A large 19th‑century mansion with a light exterior and tall shuttered windows stands behind an ornate wrought‑iron balcony and decorative fence. Lush greenery and trees surround the home, and a brick walkway leads toward the entrance. The partly cloudy sky adds contrast above the historic Garden District residence.

The elegant façade of Colonel Short’s Villa showcases tall shuttered windows, intricate wrought‑iron balconies, and an ornate ironwork fence that frames this classic example of Garden District architecture.


Following the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, Americans started to arrive in New Orleans and they wanted a neighborhood to call their own. It took thirty years to happen, but in 1826 when Jacques Livaudais failed to show up for divorce court, he lost ownership of the family plantation to his wife. In 1832, she moved home to France and sold the property to a group of businessmen who saw this land as America’s answer to the French and Creole-dominated Vieux Carre. They parceled it into a grid of 80 city blocks, becoming part of the Village of Lafayette.


Wealthy Americans flocked to build mansions here. With plenty of space, each mansion was surrounded by huge lawns and gardens, some spanning full city blocks, which earned the area its nickname, the “Garden District”. That nickname stuck, and the Garden District became its official name when the neighborhood was annexed into New Orleans in 1852.



The lawns are no longer as grand as they once were, but the mansions are still just as impressive as they were the day they were built. A visit to the Garden District offers a chance to see an entire neighborhood of preserved mansions from the 1800s and displays a melting pot of architectural styles that were “new” for the time period in which they were built. 


The Garden District was recognized for its architectural and cultural significance in 1972, when it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and then again in 1974, when it was declared a National Historic Landmark. Most recently, the Historic District Landmarks Commission designated the Garden District a Historic District in June 2007.


Whether you choose to take a guided walking tour from one of the many local tour companies or just do it yourself, a visit to New Orleans is incomplete without a visit to the Garden District.



A classic green St. Charles streetcar marked “900” travels along a tree‑lined avenue beneath sprawling oak branches. Historic homes with balconies and ornate architectural details line the street in this New Orleans neighborhood scene.

The St. Charles Streetcar rolls past grand 19th‑century homes and ornate balconies, framed by the sweeping branches of century‑old oaks.

Riding the Streetcar


The easiest way to get to the Garden District is to jump on the Saint Charles Street Car. Check out this blog post from a different blogger for a crash course on...  How to ride a streetcar.


St. Charles Avenue is the home of the St. Charles Streetcar Line. These GREEN streetcars are one of New Orleans’ most visually iconic links to the past. The 900 series streetcars were first put into service in the 1920s and are registered as National Historic Landmarks. New Orleans started using streetcars in 1835, more than 180 years ago, making it the oldest continuously run route for such transit worldwide!

Get On at the Corner of Canal & St. Charles


If you come from the French Quarter, Royal Street turns into St. Charles Avenue when you cross Canal Street. The St. Charles Street Car line starts at the corner of Canal and St. Charles.


Get Off at Washington Avenue


When you step off the streetcar, turn left on Washington Avenue and walk one block to the corner of Washington and Prytania.


You will see a sign commemorating the founding of Lafayette, the city that became the Garden District.

While in this area, be sure to check out:


The Rink Shopping Center 

2727 Prytania Street


The Rink today is a shopping center, but in 1884, it was a roller skating arena called the Crescent City Skating Rink. No one is certain, but this is believed to be the first skating rink in the city. When it opened, Crescent City advertised it as the largest skating rink in the country. Sadly, it was only a roller rink for four years.


Lafayette Cemetery No. 1 

Corner of Prytania and Washington


Built in what was once the City of Lafayette, the cemetery was officially established in 1833, but the square has been used for burials since 1824. The first available burial records are dated from August 3, 1843.


Commander's Palace

1403 Washington Avenue


The famous Commander's Palace restaurant has been a New Orleans landmark since 1893. It was originally opened by Emile Commander when he set up shop on the grounds of the former Livaudais Plantation. Today, it is owned by the Brennan Family. Check the website for their dress code if you wish to eat there.


If you are following my route...



Backtrack to Prytania Street


There is so much incredible architecture to see in the Garden District, and I admit that my interior design background made me go a little crazy. I photographed several beautiful mansions that were not on the typical walking tour routes that I researched for my trip or even considered "historically famous" because I just couldn't help myself. LOL, I ended up adding them here anyway because, as I discovered later, every one of these homes is either historically or architecturally significant.



Colonel Short's Villa

1448 Fourth Street



On the corner of Prytania and Fourth is Colonel Short’s Villa, also known as the Cornstalk Fence Mansion. This Italianate home was built in 1859 for Colonel Robert H. Short of Kentucky by architect Henry Howard.


In 1863, the house was seized by the federal forces occupying the city as the property of an absent rebel. It briefly served as the executive mansion for the Federal Governor of Louisiana before it was finally returned to Colonel Short in 1865. He lived here until he died in 1890.


The unusual fence features a pattern of morning glories and cornstalks and is the most famous cast ironwork in the Garden District. It is said that Colonel Short purchased the fence for his wife, who was homesick for her native Iowa.


A two‑story historic mansion features tall columns, shuttered windows, and ornate wrought‑iron railings on the balcony and fence. Lush greenery and trees surround the home, and a brick walkway runs along the front of the property.

The Cornstalk Fence Mansion pairs stately columns with ornate ironwork on both the balcony and its iconic fence.


Sully Mansion

2631 Prytania Street


A large historic house with light blue‑gray siding and white trim features a rounded front porch supported by white columns, ornate railings, and a hanging lantern. A red, white, and blue flag hangs near the entrance, and a decorative wrought‑iron fence and lush trees frame the shaded residential scene.

Sully Mansion pairs its rounded columned porch and ornate railings with a decorative iron fence, creating a refined example of classic New Orleans residential architecture.


Built in 1890 for the Rainy family, this mansion was designed by Thomas Sully. Sully is viewed as one of the most prominent Louisiana architects of the late nineteenth century and was among the first to create Uptown New Orleans's unique architectural look​. This home is the most intact of the few remaining “Sullys” in the city.

It is currently a Bed and Breakfast.




Briggs-Staub House

2605 Prytania Street



A large two‑story historic house is partially hidden by lush greenery and tall trees draped with Spanish moss. The home features tall arched windows with dark shutters, a wrought‑iron balcony railing, and a columned porch. A black iron fence and dense foliage line the front of the property.

The Briggs–Staub House rises behind its wrought‑iron balcony and arched shuttered windows, framed by dense greenery and trees draped in Spanish moss.


Built in 1849 for a gambler named Cuthbert Bulitt, it is one of only a few Gothic Revival houses in the city and the only one in the Garden District. After the home was completed, Bullitt refused to pay for it. Many believe he couldn’t afford it because of a large gambling loss. The house was sold to Charles Briggs, an English insurance executive. 


It seems odd that any architectural style would be "off-limits" in the varied Garden District, but such was the case with this Neo-Gothic cottage. Protestant neighbors complained that its steeply pitched roof and pointed arch windows recalled Catholic traditions they had hoped to leave behind in the French Quarter.



Gilmour-Parker House

2520 Prythania Street



A two‑story historic house with a light pink exterior and green shutters is partially hidden by lush trees and garden foliage. Ornate wrought‑iron detailing decorates the porch and balcony, and a black iron fence encloses the landscaped front yard beneath the shade of large overhanging branches.

The Gilmour–Parker House blends its pink façade, green shutters, and ornate wrought‑iron balcony into a serene garden setting shaded by sprawling trees.


Built in 1853 for Thomas Gilmour, an English cotton merchant, and his wife Anna. It was the first asymmetrical home and one of the city's earliest examples of Italianate architecture.


In 1882, John Parker, Sr., and his wife, Roberta, purchased the house. They enlarged the home, adding an extension to the dining room with bay windows and a rear hallway, and replaced the original staircase. Their son, John Parker, Jr., served as Governor of Louisiana from 1920-24 and entertained his hunting companion, Theodore Roosevelt, in this house.


Turn Right on Third Street


Robinson House

1415 Third Street 



A grand two‑story mansion with a light exterior features tall white columns supporting two levels of porches, ornate railings, and a decorative pediment above the central entrance. A wrought‑iron fence encloses the property, and large magnolia trees frame the house beneath a partly cloudy sky.

The Robinson House stands in full neoclassical grandeur, its tall white columns and double porches framed by ornate railings and a wrought‑iron fence.


Built between 1859 and 1865 by architect Henry Howard. It is designed in the Greek Revival and Italianate styles and has a neoclassical cast iron fence. At 10,516 square feet, this is one of the largest homes in the district and features a distinctive curved portico. Its unusual roof acts as a large vat that once collected water and worked as a cistern. Gravity provided water pressure. This is believed to be the first house in the Garden District to have indoor plumbing.




Musson Bell House

1331 Third Street


A historic house with light siding features tall shuttered windows, an arched doorway, and ornate wrought‑iron detailing on the porch and balcony. A black iron fence borders the front garden, and a large tree with pink blossoms adds vibrant color to the scene.

The Musson–Bell House displays its ornate wrought‑iron balcony and arched doorway behind a blooming pink tree that softens the home’s elegant historic façade.


This Greek Revival/Italianate mansion was built in 1853 for Michel Musson, one of the few French Creoles living in the Garden District before the Civil War. He was a successful cotton merchant, the New Orleans postmaster, and the uncle of French artist Edgar Degas. After the Civil War dealt Musson’s fortunes a severe blow, he sold this house and moved his family to Esplanade Avenue, where Degas briefly lived with him.


The house's original design is attributed to James Gallier, Sr., but the facade has been altered. The cast iron gallery is an 1884 replacement, and the facade originally had two front bays. 



Backtrack to Prytania Street and Turn Right


Our Mother of Perpetual Help Chapel 

2523 Prytania Street



A two‑story historic building with a light exterior features tall shuttered windows, decorative columns framing the entrance, and ornate wrought‑iron balconies and railings. A black iron fence encloses the neatly kept front garden, creating a striking contrast between the light façade and the dark ironwork.

Our Mother of Perpetual Help Chapel showcases its tall shuttered windows, decorative columns, and ornate wrought‑iron balconies, an elegant expression of classic New Orleans architecture.

This three story tall Greek-Italianate Revival mansion was originally designed by Henry Howard in 1857 for the wealthy coffee importer Henry T. Daily Lonsdale. It was often called the skyscraper because it was the tallest structure in the Garden District at the time.


While this mansion’s intricate cast iron gallery and marble entrance exude European elegance, its most distinctive characteristic just might be its lineage of owners. After the Civil War, it was acquired by the Catholic Church as a home for older priests. Rather than going to one of the two big churches, Catholic families in the Garden District began attending Mass at Our Mother of Perpetual Help Chapel in the home.


From 1929 to 1953, it was a Catholic Girl’s School.


Most recently, it was owned by two internationally known celebrities: Anne Rice lived here and used it as the setting for her novel Violin,​ and Nicholas Cage owned it for a while.



Maddox-McLendon House

2507 Prytania Street



A stately white building with a symmetrical façade features tall classical columns, a decorative cornice, and an entrance framed by stone pillars topped with lanterns. Lush green trees partially obscure the structure, and a black wrought‑iron fence and gate enclose the front of the property.

The Maddox–McLendon House rises behind its tall classical columns and decorative cornice, framed by lush trees and a wrought‑iron gate with lantern‑topped stone pillars.


This Greek Revival mansion was originally built in 1852 for Joseph Maddox, the owner of the Daily Crescent newspaper.


The interior of this home was used for the Jamie Foxx and Leonardo DiCaprio movie Django Unchained.



Women's Opera Guild House

2504 Prytania Street


A large white Victorian‑style house features tall columns, an upper balcony, and a distinctive turret with a steep roof. Decorative molding and dark shutters highlight the façade, while a wrought‑iron fence and lush greenery—including a flowering tree—frame the property beneath a partly cloudy sky.

The Women’s Opera Guild House showcases its grand Victorian design with a columned porch, intricate trim, and a striking turret rising above the wrought‑iron fence and garden.


This gorgeous New Orleans Garden District mansion was formerly the Davis-Seebold Residence. In 1966, it became the home of the Women's Opera Guild House. 


Designed by William Freret, the home was built in 1858 and combines several different architectural styles. The structure is Greek Revival and has Italianate metalwork with a Queen Anne extension.


The home has recently been used for two movies: Elsa and Peter, starring Shirley MacLaine and​ Christopher Plummer, and Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained.




Bradish Johnson House

2343 Prytania Street



A large historic mansion painted in light cream and beige features tall classical columns, decorative cornices, intricate moldings, and iron cresting along the roofline. Mature trees and a manicured lawn surround the house, and a black wrought‑iron fence encloses the property.

The Bradish Johnson House displays its tall columns, intricate moldings, and iron‑crested roofline, rising behind mature trees and a wrought‑iron fence.


This mansion was designed by James Freret in the French Second Empire style. The home features nearly every stylistic element pioneered by Napoleon III’s architects. There are French-styled dormers, a mansard roof, and loads of Italianate detaining rounded doors, and Corinthian columns support a second-story balcony, and the manicured garden makes it feel like Paris. It was built in 1872 for a sugar baron named Bradish Johnson. It cost $100,000 to build at the time. That would be more than $1.6 million today!


Since 1929, it has been the private Louise S. McGehee School for Girls.


Backtrack to First Street and Turn Left


Archie Manning House

1420 First Street

The Archie Manning House features tall classical columns, shuttered windows, and ornate iron railings, rising above its manicured lawn and decorative wrought‑iron fence.

The Archie Manning House rises behind its tall classical columns and ornate iron railings, a refined example of Greek Revival architecture set within a manicured, fenced lawn.




Since 1982, this house has been the home of the beloved 1970s New Orleans Saints Quarterback, Archie Manning.


If you didn’t follow the Saints back then, he should also be familiar to you as the father of Peyton, Eli, and Cooper Manning. The boys grew up in this home. Eli and Peyton are also famous NFL Football players.

The family lives in the home full time and is often seen in the yard and around the neighborhood.



Pritchard-Pigott House

1407 First Street


This splendid Neoclassical Revival mansion was built as a double-gallery side-hall townhouse in 1867.


Unfortunately, the family was forced to sell the property two years later due to financial constraints​. The new owner maintained it as a rental and allowed the family to rent it from him until 1876. 


Renovations in 1904, transformed the townhouse into the spacious classically inspired mansion seen here today. Two additional bays were added to center the front entrance and give it a more symmetrical appearance, also a tetra- style portico and the colossal Doric columns.

 

A large two‑story house with tall white columns and a wide porch features a light blue front door marked with the number 1407. Ornate wrought‑iron fencing and posts frame the entrance, with neatly trimmed shrubs and a brick walkway leading to the gate. The symmetrical façade includes shuttered windows and a balcony supported by the columns.

Tall white columns, a light blue door, and ornate wrought‑iron posts give this Greek Revival home its refined, symmetrical presence along the brick walkway.


Morris-Israel House

1331 First Street

A two‑story historic house with a pink exterior features tall shuttered windows, ornate wrought‑iron balconies, and a central doorway framed by decorative ironwork. Lush greenery surrounds the home, and a black iron fence encloses the property, highlighting its symmetrical Victorian‑era design.

The Morris‑Israel House highlights its pink façade, tall shuttered windows, and ornate wrought‑iron balconies framed by lush greenery and a classic black iron fence


Designed in 1860 by Samuel Jamison, it is one of the best examples of Italianate architecture in the city, making it a very popular stop on all Garden District tours.


Many houses have Greek Revival and Italianate styles, but this house has all the features of the early Italianate style, which was popular in New Orleans in the late 1850s. The doors and window frames are arched as they are modeled after Italian villas. Notice that the cast iron columns are slender with arched spandrels, and it’s impossible to miss all the detailed cast iron work that is more delicate in design, more commonly described as “iron lace.” This is another sign that this house has shifted to Italian​ style.


It was once owned by Anne Rice.


Carroll-Crawford House

1315 First Street



A large two‑story pink historic house features ornate wrought‑iron balconies, arched tall windows, and a central double‑door entrance framed by columns. Hanging plants decorate the upper balcony, while palm trees and manicured hedges surround the façade. A black wrought‑iron fence encloses the property, emphasizing its symmetrical Victorian‑era design.

The Carroll–Crawford House showcases its pink façade, arched windows, and ornate wrought‑iron balconies, framed by lush greenery and a stately iron fence.

This house was built in 1869 for Joseph Carroll, who was one of the city’s most successful cotton merchants. Samuel Jamison, who also designed the Morris-Israel House, designed it in the Italianate style with cast iron lace balconies.


It is said that Joseph Carroll was known for giving lavish parties. He was very good friends with Mark Twain, who visited the house often.


Several other owners worth noting include​ R.M. Walmsley, whose grandson, T. Semmes Walmsley, served as mayor of the city from 1929 to 1936. In the 1920s, it was owned by Valentine Merz, the founder of Dixie Brewery. In 1932, an engineer named Charles Crawford, whose sister was Josephine was a well-known French Quarter artist of the ‘20s and ‘30s.



The White House

1312 First Street


A large two‑story house with tall white columns and a second‑story balcony features shuttered windows, detailed roofline moldings, and light neutral exterior tones. A well‑maintained garden with tropical plants, trimmed hedges, and a wrought‑iron fence surrounds the home, with a partly cloudy sky overhead.

Tall white columns, shuttered windows, and a balustraded balcony give The White House its stately Greek Revival presence amid lush tropical landscaping.





Sarah Browne originally built this home as a much smaller structure in a different location. She moved it to this spot in 1860.


In 1879, the Whites purchased it and gave it a major renovation. They raised the existing one-and-a-half stories to allow for a new first floor and facade. That’s when the Italianate details were added to this Victorian home, earning it the name “The White House.”​



Brevard-Rice House

1239 First Street



A large two‑story historic house with tall white columns and a full‑width balcony features ornate wrought‑iron railings, symmetrical shuttered windows, and a centered front door flanked by lantern lights. Mature trees with curving branches frame the scene, while a brick pathway and decorative iron fence lead to the entrance, surrounded by lush greenery.

The Brevard–Rice House stands behind tall white columns and ornate ironwork, framed by sweeping tree branches and lush garden greenery.


This home, built in 1857 by merchant Albert Brevard, is a neoclassical hodgepodge of just about every architectural style of its time. The Greek Revival colonnades, Italianate flourishes, and a hexagonal window all mix with surprising elegance.


The home was purchased by Anne Rice in 1989. While living here, she used it as the setting for her book “The Witching Hour,” which turned into a trilogy about a fictitious family called the Mayfair Witches who also lived in the home. She sold the house in 2003 after the death of her husband, Stan.



Payne-Strachan House

1134 First Street



A large two‑story historic house with tall white columns and a wraparound balcony features green shuttered windows and a light‑colored exterior. Dense hedges, flowering shrubs, and mature trees surround the home, with branches framing the façade against a partly cloudy sky.

The Payne–Strachan House stands behind tall white columns and a wraparound balcony, framed by green shutters and lush flowering gardens.


This home is best known as where Jefferson Davis, the President of the Confederate States of America, died on December 6, 1889.


Jefferson Davis had been imprisoned after the Civil War and then pardoned. He eventually began giving talks and writing books about the war to make ends meet. During a trip, he fell ill with malaria and bronchitis and was forced to stop in New Orleans, where he was diagnosed and ordered off the boat. He was taken in by Charles Fenner, the son-in-law of Judge Jacob Payne an old friend of Davis’. He spent the next two weeks here in the home, eventually dying on the morning of December 6.

It is of Greek Revival design.




This is where my day in the Garden District ended abruptly with several loud crashes of thunder, lighting and a mad soaking wet dash back to St. Charles Avenue to hop the streetcar. You would have never guessed it by the beautiful sky in my last image but that's what you get when you tour New Orleans during the rainy season. I could have spent all day!


Here's the rest of my planned route....



Backtrack up First Street

Turn Right on Coliseum Street


The Seven Sisters

2329 through 2305 Coliseum Street


There are actually eight of them. They are historical​ shotgun houses that were built on speculation.



Backtrack up Coliseum


Joseph Merrick Jones House

2425 Coliseum Street



Currently the home of John Goodman, it belonged to Trent Reznor, the lead singer of the Nine Inch Nails before that.


Eustis-Sandra Bullock House

2627 Coliseum Street


A Swiss Germanic Chalet built in 1867.


Nolen House  

2707 Coliseum Street


Better known as the "Curious Case of Benjamin Button" house.


Finish with lunch at Commander's Palace on the corner of Washington Avenue & Coliseum Street.



Not every image makes it into my blog. If you enjoyed the photos in this article, please check out my Louisiana Collection for more pictures from this amazing state, or visit my Image Gallery with over 4000 images of locations around the United States.


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