City: New Orleans, LA

Category: Tours & Attractions

Telephone: (504) 525-5661

Address: 820 St. Louis St.

Description: This handsome two-story brick mansion, designed by Virginia architect William Brand for Samuel Hermann in 1831, is generally considered to be the best example in the Vieux Carré of American influence on New Orleans architecture—and one of the most elegant residences in the Crescent City. The complex includes a working 1831 French kitchen complete with oven, potagers, and open hearth, an unusual cast-iron cistern, the last private stable in the French Quarter, and original parterre beds filled with fragrant flowering plants. Some of the amenities include marble mantels, faux bois doors, and hand-carved wooden friezes in the parlor and dining room. Samuel Hermann came to Louisiana from Germany the year after the Louisiana Purchase and settled in New Orleans in 1815. Fifteen years later he had amassed a substantial fortune as an entrepreneur, banker, and broker, and his newfound wealth was amply expressed in his splendid mansion. Hermann’s successes were not immune to the Panic of 1837, and he was forced to sell his home in 1844 to prominent New Orleans judge Felix Grima. The house remained in the Grima family until 1921. After restoration, the house opened to the public in 1971 and today depicts the lifestyle of a prosperous Creole family in the years from 1830 to 1860. Elegant furnishings include family portraits, fine American and Rococo Revival pieces, English loom-woven wool carpets, and silk damask draperies reproduced by Scalamandre from an 1830s pattern. This National Historic Landmark is open for tours Docents lead 45- to 60-minute tours Mon, Tues, Thurs, and Fri 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., and Sat noon to 3 p.m.