
1134 First Street

By reason of its beauty alone this majestic house would deserve notice, but history has touched the house, making it a landmark. It is revered by Southerners because the Confederacy’s beloved President, Jefferson Davis, died within its portals. A granite marker placed beside the front walk by the United Daughters of the Confederacy memorializes this sad event.

Very little is known about the actual construction of the house, but it is conceded to have been one of the very first large mansions of the district. Records show that the site on the corner of First and Camp Streets was purchased in May, 1849, by Jacob U. Payne and his business partner, J. P. Harrison. It seems reasonable to suppose that the date of construction was between that time and 1850, the dawn of Lafayette’s great era of building. Since no record of architect or builder has been found, it is a popular local supposition that Mr. Payne himself designed the house, carrying on the tradition of the previous century when many gentlemen considered skill in architecture a necessary accomplishment.

The architect, whether Mr. Payne or some unsung genius, achieved a masterpiece which has both dignity and grace. The use of the Greek Revival style of architecture could not have been more correct. The handsome portico with its double gallery is adorned with great columns, Ionic below and Corinthian above, in the great classic tradition. Massive gables of the house with their twin chimneys are typical of the high quality of materials and workmanship employed. The cast iron capitals of the columns are marked New York, 1848.

The exterior of the house is stuccoed brick and the thick walls within are also of brick. Cypress was used for the beams; heart pine, for the floors. Window frames and doors are of mahogany. The decoration of this house is more restrained than in most of the houses built later when a greater exuberance came into vogue. The cornice design was duplicated in a miniature room depicting a New Orleans interior in the Chicago Institute of Art.

From J. U. Payne, ownership of the house passed to his son-in-law, Judge Charles E. Fenner, and his family. It was in the downstairs bedroom, on December 6, 1889, that President Davis died. Mrs. Edward Gay, granddaughter of the original owner, recalls that Davis, an intimate friend of the Paynes and Fenners and frequent guest in their home, was taken ill at his home “Beauvoir” on the Mississippi Gulf Coast and was brought to her grandfather’s house in an ambulance.

Joyous times as well as sad form the tapestry of this house’s associations with the Davis family. Winnie Davis, the daughter of Jefferson Davis, had her happiest moments here. This lovely girl, christened Varina Ann Jefferson Davis, had been born in the Confederate Executive Mansion in Richmond in June, 1864. Her birth was regarded as a single bright light in the darkest time for the South. Ever afterward she was affectionately called the “Daughter of the Confederacy”.

When she came of age, Winnie was presented to New Orleans society from the Fenner home. Her social success was a tribute to her beauty as well as an expression of the esteem with which her father was regarded. In 1883 Winnie was queen of the Momus ball, the theme of which was “The Moors in Spain”. The following year Winnie, along with the daughters of Robert E. Lee, Stonewall Jackson and A. D. Hill, was signally honored by Comus. These girls were given the honor of dancing the first quadrille, Miss Mildred Lee being Comus’s partner. Although they were not officially proclaimed queens and maids of honor, the dynasty of Comus courts dates from that ball.

Later, the charming Miss Davis had her turn to reign with full Carnival panoply. Comus made her his queen in 1892. Mrs. Gay recalls how, as a small girl, she stood by the steps to catch a glimpse of Winnie in her white satin gown, styled along modified Oriental lines, as she entered the carriage to go to the ball. A portrait of Winnie in this dress, along with her jewels and the chalice Comus used to toast his queen, are on display at the Confederate Memorial Hall.

In 1935 the house was sold for the first and only time to Mr. and Mrs. William Bradish Forsyth. Present occupants of the house are Mr. and Mrs. Frank G. Strachan. Mrs. Strachan is a daughter of the Forsyths. The large house is furnished with a fine collection of European and American antiques and objets d’art.

On the south side of the house is an enchanting garden pavillion, which was designed by Richard Koch and Samuel Wilson, Jr., who have also been consulting architects for restoration work on the house. The lovely gardens were planted according to the plans of Umberto Innocenti, noted landscape architect of Long Island, N. Y.

THOMAS M. TERRY HOUSE
1417 Third Street

Small and appealing, this remodeled carriage house furnishes a delightful contrast to the huge mansions which surround it. Some thirty years ago Dr. and Mrs. Thomas M. Terry bought the carriage house in the rear of the large house at 2520 Prytania Street. The main house, built in 1853, is attributed to Isaac Thayer, architect and builder, in Samuel Wilson, Jr.’s Guide to Architecture of New Orleans—1699-1959, although local tradition holds that it was the work of James Gallier, the younger. This was the childhood home of John M. Parker, a former governor of Louisiana.

After purchasing the rear portion of the property, the Terrys, under the direction of Douglass Freret, architect, embarked upon a building plan which preserved the interesting features of the original structure and yet added modern convenience. The resulting arrangement has a serenity achieved partly through a flowing use of available space and also through selection of muted, quiet colors. Theirs is a house spacious enough for entertaining yet a compact home for two.

The original outside walls of the carriage house are 13 inches thick, a density which is readily seen in the depth of the doorways in the old exterior walls. Preserved on the exterior are the broad doors which once swung back to permit the passage of carriages.

The entrance hall, with kitchen on the left, is part of the additions made by the Terrys. The hall flooring is beautiful Tennessee marble. Although the brass stair post is not old, the well-worn steps, hidden beneath the carpet, are the original outside steps leading to the loft of the carriage house.

The elegant living room was once the carriage house itself, while the extension on the street end, which now serves as a small study, was used as harness room, it is believed. Together they form a room 20 by 34 feet.

Extending the width of the house in the rear is a 38-foot-long dining room and enclosed porch. Huge sheets of glass installed in the spaces between “iron lace” grillwork of a characteristic Garden District gallery permit sweeping views of the garden while preserving the traditional character of the dwelling.

The charming garden is a prize example of achieving maximum beauty in a more or less minimum space. In competition with gardens of much greater size, it won the New Orleans Garden Society Cup for three consecutive years, at which time the cup was permanently presented to the Terrys. Planned around a large swimming pool, it is skillfully laid out so as to give the impression of much greater size. Among the plantings are found azaleas, camellias, sasanquas, sweet olives, hibiscus, hydrangeas and spring bulbs. The view from the rear of the garden toward the house is particularly pleasing.

The late Dr. Terry was a tireless worker on behalf of the preservation of the Garden District. During his twenty-year tenure as President of the Garden District Property Owners Association, he helped launch an energetic program aimed at preserving and restoring the beauty of this section.

GEORGE G. WESTFELDT HOUSE
2340 Prytania Street

The simplicity and unpretentious charm of this ancient raised cottage set well back amid luxuriant vegetation bring to mind the pleasant rural character of the Faubourg Lafayette of the 1830’s. Strongly akin to the type of plantation architecture which developed in Louisiana, the house was built by a pioneer resident of the Garden District, Thomas Toby.

In 1817 Toby left Philadelphia and came to New Orleans where he introduced the use of long-tailed drays for hauling cotton bales. Soon he had the largest wheelwright and commission merchant business in the South. After the railway up Nayades Street made the new town of Lafayette so accessible a suburban paradise, he chose a beautiful lot, heavily wooded with fine oak trees, on the corner of First and Prytanée (now Prytania) Streets. In 1838 he erected the charming white cottage surrounded by a picket fence which became a point of reference when describing the area. From that day the house has been known as “Toby’s Corner”. Much of the lumber and supplies used in its construction was brought from Philadelphia on the ships of his father, Simeon Toby, who engaged in the East coast trade. Thomas Toby suffered severe financial reverses in helping to finance the Texas revolution and some years after his death in 1849, his widow sold the house.

The present owner George G. Westfeldt, Jr., was the fourth generation of his family to occupy the house. At present the house is the dwelling of the British Consul General, Mr. A. G. Maitland, and his family.

Thomas Toby had come to New Orleans the year following the disastrous Macarty crevasse. Doubtless he was mindful that this circumstance had ruined the Livaudais plantation’s sugar cane crop, and that flood might come again. Certainly a raised cottage, high water architecture if you will, was an excellent choice of style. His dwelling had the typical Louisiana arrangement of brick-piered basement at ground level with a wide flight of stairs leading to the principal floor above. Originally there were galleries only on the front and rear of the house, but through the years other galleries were added as well as a wing on the Philip Street side. Now the outside steps have been removed and the main entrance to the house is through the ground floor hall.

The lack of elaborate ornamentation in the house is a testament to its great age. The pine mantels in the summer living room downstairs and the simplicity of the woodwork are examples. Also notably chaste in design is the cornice of the upstairs drawing room. It has been estimated that one square foot of this molding would weigh 12 pounds. In this room and the dining room the Italian marble mantels are replacements made many years ago. Fireplaces remain in almost every room in the house and are sometimes used in the winter. As in so many houses in this neighborhood, the handmade glass window panes with their delightful irregularities are original.

Outside, the garden has been kept in a naturalistic planting to preserve the plantation atmosphere. The large live oak in the back is a member of the unique Live Oak Society and is listed as the Livaudais oak. The big Magnolia grandiflora trees, the much beloved Southern magnolia, were said to have been planted in the year the house was built. The four Italian sweet olive trees (Osmanthes fragrans) and the large crape myrtles (Lagerstroemia indica) in the front are very old also. The smaller crape myrtles form a collection of “friendship trees” which have been received as gifts from nearly every Southern state. There are many varieties of azaleas and camellias as well as a number of fruit and flowering trees. A beautiful effect is created in fall and winter by the colorful berries of the yaupon (Ilex vomitoria), the Southern holly, which reaches nearly to the roof on the First Street side.

JOHN A. MMAHAT HOUSE
1239 First Street

Roses, their beauty captured in iron, embellish the grillwork of this palatial Garden District mansion. The interesting façade with double galleries is distinguished by the use of “columns in antae”, Corinthian and Ionic columns between the square pilasters at the corners.

The contract for construction of the building was signed on January 3, 1857. For $13,000, so modest by present day standards, the owner, Albert Hamilton Brevard, erected a mansion of many spacious rooms, ornamented in the best classic fashion, with all the carved wood in the house of solid mahogany.

Architect of this splendid, typically New Orleans interpretation of the Greek Revival was James Calrow. Charles Pride was the builder. Originally the lot comprised half a square extending all the way to Camp street, boundaries which are still defined by identical fencing along the block. This decorative fence was a patented design and as such was a forerunner of the unaesthetic chain link fences of today. A century ago it was unthinkable that beauty and utility not go hand in hand.

Two years after the completion of the house, Brevard died and his daughter inherited the property. In 1869 she sold it to Emory Clapp for his bride. In preparation for the newlyweds, special mirrors were ordered from France for the double parlor, where they hang today. Made of rosewood, these mirrors are ornamented with the monogram of the bride and groom. A pair of the mirrors hangs over the marble mantels and the other pair, hung at opposite ends of the huge parlor, reflect the handsome crystal chandelier ad infinitum, a source of delight to visitors.

On the south side of the house are double galleries of the same delicate ironwork. The hexagonal library with bedroom above and the accompanying grillwork gallery were added by the Clapps in 1869. For over 65 years Mrs. Clapp made her home here, taking a loving interest in both house and grounds. Upon her death in 1934 the house was purchased by Mrs. Frank Brostrom. Next owners were Federal Judge and Mrs. John Minor Wisdom, who occupied the house from 1947 until 1972. Present owners are Mr. and Mrs. John A. Mmahat, who have tastefully preserved the various outstanding features of the house.

Both inside and outside walls are of brick. The recessed entrance provides space to fold back the tremendous storm doors. Door and window frames in the house follow several patterns but for the most part are topped with egg and dart molding and a Roman classic design of great charm. Especially elaborate treatment of the woodwork was used in the dining room. Among the many beautiful plaster ceiling centerpieces, the medallion in the library is considered the finest.

From the entrance hall the stairway, which has rails and spindles of mahogany, extends in an unbroken flight to the floor above. The typical double parlor is divided by a large arch, necessary to support the ceiling. This arch of carved mahogany terminates in a decorative corbel at either end. Two fireplaces warmed the area in winter and many windows, all with handmade glass, provided the necessary summer ventilation. The marble mantels are unusual in that they are an unidentical pair. One depicts spring; the other, autumn. Throughout the house are rare antiques, paintings and objets d’art.

The front portion of the beautiful garden has a formal arrangement focusing on a classical statue. There is also a bird bath backed with a long bed containing cherry laurels (Prunus Laurocerasus), yews (podicarpus), myrtles, a seasoning bay tree (Laurus nobilis), a large cocculus, camellias japonica, and azaleas, edged with boxwood. A huge purple bougainvillea climbs the iron lacework on the front, while the back of the gallery supports a Quirqualis indica vine, a tropical plant sometimes called Rangoon creeper. The bed alongside the house has camellias, multifleur, and Confederate jasmine vines (Trachelospermum jasminoides).

An integral part of the landscape design is the limestone balustrade which encloses the garden and runs along the flagstone paving. There are formal boxwood parterres in the back garden and an inviting circular bench which surrounds an exceptionally large sweet olive tree (Osmanthes fragrans). The planting around the fish pond includes podicarpus, sasanquas, bottle-brush (Callistemon lanceolatus), shrimp plant (Beloperone guttata), loquat, viburnums, and barberries. White azaleas in profusion lend springtime beauty.

THOMAS NORTON BERNARD HOUSE
1328 Harmony Street

Strikingly handsome in its simplicity, the Bernard house is often cited as a pure example of a Louisiana raised cottage. Sturdy brick pillars support the wide gallery which is reached by a long flight of steps. Wooden railings are plain while windows to the floor are symmetrically arranged on either side of the recessed doorway.

Long owned by various members of the Bernard family, the cottage exudes family tradition but the builder and construction dates are unknown. Earliest record of the “property with improvements” is 1861. Bernard family lore tells of workmen who were finishing the roof watching Admiral Farragut’s fleet steam up the river toward New Orleans in 1862.

The floor plan of the main floor of the house is typical, a wide central hall, in this instance eight feet wide and 33 feet long, which extends from front gallery to back gallery. Behind the characteristic double parlors on the right of the hall an added wing contains dining room and kitchen. All rooms are large, distinguished in proportion but not formal in character. Modernization has been done in an unobstrusive way by the present owners who also corrected alterations done some 20 years ago so that all changes are now compatible with the structure’s original lines.

This old house has been adapted skillfully to the needs of an active family with the attic converted for boys’ bedrooms and additional rooms in the ground floor basement. The spacious corner lot is landscaped with swimming pool and patio.

GEORGE A. COIRON HOUSE
2926 St. Charles Avenue

A delightful Southern home with many galleries to catch the breezes, the Coiron house dates from 1882, yet it was designed and built in the manner of dwellings of the 1860 period. The architect is unknown but the original owner was one Thomas McDermott, who resided there for many years with his two maiden sisters.

Older Garden District residents still recall McDermott sitting on the little porch off the dining room every summer evening, smoking his cigar until dusk. One charming eccentricity of the McDermott sisters earned them a place in the ranks of colorful individuals who have made the Garden District their home. When the garden produced no live blooms, these old ladies pinned paper flowers to the hedge on the Seventh Street side of the property.

Subsequent owners of the house were Mrs. Hughella Virginia McCloskey, Henry Mooney, Ernest Scipio Myers, Mr. and Mrs. Morris Legendre, and, by bequest of the Legendres, Christ Church Cathedral.

Extensive restoration work was done by the present owners Mr. and Mrs. George A. Coiron, Jr., after they purchased the house in 1964 from Mrs. Sylvia Reiner, who had acquired it from the Cathedral.

During the renovation, interesting construction details of this finely built house were revealed. Year-round comfort was assured inside the house by the original designer who left air chambers between the inner and outer walls, which are braced some 12 inches apart. Every room has a balcony or gallery.

Above the front door is the number 710, etched in France, which was the original street numeral on St. Charles Avenue before the municipal numbering system was changed in 1895.

A bit of history attaches to the iron fence and gates which were installed in 1934 by Mr. Myers. The rear gate, originally from old Spanish Fort, had been purchased for $35 from a junk man who got it when the popular lakefront amusement park was demolished.

JOHN B. HOBSON HOUSE
1224 Jackson Avenue

Particularly charming, this raised cottage is one of the few remaining vestiges of the elegance of the homes along Jackson Avenue during the early days of the Garden District.

Research by Samuel Wilson, Jr., architectural historian, establishes that the house was built around the time of the War Between the States by a man named Swain, who previously had resided in a house on the corner of Philip and Chestnut streets. In 1869 it was the property of Louis Schneider. In May of 1881 the house was sold to Isaac West, whose family lived there until 1929, when it was purchased by the Kilpatricks. They in turn sold to Mr. and Mrs. Paul Pigman. Mr. and Mrs. John B. Hobson bought the house in 1962.

The beautiful façade is embellished by a deep cornice, fluted Corinthian columns and lovely “iron lace” in a pattern of lyres and flowers. Instead of the usual symmetrical arrangement of windows on either side of the central doorway, the Hobson house has a gentle bay on the left side. Originally the house had a large rear wing which was destroyed by fire in the 1950’s.

Inside the house are found ornate and elegant plaster moldings and ceiling medallions. A spiral stairway rises dramatically to the second floor from the wide central hall. The Hobsons have furnished the house with a collection of 18th century English antiques.

CHESTER A. MEHURIN HOUSE
1427 Second Street

This dignified and handsome Greek Revival house has been the property of Mr. and Mrs. Chester A. Mehurin since 1948. During their long period of ownership, the Mehurin’s have completely restored the house, under the supervision of Koch-Wilson architects, made some additions and also delved into the interesting history of the property.

The house was probably built by Mrs. Jane Fawcett, widow of James D’Arcy, on this ground which she purchased in 1845, in the rear of her other property facing First Street that she had purchased the year previous. According to Mrs. Dagmar Renshaw LeBreton in “A Tour of the Garden District” the D’Arcy-Mehurin house was part of a large plantation home moved here by the D’Arcy’s in the early 1850’s and then added to. Such house moving was not uncommon during that early period, strange as it may seem.

A number of architectural features help establish the date of the house as circa 1850. The ceilings are only 12 feet high and the doors were originally single width. The door moldings are in the same pattern as those in the Pontalba buildings, also created in the 1850’s.

At the time of Mrs. D’Arcy’s death in 1885 the house was under lease to Dr. Henry D. Bruns and was described as “a commodious and well-built two-story and attic frame-slated residence, with hall in the center, and contains parlor, library, dining room, kitchen, etc. and some numerous bedrooms above. Bathroom, pantry, etc., with marble mantels and gas-light fixtures throughout. Embellished yard and garden, two cisterns, sheds, etc. Stylish appearance, choice neighborhood.”

In 1907 the house was acquired by Mrs. Henry C. Miller, whose daughter Miss Lottie Miller conducted a fine private school for girls there until about 1931 when Dr. John H. Musser bought the place. The ironwork on the house was added at that period. The Mehurin’s purchased the house from Dr. Musser’s estate. Many old out-buildings, including a wine cellar, were removed by the present owners so that the present garden could be established.

LELAND S. MONTGOMERY HOUSE
1506 Seventh Street

Although the architect and builder of this stately mansion are unknown, it was probably constructed in the 1850’s. A delightful rendering in water color of the house as it appeared in 1865 is in the notarial archives of Orleans Parish.

This charming painting shows the house without the library with bedroom above which was added to the south side of the house in 1890. Details such as the columns—Ionic on the lower gallery, Corinthian above—and the curved flagstone walk from the entrance on Seventh street are clearly shown. This rendering indicates that the present large drawing-room was, at that time, a double parlor, perhaps separated by an arch. The former servant’s ell, extending back from the dining room, was so deteriorated that when Mr. and Mrs. Leland S. Montgomery purchased the house in 1961, they demolished that wing and had the present kitchen, breakfast room and playroom added in keeping with the style of the original house. The Montgomerys also had the wooden front porch floor replaced with one of flagstones that came from the front walk.

Interestingly, the original owners of the house were named Montgomery, but no relation to the present owners. The leaded glass of the front door is etched with an “M”, placed there circa 1912 by the third owners of the house, whose name was Morgan.

Many interior embellishments of the house are original to the structure. In the living room the brass and bronze gas chandeliers, now electrified, are original as are the French cornices over the windows.

BILLUPS P. PERCY HOUSE
1236 First Street

Majestically situated on a large corner lot abounding in typical Southern shrubs and towering magnolia trees the Percy house is a fine example of the Greek Revival style. All the components of a classic Garden District mansion are here—double galleries, fluted Corinthian columns, iron grillwork, and a deep but simple cornice above the top porch.

A characteristic floor plan, as indicated from the arrangement of windows and the door in the façade, was to have all major rooms on the south side (the preferred exposure) of a long hall. The present owners of the home, Mr. and Mrs. Billups P. Percy have modified this arrangement by the addition of a library on the north side of the house.

One of the oldest structures in the Garden District, the Percy house was erected in 1847 by John W. Gayle for his young bride. It was passed to its present owners through several ownerships, including the Alfred Le Blance family who resided here for fifty years.

In the interior of the house are to be noted such familiar antebellum hallmarks as black marble mantels, plaster ceiling rosettes and crystal chandeliers. In addition to the English, French and Italian antiques in the house, an item of special interest is an oil portrait of the late William Alexander Percy, Mississippi poet, author of the autobiographical “Lanterns on the Levee” and the adoptive father of Billups Percy.

ALBERT J. RUHLMAN HOUSE
2336 St. Charles Avenue

This early Louisiana cottage, believed to date from the 1840’s, looks today much as it did when the little railroad on Nayades Street brought wealthy business men from their offices downtown out to their palatial Garden District homes.

The façade of the house is symmetrically lovely, distinguished by the wooden railing in a diamond-shaped design, so seldom found today. Typical of the best features of homes of this period are the wide center hall, high ceilings, double parlors, cypress woodwork with hand-hammered door knobs, heart pine floors and handsome window glass. Window and door frames are in the so-called keyhole design.

The present owners of the house, Mr. and Mrs. Albert J. Ruhlman have furnished it with pieces contemporary with the era of its construction. Particularly noteworthy is the collection of furniture by Prudent Mallard, a native of France who worked in New Orleans from 1840-79. The Mallard sideboard in the dining room is of peg and hole construction, no nails of any kind having been used. Also the work of Mallard are two bedroom sets, one with a half tester, the other with full tester. Among the other interesting Mallard furniture are two chairs and a prie dieu which were once possessions of the master cabinetmaker himself.

JOSEPH V. SCHLOSSER HOUSE
1240 Sixth Street

After undergoing varied and not always felicitous usages during its long history, this handsome double galleried frame house is once again what it was originally, a fine private dwelling.

Estimated by Koch and Wilson, architects for the restoration, to have been built between 1866 and 1868, the house for many years was the Music School of the original Sophie Newcomb High School and College. The school’s main campus was in the square directly across the street, as described earlier in this book. When Newcomb relocated, the property was acquired by the Baptist Bible Institute, which divided the huge rooms of the dwelling into six apartments, all with individual baths and kitchens.

After Dr. and Mrs. Joseph Schlosser purchased the house in 1953, many months of planning preceded the restoration. In addition to removing the apartment arrangements, the Schlossers had the house completely rock-lathed, replastered, repainted, replumbed, re-wired and insulated. From 11 to 15 coats of paint were removed from the original woodwork.

The entrance door and the stair railing are solid mahogany. The pair of black and gold Austrian marble mantels in the living room and library came from Uncle Sam plantation. This sugar plantation, owned by Pierre Auguste Samuel Fagot, had been one of the most magnificent in Louisiana. In the dining room the marble mantel came from a house, now destroyed, designed by the celebrated architect Henry Howard.

The Schlosser’s have furnished their home with antiques and a notable collection of paintings by Ellsworth and William Woodward. William Woodward, a native of New Hampshire, was the first professor of Art and Architecture at Tulane and his brother Ellsworth founded the Art School of Newcomb College.

SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY

Bickle, Lucy Leffingwell Cable. George W. Cable: His Life and Letters. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1928.

Briede, Kathryn C. A History of the City of Lafayette. Unpublished thesis. Howard-Tilton Library of Tulane University.

Cable, George Washington. The Creoles of Louisiana. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1889.

Carter, Hodding and Betty Werlein Carter. So Great a Good. Sewanee, Tennessee: University Press, 1955.

Castellanos, Henry C. New Orleans As It Was. New York: L. Graham and Son, 1895.

Chase, John Churchill. Frenchmen, Desire, Good Children ... and Other Streets of New Orleans. New Orleans: Robert L. Crager and Co., 1949.

Clapp, Theodore. Autobiographical Sketches and Recollections. Boston: Phillips, Sampson and Co., 1859.

Fortier, Alcee. A History of Louisiana, 4 vols. New York: Mansi, Joyant and Co., 1904.

Kendall, John Smith. History of New Orleans, 3 vols. Chicago: Lewis Publishing Co., 1922.

King, Grace. Creole Families of New Orleans. New York: Macmillan Co., 1921.

____. New Orleans, The Place and the People. New York: Macmillan and Co., 1895.

leBreton, Dagmar Renshaw; Ethel Wight Usher and Marcel Peret. A Tour of the Garden District. New Orleans: American Association of University Women, 1942.

Martin, Francois-Xavier. The History of Louisiana. New Orleans: James A. Gresham, 1882.

Ralph, Julian. Dixie, or Southern Scenes and Sketches. New York: Harper and Bros., 1896.

Renshaw, James A. “The Lost City of Lafayette”, Louisiana Historical Quarterly, II (1919), 47-55.

Smith, Sol. Theatrical Management. New York: Harper and Bros., 1868.

Soniat, Meloncy C. “The Faubourgs Forming the Upper Section of the City of New Orleans”, Louisiana Historical Quarterly, XX (1937), 192-211.

Twain, Mark. Life on the Mississippi. Boston: James R. Osgood and Co., 1883.

Wilson, Samuel, Jr. A Guide to Architecture of New Orleans—1699-1959. New York: Reinhold Publishing Corp., 1959.

City Directories of New Orleans and Lafayette City.

Various issues of Louisiana Spectator, Lafayette City Advertiser, Southern Traveler, The Louisiana Statesman, and New Orleans newspapers.

Articles by John W. Coleman, The New Orleans States, 1922-1925.

Microfilm of diary of Thomas Kelah Wharton, 1853-1862, in Howard-Tilton Library. (Original in New York Public Library.)

Minutes of the Police Jury of Jefferson Parish, 1834-1843.

The Ordinances and Resolutions of the City of Lafayette, 1852.

Map by Louise Renes Trufant and Randall Genung, 1940.